Cercius Côtes du Rhône

Wow, is this an exciting wine! A custom cuvee put together by importer Eric Solomon along with the brilliant oenologist Philippe Cambie and Costieres de Nimes’ up-and-coming superstar, Michel Gassier, this blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah (and there are 5,000 cases for the US) comes from the 70- to 80-year-old Grenache vines on the plateau of Domazan to the south of Chateauneuf du Pape. This sensational wine tastes more like Chateauneuf du Pape than just about any Cotes du Rhone one is likely to find. It is also another example of what looks to be another great vintage emerging from the southern Rhone – 2010. This is one of the greatest Cotes du Rhones I have ever tasted — wonderfully intense, deep ruby with some purple tinges, with a stunning nose of black raspberry liqueur intermixed with sweet cherries, licorice, pepper and Provencal lavender. Round, generous, opulent and heady, this fabulously intense, hedonistic wine should be drunk over the next 3–4 years. Bravo!