I’ll be honest: I would much rather be savoring today’s wine than writing about it. The remainder of the bottle is currently sitting on my kitchen counter alongside a triple-digit Burgundy and a cult Spanish red and all I want is another glass of this mature $29 Rasteau. If you’re well-versed in elite Rhône wines, you’re probably highly suspicious, and I don’t blame you. Most of the world has been trained to expect generic results from the outer-borough of Rasteau, but sleeping on today’s limited, back-vintage red would mean missing out on one of the Southern Rhône’s newest and most satisfying discoveries.
When it comes to premium Grenache real estate down here, blue-blooded Châteauneuf-du-Pape dominates the scene, followed by Gigondas and Vacqueyras. But Rasteau is worlds away from the fame despite neighboring all three—and it’s high time we start paying our respects. Today’s 2014 “Les Touillères” is mature Southern Rhône perfection, far more elegant, ageworthy, and affordable than many contemporary Châteauneuf bottlings. Actually, I was so fired up about this singular red, I phoned the importer and immediately cleared out the surviving inventory. You won’t find this anywhere else, and if you still think it’s too obscure to take a gamble on, that’s fine by us—the entire SommSelect team will happily haul the remainders into our homes.
When Georges and Delphine Perrot established Domaine la Collière in 2002, they aimed to flip the script on Rasteau’s subpar reputation by using traditional concrete vessels in the cellar and avoiding excess extraction which has led to glorious reds of supreme finesse and lift. Aside from elegant winemaking, farming has played a major role as well: A decade before producing his first vintage, Georges spent his days in the vineyard, analyzing the terroir and removing the use of chemicals through organic practices. And what a job it was: the Perrots own 25 hectares, of which are divided between 30 individual plots!
Today’s “Les Touillères” is named after one of those plots, rooted in gravelly clay-limestone, and it’s largely composed of Grenache with smaller blending components of Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Carignan. At the winery, a varietal-separate fermentation and a light maceration occurs in stainless steel tanks. The individual wines are then transferred into traditional concrete vessels for 15 months, except for the Mourvèdre which ages in massive old barrels known as demi-muids.
A beautiful dark ruby spills into glass with hints of brick orange, and with just a few swirls Collière’s 2014 “Les Touillères'' is ready to rumble: Black cherry blossom, boysenberry, and raspberry liqueur roar out, followed by red plum, redcurrant, dried garrigue, cracked pepper, and vintage leather. There is a lot to enjoy here, but what floored me the most was the sheer lift and finesse behind each pulsing layer. At seven years old, an age where many doubly priced Châteauneufs become flabby and fall victim to raisinated fruit, this is just getting started! The palate is still lush and opulent, but it's consistently high-toned through and through. The Grenache majority makes its presence known with silky reds and spiced plum but it's the blending partners, as well as Perrot’s keen decision to mature this in concrete, that provide each sip with extraordinary energy and staying power. I urge you to grab at least six bottles of this, uncorking one each year until 2030, and being exponentially amazed each time. This is a brilliant effort, one that will reward you far more than many vastly overpriced CdPs. It’s quite simply one of the shining values in all of Southern Rhône. Enjoy.
