Tasting notes, Jan. 28, 2023: New arrivals from the Southern Rhone

                     Southern Rhône Valley

2020 Stehelin Sablet Blanc
$29.99 / Case Price $24
Sablet / Côtes-du-Rhône Villages / France
34% Grenache Blanc, 33% Marsanne, 33% Roussanne
The village of Sablet is named for the densely packed sand which dominates the soil in the area. Stehelin’s Blanc is sourced from 20 year-old vines and raised in neutral vessels. Aromatic while being richly textured, it is full bodied white to enjoy alongside shellfish.
2021 Clos Saint-Jean
Châteauneuf Blanc
$74.99 / Case Price $60
Châteauneuf-du-Pape/ Southern Rhône Valley / France
34% Grenache Blanc, 33% Clairette, 33% Roussanne
Exotically aromatic, Clos Saint-Jean’s Châteauneuf Blanc is sourced from a small two-acre vineyard. The wine is fermented and aged in a combination of wood, stainless steel, and concrete, the aging lasting just 6 months.
2021 Trinquevedel Tavel
$24.99 / Case Price $20
Tavel / Southern Rhône Valley / France
60% Grenache, 13% Clairette, 13% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 3% Mourvèdre, 1% Bourboulenc
The Tavel appellation is one of the few producing only Rose wine in France. This is a powerful Rose not without charm, a wine well suited as an aperitif or matched with a hearty meal of the grill.
2019 Grand Veneur
Les Champauvins
$21.99 / Case Price $17.60
Côtes-du-Rhône / Southern Rhône Valley / France
70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre
Les Champauvins” is an 84-acre vineyard located just outside the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation dutifully farmed organically by the Jaume family of Domaine Grand Veneur. 
2014 Stehelin
Gigondas Rouge
$34.99 / Case Price $25.60
Gigondas / Southern Rhône Valley / France
70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre
Sourced from 90 year-old vines planted at relatively high elevation (300m), Stehelin’s flagship wine is aged for 24 months in large, neutral casks. Powerful and possessing plenty of acidity, this Gigondas offers aromas of black pepper and flavors of dark cherry.
2019 Vieille Julienne
Trois Sources Rouge
On Sale for $69.99
Châteauneuf-du-Pape / Southern Rhône Valley / France
Primarily: Grenache; Secondarily: Syrah, Mourvèdre; Also: Terret, Cinsault, Counoise, Muscardin, Vaccarese
Sourced from vineyards featuring sand, pebbles and red clay, the Trois Sources is a deceptively complex red built for the cellar. The Daumen family have been farming in Châteauneuf since the early 1900’s.