2021 Cotes du Rhone Villages Les Quartz

Tasted out of bottle, the 2021 Côtes Du Rhône Les Quartz has a ripe, attractive nose of Bing cherries, mulberries, and darker strawberries as well as some pretty garrigue, floral, and peppery nuances. Nicely textured, medium-bodied, and elegant on the palate, this balanced, charming, and up-front 2021 is beautiful today yet will easily evolve for 8-10 years in cold cellars. Due to the early spring frost, they weren't able to make a Côtes Du Rhône Reserve. The Vacheron Family, along with winemaker Bruno Gaspard, make some of the region’s finest wines. Located on the border of Châteauneuf du Pape, in the Courthezon region of the appellation, the estate covers 25 hectares, and they release a bevy of brilliant Châteauneuf du Pape as well as Côtes du Rhônes. While I thought the 2020s were slightly challenging here, it looks like the 2021s are rock-solid and as good as anything in the vintage, while the 2022s look to be a return to richer, more concentrated, powerful wines that hold onto a beautiful sense of balance and purity.