Fans of wines from the Cotes Du Rhone will be very happy on May 24th especially folks, like myself, that love great quality wines at reasonable prices. The board sent most of the red wines slotted for the release, made me happy, so read on, free up your credit cards and head to the store because you won’t be disappointed.

370189 CHÂTEAU SAINT ESTÈVE D’UCHAUX MASSIF D’UCHAUX CÔTES DU RHONE VILLAGES $18.95
A beautiful nose laden with Christmas cake spice, coal dust and smoke, backed up with dark cherry, dark fruit and treacle. Super silky blueberry fruit and dried strawberry on the palate, very good concentration and good length on the finish. Find this wine

374991 CLOS BELLANE CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES VALRÉAS 2010 $19.95
An interesting blend of cedar, smoked meat, Nori and dried cherry, showing super fruit flavours of redcurrant, raspberry and blackberry on the palate all bound with milky chocolate and clean acidity. Find this wine

374983 DOMAINE COURTOIS LA GRANGE VINSOBRES 2011 $20.95
Heady aromas of black raspberry, sweet smoke, Asian spice and a whiff of mandarin peel, solid structure on the palate featuring damson and plum, black tea and a hefty layer of bitter chocolate tannin. A wine soon to be very good, but needs a little time to do so. Find this wine

374280 DOMAINE DE LA VALÉRIANE VIEILLES VIGNES CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2012 $17.95
Very ripe, projecting aromas of tar, blueberry, black pepper grounds, dried mushroom and briar, quite smooth and round on the palate showing black cherry and currant flavours controlled by a gentle layer of tannin. Find this wine

374975 DOMAINE LA GUINTRANDY CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2012 $15.95
Subtle, but pretty aromas of hay straw, red cherry, redcurrant, slate and lead pencil aromas gradually escape from the glass. The flavours of this Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre blend, cherry, plum and milk chocolate are delicate, but nicely balanced creating an interesting wine, especially at this price. Find this wine

128660 DOMAINE LAFOND ROC-ÉPINE LIRAC 2011 $18.95
Lovely perfume and floral aromas give way to a punchy layer of gravel, red fruit and tar, chunky palate shows red fruit, sweet spice, dark cherry and gentle tannins. Find this wine

370197 DOMAINE MARTIN PLAN DE DIEU CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2011 $19.95
Very earthy and mineral laden, while rich with aromas of chalk, mocha, leather and solid black fruit that runs through on to the palate, acidity is low, fruit abounds, dusty tannins on finish. Find this wine

130013 DOMAINE SAINT-PIERRE VACQUEYRAS 2011 $25.95
60% Grenache and 40% Subtle and a bit stingy at first, but floral notes appear as do mineral, charcoal, plum skin, blackberry and black licorice. Very good structure, lots of sweet fruit, blueberry in particular, tannins are discernible, best to lay down, but still damn tasty now. Find this wine

727503 E. GUIGAL CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2007 $59.95
Meaty and fleshy, aromas of duck prosciutto, leather, mineral, mocha, dried Chinese mushrooms, pure dark and red fruits. Dried cherry captures centre stage on the palate, but other dark fruits and cola notes quickly begin to appear, tannins are integrating nicely, but this baby will provide drinking pleasure for many a decade to come. Find this wine

941740 LA CRAU DE MA MÈRE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2011 $46.95
This blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah delivers notes of campfire, blackcurrant, ripe cherry and slate aromas; ripe and creamy fruit forward palate, rather tight tannins and some astringency on the finish. Find this wine

370270 GABRIEL MEFFRE SAINTE-CATHERINE GIGONDAS 2011 $29.95
Very tight, but it teases with spurts of mineral, plum, black berry, dark chocolate, slate, and black cherry. The palate however, is alive with sweet blackberry and cherry flavours, some dusty tannin and a touch of black fruit and chocolate on the finish. Find this wine

726687 BOSQUET DES PAPES CUVÉE TRADITION CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2011 $50.95
Huge aromas of blackberry and blackcurrant are supported by notes of mineral, marzipan, anise ball, and thyme. The hefty palate of black fruit is spicy and prickly, there is some serious tannin to navigate, but fruit is powerful, acidity is true and the texture is chewy and ripe. Don’t be in a rush to open this. Find this wine

