Malcolm Jolley finds a great value Grenache blend at Vintages…
At a backyard supper recently, a friend handed me a glass of red wine. Before I tasted it I smelled the wine and exclaimed immediately, ‘Aha, Grenache!’ The wine was the 2018 Halos de Jupiter Côtes-du-Rhône (LCBO# 276956 | $17.95), a wine I wrote about and recommended a couple of years ago (here) when it was in its 2016 vintage. It’s made as a collaborative project between two of the South of France’s most renown winemakers, Michel Gassier (Chateau de Nages) and Philippe Cambie (a.k.a. Monsieur Grenache). The 2018 vintage is 80% Grenache and just 20% Syrah. The Grenache, says the technical sheet at the Halos de Jupiter website, is from “very old” vines, and I believe this claim since the red fruit notes in this wine are so lush and developed and, to borrow Robert Parker’s famous line about the wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, hedonistic. The big blast of dark cherry fruit is seasoned and supported by peppery Syrah notes and a floral bouquet that triggered my exclamation the other night. At $18 a bottle, it’s an awful lot of wine and a great value in my humble opinion. Though, at 15% alcohol by volume it’s a little dangerous for going down so easily. Be careful, but do try it if you’re a fan of the Southern Rhône or think you might be.
