Red

Organic

This offers much more depth than the price suggests. 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, and 20% Syrah. Violets and garrigue seamlessly reveal themselves from the dark purple core of the wine. The wine is mouth-filling on the palate but soft and approachable. Plenty of structure and supple tannins that benefit from a little aeration. It is hard not to like this classic GSM from one of our favorite under-the-radar Rhone Valley wineries.

Domaine La Manarine practices organic viticulture. Work in the cellar is minimal with little intervention. Fermentations are left to start with indigenous yeasts, with no fining and only a light filtration is utilized. Considering the personal attention and great care invested in his wines, his five bottlings offer some of the best value in the Rhone Valley.

Organic / Biodynamic

Mistral is our signature cuvee, a classic Southern Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Rousanne showcasing the complex expression of our old vines and terroir. Situated in Sainte-Cécile-Les-Vignes, Domaine Rouge-Bleu follows biodynamic principles on all of its 8.5ha, of which half rest in the Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation. Our low yields are the natural outcome of old, deep-rooted vines that sit on a stony soil of ancient riverbed and garrigue. Coupled with the Mediterranean climate of long, hot, dry summers and the rot-inhibiting Mistral wind, our vineyard is the perfect environment for berry maturation.

The hand-harvested grapes are crushed but not destemmed before being put into traditional concrete tanks for wild yeast fermentation. The mature stems have been kept in order to aerate the must during fermentation, allowing us to naturally maintain a lower temperature of fermentation and bringing different nuances of tannin and acidity to the wine. Maceration of 17-21 days with gentle pump-overs.
Matured for 24 months minimum, first in old French oak barrels then in uncoated concrete tank. Bottled at the Domaine with minimal sulphite addition.

 

90 points James Suckling
A vivid red with notes of red cherries, strawberries, pomegranates and roasted herbs. It’s medium-bodied with fresh acidity. Juicy and crunchy finish. Neither complex nor long, but quite laid-back and drinkable now

The 2021 vintage was the Third Place finisher in our 2023 Wine Of The Year blind taste off!

The 2022 is just as good if not better!
Sustainably farmed Grenache 44%, Syrah 42%, Mourvedre 14% from four vineyard sites in Los Olivos and the greater Santa Ynez Valley - Rolling Vines, Bernat, Coteaux de Clair, and TTT Roblar. The Syrah and Grenache are fermented partly with whole clusters, while the Mourvedre is 100% destemmed. Fermentation is with native yeasts in open-top oak tanks. The wine is matured for 14 months in neutral barrique and bottled without fining or filtration.

Mallea is a collaboration between viticulturist Erik Mallea (director of viticulture at Sanford & Benedict and a co-founder of Willett-Mallea Farming) and winemaker Justin Willett (of Tyler Winery and Lieu-Dit Winery). After working together in various capacities for over a decade, Erik and Justin have started this exciting new project to highlight Santa Barbara County’s potential with Rhône grape varieties. They are farming four small vineyard sites clustered around Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara.

Third place was a nice surprise because it is a brand new wine on the scene, Mallea GSM Santa Barbara County. This is a traditional Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre (GSM) but from Santa Barbara County California. The pedigree of the guys behind it is first-rate but what impressed us was the juice in the bottle! If you enjoy Cotes du Rhone or Southern French reds you are going to love Mallea. This is a wine of subtlety and not as flamboyant as our number two wine. Clearly, the wine is masterfully blended as each component adds complexity, and yet the wine is seamless on the palate. Fresh jovial fruit dances on the tongue with its lively acidity while pepper and Mediterranean spices come out in the finish. Mallea GSM provides a ton of pleasure for a very reasonable price.

The labels reference Erik Mallea’s Basque heritage, depicting 19th & 20th-century aspen tree carvings by Basque shepherds in the American West. Erik’s father, Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe, is a respected scholar of this cultural tradition.

Organic

93 points James Suckling
A juicy, generous and succulent yet intense blend of grenache, mourvedre, syrah, cinsault and counoise. It’s full-bodied with ripe tannins. It’s well composed, driven and refined, with a juicy core of berries. Typical grenache character with a kick of peppercorns. Structured and linear, with a lively finish and a little warmth. From organically grown grapes. Drink from 2028.

92+ points Wine Advocate
A blend of 65% Grenache Noir, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, 3% Cinsault and 2% Counoise, the 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Clos du Calvaire wafts from the glass with a lively, energetic bouquet of rose, raspberries, violets and wild dark berries. Medium- to full-bodied, enveloping and suave, it offers a fleshy core of fruit framed by velvety tannins, culminating in a long, penetrating and ethereal finish.

Grenache, Petite Sirah, Syrah