Our core mission at SommSelect is to deliver value, and today’s wine is as emblematic of that mission as any wine we’ve ever offered. Yes, I said
ever: At just $20, this naturally farmed, naturally made red from the Costières de Nîmes AOC is the stuff of theatrical double-takes:
“It costs WHAT? Are you SURE? How can that BE?” Well, it be, and it comes not just with natural-wine street cred but a downright romantic backstory to boot.
Driven by Syrah grown in the pebble-strewn sand and clay of the Rhône delta, this is a Southern Rhône red with a Northern Rhône soul, and one that shines a bright light on an under-explored terroir. Feeling more of a cooling influence from the Mediterranean than its neighbor to the east, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Costières de Nîmes may be the most southerly of the Rhône Valley’s appellations, but it is far from the hottest; what distinguishes today’s wine from countless Southern Rhône reds is not just its predominance of Syrah but its freshness and perfume. And then, of course, there’s the price, which is just incredible for a wine of this quality and authenticity. You will do a double-take when you taste it, too, so don’t skimp on quantity—this takes “everyday” wine to a whole new level!
Read the front label closely and you’ll see the name “Les Vignerons D’Estézargues” printed in tiny lettering. This is the name of a small and rather revolutionary cooperative winery based in the town of Estézargues. Normally, when we think of cooperatives in the south of France, we imagine large, factory-scale wineries pumping out mass quantities of juice at cheap prices. Les Vignerons D’Estézargues is a different kind of coop in every way: It has just 10 member-growers, and, since the mid-nineties, has bottled single cuvées from these member estates and showcased those estates’ names on labels. Domaine de Périllière is one of those small growers, all of whom vinify their individual wines at the coop while also contributing fruit for wines bottled under the Vignerons D’Estézargues label. Additionally, this coop has been at the leading edge of the natural farming and winemaking movement in France, allowing no cultured yeasts, no fining or filtering, and no enzymes in the winery and using minimal amounts of sulfur only at bottling.
At one time, the Costières de Nîmes growing zone was considered part of the Languedoc, but it came under the Rhône Valley’s jurisdiction in 1986, when its AOC (controlled appellation) was codified. It’s part of the broad, multi-tentacled delta where the Rhône and Durance Rivers empty into the Mediterranean, with a high plateau of river-deposited cobblestones (galets roulés) and sand over a subsoil of red clay and limestone. It looks a lot like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and is similarly situated directly in the path of the mistral winds, but it is a little closer to the sea and thus marginally cooler than Châteauneuf overall. It is also a little hillier and more sparsely planted to vines than Châteauneuf, with vineyards interspersed with wooded areas and fields of lavender and other scrub.
As Rhône wine lovers are aware, Syrah-driven reds give way to Grenache-driven ones as you move south; this wine showcases that transition in a delicious way, with one foot firmly in the Northern Rhône (it’s 70% Syrah) and the other in the South (30% Grenache). Fermented and aged in steel tanks only, this 2017 is full of energy, purity, and a perfectly calibrated hint of scrubby Mediterranean wildness. In the glass, it displays a textbook Syrah purple-ruby core with magenta highlights, with perfumed aromas of black cherries, black raspberries, violets, cracked pepper, wild herbs, lavender, and spice cake. Medium-bodied and spicy, it shows its Grenache influence in its silky, plush texture and warm, red-fruited finish. It readily identifies as a Southern Rhône red without layering on excess extract or alcohol—it is well-balanced and will make a versatile, crowd-pleasing “house wine” now and over the next few years. No need to decant it, just pull the cork 15 minutes before serving in Bordeaux stems at 60 degrees. As Decanter’s Andrew Jefford notes in a characteristically eloquent
article about Costières de Nîmes, “It’s not Languedoc, and it’s not Provençe, either. It’s the Camargue.” That’s French cowboy country, so a steak would make a regionally appropriate pairing, but I reached a little further east to Provence, where the food’s a little better. This wine’s worth the extra effort—and worth picking up by the case! Enjoy!
