Description

Shiraz Grenache from the estate’s young vines. Beautiful ruby red colour with purple tints. A bit of funk on the nose at first that blows off with time underneath that there is a gourmand basket of fresh red and blue fruits, licorice, pepper, olive tapenade and some flowers. Round and fresh mouth over silky tannins and wrapped on raspberry, cherry and small juicy plum. The rounded finish prolongs the pleasure. Drink now and enjoy its freshness. I’d be looking for charcuterie and the local saint-félicien cheese.

The appellation Côtes du Luberon was classified in 1988, In 1989 Yves Rousset-Rouard bought eight hectares of vines and established the Domaine de la Citadelle. Today the Domaine is considered a benchmark for the region with Yves son Alexis overseeing the production of their pristine and generous wines.

Cotes du Luberon – The very south eastern extreme of the Rhone Valley. There is a lot of cheap and cheerful wine to be had here. Reds, white and rose all made with the Rhone/Mediterranean varieties.

Shiraz/Syrah – A bit of a chameleon, Shiraz can change how it looks depending on terroir and/or wine maker influence. The Syrah based wines of Northern Rhone are dry and austere while the Shiraz of Barossa is rich and fleshy. A variety that lends itself to long aging but can be drunk at any time of its evolution.

Grenache/Garnacha – Spain’s gift to the world. We know it as Grenache and I think everyone has a soft spot for it in some way. Almost too exuberant in expressing its sweet red fruits and high alcohol, it often needs a little bit of other wines to add moderation, structure and depth. Much like Abbott and Costello. Despite this the wines of Priorat, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rioja and Aussie GSMs have an amazing ability to age for the long term.