370221 LA FONT DU VENT NOTRE PASSION CÔTES DU RHÔNE- VILLAGES SIGNARGUES 2010 $16.95
Strange aromas of cherry cola and honeydew melon with hints of anise, sweet spice and toffee, lead to an easy drinking wine flavoured with raspberry and strawberry, non-existent tannins and that toffee note on the close. Find this wine

998716 ORTAS TRADITION RASTEAU 2011 $17.95
Super powered, concentrated fragrance of blackberry and blackcurrant supported by iron, lead pencil, mineral and red licorice with a superb texture on the palate, nice roundness, velvety, soft tannins, some red currant and blackberry on the finish. Find this wine

309260 LE GRAVILLAS CÔTES DU RHÔNE- VILLAGES SÉGURET 2011 $15.95
Ripe, chock full of blackberry, smoked meat, cherry liqueur and dark chocolate, tight on the palate it is chewy and muscular, the fruit is there, but the tannins are hefty. Find this wine

THE BEST OF THE REST

USA

269340 COSENTINO CIGAR ZIN ZINFANDEL 2011 Old Vine, California $21.95
An old vine Zinfandel full of dark and red fruit aromas, with fresh ground pepper, dusty and herbaceous, anise and white chocolate, a well-balanced palate with lively acidity, red currant flavours and chewy finish. Find this wine

025106 IRONY SMALL LOT RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011 Napa Valley $19.95
Notes of bracken, cocoa, currant, wet soil and tobacco lead to a one dimensional palate of dull currant and sweet oak. Find this wine

ARGENTINA

129957 ALTA VISTA PREMIUM CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012 Mendoza $15.95
Pure blackcurrant coulis, infused with clove, thyme, cedar and brushed on to a sliver of smoked meat. It is heavy and chunky, but nonetheless, well balanced, oozing with black fruit, clean acidity and deftly engaged oak. Find this wine

375121 LEO PREMIUM MALBEC 2011 Mendoza $19.95
Blue fruit, quite jammy, but mineral notes integrate nicely, some chocolate hits the palate, but all the flavours clear off too quickly. Find this wine

CHILE

000612 MONTES ALPHA SYRAH 2010 Colchagua Valley $19.95
Very ripe, full of expressive blackberry, rich dark chocolate, violets, sweet cassis cordial, it’s plush and fruit driven palate is spicy, has low acidity and a sweet creamy texture. Find this wine

DOWN UNDER

054239 ROLF BINDER HALES SHIRAZ 2010 Barossa Valley, South Australia $18.95
Shiraz lately has changed its style and I am enjoying the black licorice, black toffee and blackberry aromas augmented by dusty chocolate and sweet Asian spice that this example contains. It has good structure, the right amount of sweetness, clean acidity and a good finish. Find this wine

MORE FRENCH

365866 CHÂTEAU CAMP DE LA HIRE 2010 Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux $16.95
Toasty oak, dark fruit, leather, espresso grounds and a touch of mineral, simple and clean on the palate, gentle tannin and a roundness that suggests current consumption. Find this wine

643239 DOMAINE DE BILA-HAUT OCCULTUM LAPIDEM 2011 Côtes de Roussillon-Villages$25.95
Attractive aromas of pig poo, barnyard, straw, blueberry, jam, damson, brown sugar and brine, it is concentrated, well balanced, but tightly wound so give it time to develop. It should, but this wine will fly off the shelves as Robert Parker gave this wine a score of 94-96. Find this wine

177584 DOMAINE LES YEUSES LES ÉPICES SYRAH 2011 Pays d’Oc $14.95
Barnyard, coal dust, black licorice and mocha, heaps of blueberry attacks the palate along with plum and currant, acidity is lively and the wine is fun to quaff. Find this wine

168716 M. CHAPOUTIER LES VIGNES DE BILA-HAUT CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON VILLAGES 2012 $14.95
I have tasted this in previous vintages and always enjoyed it. This rendition is very New World focused, has heaps of sweet oak, black tea, plum, sweet licorice and slate aromas to amuse, but the palate is sweet, has low acidity and is simply globby. Find this wine

Cheers
CZ

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