2011 Domaine de Fondreche Rouge Nadal Ventoux

From a leading producer in Southern France, this blend of Syrah dances around most $30 wines. At $20, it's a screaming find. Serve lightly chilled. 

Although winemaking in the Ventoux was first established two thousand years ago, it wasn’t until 1973 that the area earned its own AOC. Fortunately, these wines are at last getting the recognition they deserve, due in part to the efforts of Domaine de Fondrèche. Wine advocate unequivocally stated, "One of the best run if not the finest estate in the Cotes du Ventoux is Fondreche." Limestone and rocky soils, not unlike the neighboring and higher priced AOC of Chateauneuf du Pape, make these wines stand out for their purity and authenticity but at a fraction of the cost. 

About the Wine

Sebastien Vincenti is a young, up and coming winemaker in the southern Rhone. Utilizing solar energy, gravity flow, and biodynamic principles in the vineyard and winery, he is proving to be a leading light to revitalize the recognition of Ventoux. This wine was made with indigenous yeasts, concrete eggs, and large cask foudres to bring out the best of the carefully tended fruit. The incredible depth, purity, structure and simultaneous freshness of the wine make it both accessible for early consumption and cellar aging. Nadal shows signature Rhone fruit with crushed black cherry, kirsch, leathered oak, lavender, and a smoky finish. Over the years, Robert Parker has enthusiastically praised this wine with words like, "hedonistic, blockbuster, outstanding, and gorgeous". This is a wine that will be gone before you know it.

Critical Reviews

Along the same lines, quality wise, the 2011 Cotes du Ventoux Nadal, a blend of 45% Syrah, 45% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre, (Syrah and Mourvedre aged in barrel, the Grenache in concrete tank) exhibits gorgeously pure notes of creme de cassis, currants, licorice, sweet oak and chocolate that flow to a medium to full-bodied, rich and layered profile on the palate. Upfront, texture and full-flavored, with mouth filling amounts of fruit, it is a knockout effort that will deliver the goods for over a decade. ~ 93 pts - Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate

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