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Established in 1998, Dee Vine Wines is a small, if you will, “boutique” wine shop that specializes in imported wines from Germany, France, Spain.
New Rhone Producers – Getting to know the wine
This past Spring we were introduced to two new estates from the Rhone: Château de la Font du Loup in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Château Mas Neuf in the Costières de Nimes. We are happy to offer them for sale after recently retasting them shortly after their arrival at Pier 19. We met Anne-Charlotte and Laurent, the wine maker, of Château de la Font du Loup at a tasting in San Franciscosponsored by a French government agency tasked with facilitating these encounters. They were showing their 2004, 2005, 2006 bottlings of traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the 2004 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Puy Rolland, a 100% Grenache cuvée from a single vineyard with vines aged 80-100 years. We were bowled over by the wines and finalized the deal at dinner that evening. The wines are traditionally styled and taste so, without the heavy influence of new oak and super extended extraction. Each parcel is destemmed and vinified separately at temperatures ranging from 28 to 30 degrees Celsius using only indigenous yeasts. After vatting, the wines are aged in enormous wooden tuns and oak barrels for 12 months until they are racked into concrete tanks where they are blended and age another 6 to12 months before bottling.
The 2004 CNP is so delicious right now. It is classic, with ripe raspberries, herbes de provence and a solid core of minerals. The 2005 CNP is brooding and denser showing more cassis along with garrigue and black pepper. You can tell it needs a little more time to open. By this time next year, it should be spectacular. The 2004 CNP Le Puy Rolland is lighter in color but more intense and spicy on the palate. Ethereal raspberry and strawberry scents dominate and mingle nicely with the stony minerality on the palate that is a signature trait of great Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
RDRH2004030 2004 Château de la Font du Loup Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Tradition $40.00
RDRH2005030 2005 Château de la Font du Loup Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Tradition $40.00
RDRH2004031 2004 Château de la Font du Loup Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Puy Rolland $48.75
6 pack Château de la Font du Loup sampler contains 2 each of the following
2004 Château de la Font du Loup Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Tradition
2005 Château de la Font du Loup Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Tradition
2004 Château de la Font du Loup Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Puy Rolland
$218.87 save 15%!
Mixed case Château de la Font du Loup sampler
5 x 2004 Château de la Font du Loup Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Tradition
5 x 2005 Château de la Font du Loup Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Tradition
2 x 2004 Château de la Font du Loup Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Puy Rolland
$398 save 20%!
Solid case of any of the above, save 20%. Offers are good until the end of September.
We found Château Mas Neuf at the biggest wine trade fair in the world, Prowein in Dusseldorf. Mas Neuf’s wines are well known in the US and already have many happy fans. Mas Neuf wines carry the Costières de Nîmes appellation located at the very southern end of the Rhone valley. Nîmes is where denim originated (de Nîmes). Excited to have us taste his wines, Luc Baudet, the winemaker and spiritual cousin of Jerry Lewis, affably took us through a fun, knee slapping tasting in the midst of the chaos of the trade fair. What a relief! His good humor and boisterous personality however belie the seriousness of his approach to winemaking – a blend of technical detail and attention, and a simple dedication to the natural role of wine in daily life. Trained as a food scientist and a winemaker (Montpelier), Luc is focused on quality as well as typicity in his wines. Mas Neuf wines primarily reflect the warm climate and Mediterraneaninfluence of the region. They are fruity and forward drinking Rhones with plenty of style, polish and flavor. Look for reviews of Mas Neuf’s wines in the Wine Advocate. They have been favorably reviewed and are offered on the wine lists of a select few 3 Star Michelin restaurants.
RDRH2006050 2006 Château Mas Neuf Tradition Rouge, Costières de Nîmes $13.00
Spicy and juicy, this blend of Syrah (60%), Grenache (20%), Mourvèdre (10%), and Carignan (10%) is a great wine to have around for BBQs and parties. Think of it as Côtes-du-Rhone’s more polished cousin.
RDRH2005052 2005 Château Mas Neuf Compostelle Rouge, Costières de Nîmes $20.50
A blend Syrah (70%), Mourvèdre (15%), Grenache (15%) this wine is richer than the Tradition showing dark fruits and spice on the velvety palate. This wine is selling tremendously well at our restaurant accounts. (Also available in 375ml)
RDRH2005051 2005 Château Mas Neuf Mourvache, Costières de Nîmes $29.75
This is my favorite of the group. I thought I was smelling Châteauneuf-du-Pape. A blend of Mourvedre (50%) and Grenache (50%), it’s big and rich in the mouth but has enough minerality and acidity not to weigh it down. If the Font du Loup is Emmanuelle Beart then the Mourvache is Laetitia Casta. The latter is bigger bodied and more voluptuous; both are irresistible.
6 pack Chateau Mas Neuf sampler contains 2 each of the following:
2006 Château Mas Neuf Tradition Rouge, Costières de Nîmes
2005 Château Mas Neuf Compostelle Rouge, Costières de Nîmes
2005 Château Mas Neuf Mourvache, Costières de Nîmes
$107.52 save 15%!
Mixed case Chateu Mas Neuf Sampler
6 x 2006 Château Mas Neuf Tradition Rouge, Costières de Nîmes
4 x 2005 Château Mas Neuf Compostelle Rouge, Costières de Nîmes
2x 2005 Château Mas Neuf Mourvache, Costières de Nîmes
$175.60 save 20%!
Solid case of any of the above, save 20%. Offers are good until the end of September.
Offer ends September 30th.
