The bluest of Chateauneuf du Pape bluebloods, the Vielles Vignes cuvee from Grand Veneur is, once again, the highest rated wine of a very, very fine vintage in the Southern Rhone. Established in the northern part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in...

Featured here is the 2020 La Reserve Ventoux, sourced from vineyards ranging in age from 20-35 years old, grown at 1500 feet in elevation at the base of Mt. Ventoux.  The wine is fermented in stainless steel after a period of maceration to gain...

2019 Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone 'Les Champauvins' 2022 was the year of the Cotes du Rhone at PRIMA!  It seems like everything we tried from either 2018 or 2019 was either delicious, well-priced or both!  It was really hard to pick a favorite...

2019 Jean-Louis Chave L'Hermitage Blanc

Domaine le Clos des Lumières is a 50-hectare family farm founded in 1946 by the grandfather of the domaine’s current vigneron, Gerald Serrano.  The ambitious, talented Serrano was the first to actually bottle wine here rather than sell...

2021 Domaine Les Pallieres Vin de France Rose 'au petit bonheur' 

Wine Spectator: This is lively, with bright black cherry and blackberry coulis flavors racing along, lined with a fresh sanguine note and backed by a minerally edge on the finish. A flash of bay leaf in the background adds range. Drink now through 2030...

Winemaker Notes This wine has a deep garnet color with purplish hues. The first nose is complex and after a slight aeration it releases aromas of stewed small black fruits and candied cherry. On the palate, we detect a nice acidity with well-present...

2010 Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge 

 Man, these 2019 Rhone reds continue to really impress. This vintage seems to have produced a bevy of Grenache-based lovelies with not only nicely concentrated fruit without excessive alcohol (no mean feat these days) but also fresh, lifted...

Winery Notes:  The 2020 is very similar to the 2019 – the fruit was ripe and absolutely stunning. The resultant wine shows lush black fruit, it is rounded and fleshy with a salinity that calls for a fine steak. This wine has a short vatting...

Importer's Notes:  Jean-Louis Chave Selections, his négociant line which sources grapes from various areas in the northern Rhône, represents a more accessible way for the consumer to experience the wines of the Chave family. “Mon...

Winery Notes:  Nose:  Powerful and voluble aromas develop. The first nose is divided between aromas of yellow peach, mirabelle plum and quince jelly. Then come more floral notes reminiscent of broom and acacia flower.   In the end, a...

Notre Dame des Pallieres Cotes du Rhone Les Rieus

PRIMA Notes: The 2015 Crozes-Hermitage featured here, Cuvée Ghany (named after their first-born son), is 100% Syrah, grown in the clay, limestone and rocky soils that are typical for this particular part of the appellation.  Fermented and...

Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points:  Leading off the single vineyard Hermitage whites, the 2018 Ermitage De L’Orée is all Marsanne, from the Les Murets lieu-dit, brought up mostly in used demi-muids. Orange blossom, crushed citrus, spice box,...

Robert Parker The Wine Advocate 96-98 Points:  The 2018 Ermitage le Méal is denser than the les Greffieux, boasting layers of blackberry fruit. It's full-bodied, rich, concentrated and tannic, with a long chewy finish that hints at mocha and...

This cuvée was created in honour of the family’s ancestor Paul Martin, who was one of the first French winemakers to sell wine in the 18th century under the name Vin de la Solitude. It was created using the winemaking techniques of the...

This is not a florid, ponderous or super modern Chateauneuf du Pape-wannabe kind of wine, rather it’s a more stylish, old school type of red that emphasizes its copious cool, dark, dusky fruit while being framed by really nice, fresh acidity. ...

Speaking of Syrah, how about the Old World alternative to the Melville’s distinctly New World approach?  This is labeled Cotes du Rhone but comes from the northern part of the Rhone, more specifically Chave’s younger Syrah vines in the...

Winemaker Notes:  The vineyards used for Offerus are located in two distinct St. Joseph areas. The communities of Mauves, Tournon, and St. Jean de Muzols yield over 80% of the blend and are owned by Jean Louis. These southern vineyard sites...

Just about perfection in a glass, the 2017 Gigondas Le Claux got a few expletives in my notes. Made from 100% Grenache from a loamy, limestone parcel that’s a stone’s throw from the estate, just outside the village, it boasts a deep purple...

"Aromatically very deep, with blackberry fruits emerging from the oak chrysalis along with lavender notes. So silky, juicy and fine. Massy, thick and chewy tannins. Dark, black fruit compote on the palate, but fully dry. Remarkable depth and darkness of...

Winery Notes: SOIL TYPE : Quaternary stony soil with deposits. Parcels located on the lower terraced lands of the Gigondas Appellation.GRAPE VARIETY : Grenache 80 %, Mourvèdre 20 %.AGE OF THE VINES : 40 years old, on...

Jeb Dunnuck:  95-97 Points The 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve Auguste Favier offers more kirsch and blackberry fruits as well as ample charcoal, earth, licorice, and spice nuances. It's full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, layered, and...