2016 Cotes du Rhone les Sables d'Arene

In addition to the Châteauneuf du Pape release, Marie makes a terrific Côtes du Rhône. The 2016 Côtes du Rhône Les Sables d'Arène comes all from Lirac and is a blend of 80% Grenache and 10% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre, aged all in concrete. Its medium ruby color is followed by perfumed notes of red and black fruits, garrigue and sandy/loamy soil aromatics. Fine, elegant, medium-bodied and seamless on the palate, it’s ideal for drinking over the coming 4-6 years. This estate has been run flawlessly by Marie Giraud for more than a decade now and the estate is consistently in the top handful of domaines in each vintage. She’s excelled in the more difficult 2015 vintage, and has produced some of the wines of the vintage in 2016. If you don’t know about Domaine Giraud, you’re missing out.