3 Bottle Taster Pack – Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne

(89-90) Tasted from Barrel by Joe Czerwinski, www.robertparker.com, "The 2017 Cotes du Rhone la Gerbaude looks to be another successful vintage. It's floral, herbal and spicy up front, with black cherry and licorice notes on the medium to full-bodied palate. The tannins are ripe and creamy, the finish long."

"One of the top names in Cairanne, Domaine Alary is a must stop for fans of traditional Southern Rhône wines. There's little oak or artifice here, just impeccable farming and attention to detail in the winery. Starting with the 2016 vintage, the young Jean-Etienne Alary (Denis's son) has hit the ground running as winemaker, after having done harvests overseas at Henschke (in Barossa) and Seresin (in Marlborough). "The trouble in 2017 was low yields and lots of tannins," he said. "We had to keep the ferments cool and not do a lot of extraction." The resulting wines in tank look potentially just as good as the 2016s, which Denis compares to historic vintages like 2007, 2001 and 1990. For the most part, these are wines that are flattering to taste young, yet they drink well for up to decade. Even the 2008 le Font d'Estévenas, from a difficult vintage, is still delicious today, even as it begins to dry out."

Here again this is a blend of Grenache, Shiraz & Carignan from the Alary's organic vineyards in Cairanne. This is full-ish but is brought beautifully back in line with bright, savoury, almost spicy, red fruits. The palate floats effortlessly and the fruitiness dances on the tongue with light minerality, anise, raspberry, plum and blackcurrant. The tannins are so fine and savoury too and there's no sense of oakiness to mask the flavours. This is velvety, pure and fine.

The 2015 L'Estevenas is a blend of 55% Syrah & 45% old-vine Grenache. This too is beautifully lifted and perfectly ripe and balanced with spices and tannic grip.

"Tank sample. High toned and sleek. A little drying on the end. Syrah definitely dominate" (RH) - Jancis Robinson - 16+ points out of 20.