2024 Maxime François Laurent, iL Fait Soif, Côtes du Rhône Rouge, Rhône Valley, France.
I’ve been enjoying this wine since 2007, when I first reviews a young Maxime François Laurent of Domaine Gramenon fame, and this dark, youthful and juicy fresh Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault 2024 il Fait Soif Côtes du Rhône Rouge is again a joy in the glass, very much the same as I reported back in 2009, with this ripe and perfumed all organic and natural Côtes-du-Rhône showing the Syrah’s intensity and depth with lush textures and a medium/full body. The nose is pretty with violets, white flowers, mixed spices, cassis and berry compote notes that lead to a bright purple/ruby hued wine and a palate of boysenberry, plum, grenadine, blueberry, cherry liqueur and tangy pomegranate. This is a wonderful, lightly savory and quaffable wine that has flashes of lavender, dusty stone, mineral tones, earth, peppercorns and finishes lifted and lively with a good cut of acidity. Maxime’s father, Philippe, who was sadly lost in a car accident, bottled the family’s first vintage of Domaine Gramenon in 1990, in the far northern-eastern stretches of the southern Rhône, becoming an instant talent, some the son has inherited with the labels here always being impeccable quality and delicious, with all of them being some of my own must have offerings, like this one. The terroir and mature vines, around 30 plus years old, here make for very compelling wines, similar to the Vinsobres bottlings of Château de Saint Cosme, with a more nuanced style and biodynamic energy.
The Maxime François Laurent il Fait Soif Côtes du Rhône Rouge, coming from good elevation vines se on clay and limestone soils, is made from organically grown 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Cinsault with partial whole cluster and interestingly the Syrah is done completely with carbonic maceration, with an all natural native yeast fermentation in cement vat, which lasts about 10 or so days. After the wine goes dry in vat, it is pressed over to stainless steel tank, with the wine resting just about 6 months. As I’ve mentioned in prior reviews, I’m a big fan of Maxime François Laurent’s wine, here under his own label, as well as at Gramenon, where he’s continuing the traditions of the family estate, founded by his late father and his mom Michèle Aubèry-Laurent, who is still very much involved, and bringing a global spotlight to this exceptional Rhône estate. Gramenon, based in the northern zone of the southern Rhône around the new hotspot of the region Vinsobres, was originally established in 1979, and is not an old property, but the wines are very serious and impeccably made in a very natural style. As areLaurent’s own wines from purchased grapes, as seen here with this il Fait Soif. The quality here was so good in the beginning at Gramenon that famous importer Kermit Lynch, in Berkeley California took them on and has brought the humble hardworking vignerons no small about of fame and gaining them an enthusiast following in America, like me. This latest Grenache based il Fait Soif is very tasty stuff and I highly recommend it as a great starting point in the Laurent family lineup!
($33 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive