2006 CÔTES-DU-RHÔNE ROUGE

“CYPRESS CUVÉE”

LOUIS BARRUOL and KERMIT LYNCH

This is the first vintage of this special cuvée. Value seekers and lovers of big, bold reds, search no more! Kermit Lynch's prospecting for another great Côtes-du-Rhône after the unfortunate  sale of Château Trignon ended in Gigondas, at the doorstep of the talented young Louis Barruol. Louis had at his disposition a quantity of really high-quality fruit in the Côtes-du-Rhône, and he also just so happened to have the flexibility and the desire to do s special blend with Kermit.  He and Kermit joined forces to create this wine and it was an easy partnership, as both love the art of the blend.  You have the dark, wild Mourvèdre, the richly fruited Grenache, and the spicy grip of the Syrah all vying for attention.  The blend is, of course, bottled unfiltered, leaving none of the good stuff behind. Loaded with character and sporting great structure and surprising freshness to the black. meaty depths of fruit, it will be drinking great for years.  Kermit said that the raw materials he had to work with were so good, the real challenge (and fun) was finding the ideal balance of finesse, texture and soul. The wine tastes a lot like a Gigondas or Châteaumeuf-du-Pape.

Domaine La Manarine Côtes du Rhône Rosé

 
This "petite" domaine was created by Gilles Gasq in April 2001. The vineyards are located within the commune of Travaillan, on a splendid plateau northeast of Orange. Gilles is a talented young winemaker who has honed his skills working as an assistant to Paul Jeune, the proprietor of Domaine de Monpertuis and Chateau Valcombe.   This dry rose is a 50-50 blend of Grenache and Mourvedre with big aromas of strawberry and raspberry and great balance between weight and acidity on the palate, which makes this wine easy to pair with most cuisine - light seafood dishes to heavy barbeque..