Châteaumar had been around since the 11th century and has been passed down for generations within the family, now with Jen-Feix and Frederic Souret managing he vineyards today. Their estate is located in the heart of Côtes-du-Rhone, just outside or Orange, where they have 25 acres on stony clay-limestone soil. They also own 12 acres in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
While this Côtes-du-Rhone is from southern Rhone, which is normally mostly Grenache with Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault blended in there, while it's northern Rhone that's all about the Syrah, this guy breaks the mold and is made from 100% Syrah. The vines are 50 years old or older on parcels that border Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the vineyards are sustainably farmed, and the wine spends 8 to 10 months aging in concrete tanks.
Tonight I'm writing this review to Slayer's South of Heaven. I listened to my share of Slayer in my youth but I'm not sure how I missed this album way back when. A colleague of mine suggested that I give it a listen and it is fantastic! It's a less thrashy, slower paced Slayer album (which definitely appeals to older me) but it's still metal as fuck and such a good pairing with reviewing some kickass Syrah. Yeah, I know, I'm not normal. You can listen to the whole album via the music selection playlist on my YouTube channel.
So the color of the wine is a deep ruby red with purple highlights. The blueberry pie, baking spices and all, on the nose is freakin' brilliant! There's also blackberries, leather, a hint of anise, and even a little stank. That is one killer nose.
When I first tasted this I found that it was a bit muted on the palate so I stuck it in the fridge for a bit to give it a slight chill while I played air guitar and stage dived onto the couches. My wife came into the living room but I couldn't hear what she said over the headphones but whatever, that's not important. What's important is that slight chill made a world of difference and really brought some life out. It's medium bodied with soft but chalky tannin, and there's flavors of blackberries, plums, cola, and black pepper. Then it finishes chalky with black licorice and black pepper.
Shit yeah. That's some damn good old world Syrah, my friends. For $18 it's a hell of a deal.
QUALITY VS PRICE RATING
Price: $18
The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.
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