ATTENTION YOU RHONE NUTS:... 60% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache and 10% Syrah...GET IT!!
"Supple and enticing, this red shows a light mulled edge to the plum and raspberry fruit, with notes of melted red licorice and a hint of pepper gliding through the finish. This has weight and flesh, but stays restrained overall. Drink now through 2013. 2,000 cases imported." (WS)
“The outrageously complex, dense purple-hued 2009 Costieres de Nimes Lou Coucardie is fashioned from a blend of 60% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache and 10% Syrah aged in French oak on its lees for at least 12 months. The most limited offering, its blue/purple color is followed by aromas of toast, white chocolate, bay leaf, black currants, blackberries and a hint of coffee. This full-bodied, deep wine admirably demonstrates the potential of Mourvedre in the Costieres de Nimes. It should drink well for a decade or more.
Costieres de Nimes is a treasure-trove for value hunters. Moreover, there are a lot of high quality vignerons and domaines in that sun-drenched, Mistral-blown appellation just south of Chateauneuf du Pape. Michel Gassier is one of the stars of this appellation and he makes a number of cuvees that all merit attention.” (WA)
"The blend of old-vine Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah features slightly lifted aromas of oak spice, vanilla and dark fruit. The midpalate is creamy and lush, full of dark cherries and chocolate, whose flavors linger enticingly on the finish. Drink now–2016." (WE)
"Eric Solomon is an importer of mostly French and Spanish wines, who focuses on value above everything else. Robert Parker says “Over the last twenty years, Eric Solomon has consistently been one of America’s finest small importers of handcrafted, artisanal wines.” 20 years ago, I was nine, so I can’t speak to his track record then, but every Eric Solomon wine I’ve ever had has been somewhere between good and great.
This one is great. It comes from the Costieres de Nimes region in Languedoc Roussillon, France which somewhat confusingly was recently made part of the Rhone appellation rather than Languedoc. Makes sense right?
If you tasted the 2009 Costieres de Nimes Lou Coucardie, which Robert Parker awarded 90-93 points from a barrel sample, you would get why Rhone decided to annex this region. It’s made just south of Chateauneuf du Pape and it tastes like a super concentrated young CdP with outrageous potential. This wine is 60% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache and 10% Syrah. The Mourvedre gives it an exotic complexity that’s really interesting. Good juice." (Nickel and Dime)
Winery Notes:
Vignobles Michel Gassier joins our ancestral estates in a single desire:
make captivating wines that express the essence of our grapes and their
terroirs that nourish them. Currently in conversion to organic farming,
our Rhône valley vineyards are counselled by Philippe Cambie.
Discover award winning wines that express the passion of their wine
maker at Château de Nages and Domaine de Molines.
“This experimental cuvée represents the essence of my work as a
winemaker. I seek to explore uncharted territories, with the hope of
finding the most original expression of my terroir. Baptized after an
old regional tradition of bull games, “Lou Coucardié” is that fierce
male bull defending a set of horn attributes in a crowded arena.
Strong and courageous, he represents the ideal of his race.” –Michel
Gassier |
