2022 Mont-Redon Reserve, Côtes du Rhône Rouge, Rhône Valley, France.
The very dark and enjoyable Château Mont-Redon made Reserve Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2022, coming from vines set on stony calcareous soils around the towns of Orange and Roquemaure, is made up of mostly Grenache, with a good dose of Syrah, giving it a deep extracted hue, a juicy black fruited profile and full of savory tones and spices. Heady at over 14% natural alcohol, this Côtes du Rhône doesn’t feel heavy or hot in the glass, in fact it has a cooler tone and vibrant, going well with food. The palate possesses loads of boysenberry, red currant, plum and bramble berry fruits, a light dusting of pepper, lavender, a hint of violets, grilled herbs and chalky notes. The vines have rounded pebbles and the exposures that allow ripe grapes, which all all de-stemmed when brought into the deep underground cellar for a cool 15 day maceration, after that the wine ages about 8 months in vat before bottling.
The famed Château Mont-Redon, based in the Northwestern part of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape zone, is owned by the Plantin family, heirs Abeille-Fabre, and is currently run by the 4th generation, including winemaker Pierre Fabre. There’s a lot of history at Mont-Redon, who are proud of being the largest estate in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, though maybe don’t get the acclaim of others. In 1980, the estate expanded with the acquisition of a 15-hectare vineyard in the Côtes-du-Rhône Appellation, where they get the grapes for this Mont-Redon Reserve Côtes du Rhône, then they added another of 35 hectares in the Lirac Appellation in 1997, that easily fits in between the top wines and he more basic ones. They, also have similar terroirs, as they are both located on the commune of Roquemaure. Sometimes simple is better, and this approachable and not hard to find wine provides a good performance, if not overly exciting and should be drunk over the next few years, no patience needed here, as is he case with most everyday Côtes du Rhônes.
($18 Est.) 88 Points, grapelive