From €28.73, AU$65.95; £180 for 12 in bond
Find the Clos du Caillou (be careful you find the red rather than the white)
Find the Vieux Donjon (be careful you find the red rather than the white)
At JancisRobinson.com we are all rather exhausted, getting tasting notes on almost 650 2013 Rhônes on to our site for publishing this week. See this guide to our 2013 Rhône coverage. The delicious Clos du Caillou, Réserve 2013 Côtes du Rhône is an anomaly, made from an enclave of land around the extraordinary ramparted cellars of the estimable Clos du Caillou that really should have been classified as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and so the wine is always priced at a little less than it deserves. The domaine was created by the engineer colleague of de Lesseps (of Suez and Panama canals fame), who created a reservoir for the town of Courthézon. When the delimiters of the zone came to visit, so goes the story, they found the gates closed and therefore ignored the enclave. The estate was certified organic in 2010 and is today run by Sylvie, widow of Jean-Denis Vacheron of Sancerre, and winemaker Bruno Gaspard.
Clos du Caillou, Réserve 2013 Côtes du Rhône is 85% very old Grenache with 15% Syrah grown on the mainly sandy soils of the Clos. I found it deliciously round and rich with real grip and structure although I would happily drink it next year – and any time in the next seven years. It certainly tastes infinitely superior to the average Côtes du Rhône and is much more fun and rewarding than many a Châteauneuf. There is real spice and sweetness here – and great polished tannins. The wine is both flattering and persistent and great value.
Arguably even better value is the 2013 release from one of my favourite, and least greedy, Châteauneuf producers, Le Vieux Donjon 2013 Châteauneuf-du-Pape . I
tasted this wine at the very end of the 123 samples I tasted blind in Châteauneuf itself and it really jumped out of the glass for its class and balance. (It was by no means the case that I expected the last wine to be a good one; there was no discernible pattern in the order of tasting.) The 2013 is a blend of 65% Grenache (lower than usual) with 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre and 5% Cinsault. I wrote: ‘Very dark, savoury, racy stuff with real excitement. The non-Grenache ingredients seem to knit it all together. Sinewy and complete. Polish. Long and very satisfying.’ And gave it 18 points out of 20, recommending drinking it between 2016 and 2026. It is currently on offer en primeur from Yapp Bros at £228 for 12 bottles or £238 for six magnums in bond. It is 14.5% alcohol so no shy retiring flower, but it is far from the most potent wine from this southerly appellation. You can also find it already on offer by the bottle in France and the US at €24 and $69.99 respectively. Winemaker Claire Michel is pictured here by UK importer Jason Yapp.
Find the Clos du Caillou (be careful you find the red rather than the white)
Find the Vieux Donjon (be careful you find the red rather than the white)