What wine lover does not seek good wines at great prices? Quite often, many of these well priced wines do not live up to their hype. I found one that does. This special, value Rhone wine deserves to be bought by the case.
2010 Michel Gassier Côtes du Rhône Vieilles Vignes Cercius – From a partnership between Philippe Cambie and Michel Gassier, the wine’s beautiful ruby hue opens to pepper, cherry liqueur, garrigue, licorice, flowers, earth and candied apple scents. Luscious in texture, this fresh, sweet kirsch filled wine from a blend of 85% old vine Grenache and 15% Syrah wins the award for the best under $15.00 wine I’ve had in years. This is produced from old vines, some of which are over 80 years of age! The name Cercius was chosen because it’s the original Latin word for Mistral, the strong, cold winds that blow through the region during the winter and spring months. These winds are a large part of what shapes the character of these wines.
Grab a case! Values like this do not come around that often. Bravo to Eric Solomon for bringing close to 5,000 cases of the stunning value to America and to Robert Parker for being the first to rave about it. This wine will compete with many wines more than twice the price in blind tastings. I’d drink this over the next year or two to preserve its freshness and fruit. This is not a wine to age. It’s well priced and already delicious! Lastly, I found out about this wine due to a local merchant, Steve at Los Angeles Wine Co. who insisted I buy it. He was right! 92 Pts
