Fine Wine > $50-100 > Rhone

Cellar/Tasting Notes
This is the most famous appellation of the southern Rhone and also one of the best-known in France and abroad. Its rise to fame goes back to the presence of the papal seat in Avignon from 1309 to 1376. It was Pope John XXII who developed the chateau, which is today in ruins.

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"A prodigious Cornas possessing all the pepper, smoked game, blackberry, cassis, burning ember and scorched earth characteristics one could desire. This rich, full-bodied 2009 should be a singular Cornas to drink over the next 15+ years."

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"Full red. High-pitched, mineral-accented black raspberry and spice aromas are complicated by notes of dried violet and mocha. Very fresh and focused, offering zesty red and dark berry and cherry flavors and showing no rough edges. Offers excellent clarity and finishes with refreshing, stony cut..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"The Chateau Beaucastel 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape is a classic blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the balance other permitted varietals. Surprisingly ripe and soft with a dense ruby/purple color as well as lots of blueberry, scorched earth and blackberry notes..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
Francois Villard is a true master of Condrieu. If you enjoy a rich and complex white, don’t miss this one. Shows ripe, almost gutsy notes of marmalade and apricot, but stays fresh and racy, with peach pit, bitter almond and star fruit notes coursing through the long, mouthwatering finish.

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"A candidate for wine of the vintage, the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape (a tank-aged blend of 90% Grenache and the rest Mourvedre, Syrah and Cinsault from 80+ year old vines) is a naked expression of Chateauneuf du Pape that is pure fruit and complexity. Its dense purple color is followed by aromas of..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
[This] sensational Chateauneuf du Pape has fabulous fruit concentration. Full-bodied, pure and certainly a star of the vintage [it] is a brilliant achievement in 2009, and I kept going back to the glass for another whiff of the kirsch and black raspberry notes.

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"More backward and concentrated, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape exhibits a dark ruby/purple color as well as dense, black raspberry, black currant, garrigue, licorice and lavender characteristics. Full-bodied with undeniable elegance, minerality and precision, it needs 2-3 years of cellaring and..

Cellar/Tasting Notes
"A strong effort, the 2009 Cote Rotie Seigneur de Maugiron is the softest of all Delas's 2009 Northern Rhones, offering up notes of black olives, lychee nuts, raspberries and black currants. This finesse-styled, elegant red should provide delicious drinking over the next 10-15 years."