Friday Sips

To say that co-op and negociant mass produced Côtes-du-Rhône has superiority to grower Côtes-du-Rhône producers like Beaurenard is akin to handing Dennis Rodman the Nobel Peace Prize. Many of you are familiar with the prowess of this Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Rasteau rock star, Domaine de Beaurenard also excels with their Côtes-du-Rhône level wines as well. Not sappy or overblown, Beaurenard's Côtes-du-Rhône is infinite beauty personified. 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah & 15% Cinsault, the Coulon brothers once again bring it with vintage 2011!!

Seductive, pure, soulful with almost a Burgundian-inspired underbelly, is offers brilliant raspberry tones which show after the wine is poured, then after 5-10 minutes in the glass impressive black licorice and lavender arrive. Graceful, mouth-filling, ethereal and upscale in the mouth with plenty of lacy, smooth characteristics on the pleasurable back end. Have this with chicken, slow-roasted lamb or grilled bratwurst.

Undoubtedly this is one of the most outstanding price/quality rapport Barolo we work with year in and year out. Vietti's Castiglione Barolo is way, way more than just an entry-level offering. In fact, this could be broken down by vineyard and Luca Currado could legitimately produce numerous different single cru wines from this. As a tribute to the generations before him, Luca takes all of these small lots, ferments them separately and then blends them into one hell of a serious Barolo that is a ridiculous steal for its price level!

"The 2009 Barolo Castiglione delivers a radiant but subdued quality with polished notes of dry mineral, black fruit, tar, licorice, leather and many more levels of complexity. This entry-level Barolo demonstrates that great results are achieved in 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. If forced to inhabit a desert island that only served the wines of a single producer, I would want Luca Currado to be that supplier. He excels at everything he does from his castle perch at the heart of Castiglione Falletto. Serving as Vietti winemaker since the early 90s, his wines remain extraordinary. In fact, they are among the best I tasted from the 2009 vintage. – 94 POINTS – THE WINE ADVOCATE"