I'm absolutely brimming with enthusiasm for this wine. I have to hand it to the father-son team at Domaine le Clos des Lumieres. They are one talented and hardworking pair and the proof is in the wine.
I have long appreciated Cotes du Rhone wines for their ability to consistently out-perform their price point. As the French say, grand rapport entre qualité et prix, or, "wonderful rapport between quality and price.
On the very first page of his book, Wines of the Rhone Valley, Robert Parker proclaims, "They represent France's and the world's most underrated great wines." I agree! I appreciate Rhones for many reasons, chiefly for their spice and herbs, their rosemary and lavender perfumes, their rich, earthy soil - they are essentially a liquid incarnation of Provence - and I have enjoyed making many discoveries in the region. I've tasted hundreds of Cotes du Rhones over the years and brought you my best finds. Many of you have become loyal enthusiasts of the wines of Domaine de Mourchon and Domaine les Hautes Cances.
I sometimes get requests from retailers and restaurants, however, for a great Rhone wine with very good quality and a really, really low price. I'm always on the lookout for the best value, but in the past I have found that, in the Rhone, it was always worth it to spend a little more for that next bump up in quality. In other words, despite years of tasting countless wines from countless growers, I was still looking for that elusive "supervalue."
Well, folks, I search no more: the 2014 Domain Clos des Lumieres Cotes du Rhone is it.
This is a a family run domain in the heart of the best Cotes du Rhone region. There are many lower priced Rhones out there but the yields are higher, they are often harvested before the grapes are fully ripe, and the grapes aren't destemmed.
Domaine le Clos des Lumieres, on the other hand, does everything right to deliver a very fine Cotes du Rhone experience. It starts with 70% Grenache, the prime Rhone grape and the principle grape of Chateuneuf du Papes. The rest (30%) is Syrah - no high yield lesser grapes - even though that is legal in this area.
Domaine le Clos des Lumieres is in the Southern Rhone, near Avignon on the right bank where some of the best values are found. A familiar story: they used to sell their grapes to the local coop (so they produced as much as possible). The son Adam decided that they should and could do better if they bottled their own wine instead of selling grapes. He has very good vineyard land, lowered the yields, harvested later to get fresher fruit and brought very good winemaking to the effort.
He takes such care in getting good grape quality that he harvests during the night in order to prevent oxidation in the grapes.
He also does a total destemming to eliminate harsh tannins and uses a traditional vinification with cold-prefermentation maceration to enhance the fruit aromas. The fermentation takes place in concrete tanks at reduced & controlled temperatures, in this way more aromas can be extracted.
He describes his wine as having : "Deep red color with ruby hints. Intense nose of jammy fruit, spices (nutmeg) and black olives. On the palatte, mostly red and black fruit such as cherry, raspberry, followed by some white pepper and garrigue notes, all embodied in a pleasant roundness with a fine finish of silky tannins.
Now doesn't that sound good. And the price is a breakthrough - see below. Maybe two cases?
-Margot Hurley, Cynthia Hurley French Wines
TO ORDER:
Simply reply to this email or call the store at 781-934-2033. The wine is not yet in the store (we don't have the room!), it will be ordered for you and we'll give you a call when it arrives in about a week. The minimum purchase is a 12-bottle case. We are happy to deliver your case within Duxbury free of charge.
