The first 2015's I tasted were with Mikael Desestret of the Domaine de la Cote Epine. Met him at around 5:00 PM and caught a killer sunset of the old vines on the craggy stark hills of St. Epine. One of those pink ones. Reminded me of home. (NYC). He was excited. Really really excited. This is a man who does not get excited that often in the times that I've met him. He unequivocally told me 2015 is his best vintage and nothing comes close. He was brimming with excitement. We went straight to the cellar to taste. I am so excited to offer the 2015 Domaine de la Côte Epine St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes for as little as $24.99 each on a 4-pack. The best under $25 Rhone value I will ever sell. Just book it. So how does this stuff taste? It is just bring you to your knees great. It is stupid good. Inquire about case prices.
First, we tasted the young vine barrels (2 different components) which are vines that average 85 years. Remember when Raymond Trollat retired he split his vineyards amongst Gonon and Desestret. The guy has old vines up the ying-yang. So his young vines are 85 years old. It was thrilling to taste all the components and then make a hypothetical blend in my glass of the three components that will go into the final blend, Just tasting the the first 85 year vine component was eye opening. Beautifully fresh and rich and I mean the freshness combined with the decadent, rich and so much fruit is nothing I've ever encountered. You can tell that this is what happens when you have perfect fruit and a perfect year. Every wine is just pedal to the medal stupid good. That's probably the two words I'd used to describe this vintage if anyone just randomly asked me. Stupid good. Wine should not ever be allowed to be this good. But it all worked in 2015. Mother Nature worked it. The fruit in this component part was red, layered and fresh with great acidity and never-ending depth. Licorice, raspberry, olive, black pepper galore invade your palate like an alien species of flavor. It almost tastes alien how great it is. We then tasted another 85 year old vine average component that was a bit more tannic, but also with glorious fruit and that freshness again. But this was to provide the structure as component 1 was more about fruit and freshness.
And then he let me taste a treat. It was just the barrels of the 140+ year old Syrah vines. It was beyond. Just beyond. Dark, black, rich, insanely fresh, so deep. It was actually almost too much of a good thing and that is why he blends it with the 2 85 year old average vine's components. I asked of course if he wanted to make a super VV version and we discussed it and came up that it would be too much and it takes away from the one white one red idea that Mikael ascribes to. It's nice that he does not make some $75 super cuvee. All the better for us. But if you ever visit Mikael, ask him to taste the old old vines. It's like nothing I've experienced in wine. Anyway we made a blend of the 85/85/140 year old vines and it is as close to the wine I am selling today. This will be bottled in December so the final blend will be up to Mikael, which is why I wanted to describe all 3 components and the final blend which we made. It was a tour de force to use my favorite wine critic's words here. I've sold 4 vintages of this wine and this one eats those for breakfast. Many winemakers, including Mikael, were hesitant to taste 14's after the 15's as the 15's can make even the best '14 look silly. The nose was a complex panoply of deep red and black fruits, granite perfume, black olive, herbs, grilled meats and more. It was just stunning. I can smell it now. The palate was like a harmonic convergence of the best parts of all 3 components. So deep, with a tsunami of dark and red berry fruit, that is so vivid and pure. It's almost in 4-D. The wine tastes you. You do not taste this wine. It has refreshing acidity and I mean the refreshing quality allied with the depth and complexity of fruit is just remarkable. You get lost in the mid palate and come back for a crescendo of a finish. It's a total "I have no words but so many words wine." Buy cases of this. It's just stupid good. Inquire about case prices.
Please Do Not Skip Reading About the White.
But there is more! I have always loved Mikael's white 2015 Domaine de la Côte Epine St. Joseph St. Epine Vieilles Vignes ($24.99 each on 4 today for the 2015) and before he poured me the '15, which was bottled in May and is all sold out at the Domaine except for my allocation for this email which he saved for me, we discussed how much I loved '13 and '14, and how for me and my business partner they are the reference point Rhone white wines we encourage our clients to drink young. They have great acidity. I don't know how he does it but the acid in Mikael's whites is downright electric. I think '14 is the best to date, but Mikael interrupted me as he poured me the '15, and after I tasted it, he smiled and said, are you sure? Nope, I wasn't anymore. The 2015 is that much better than the '14 and more! Incredible stuff. It has a baroque, grandiose quality, along with its scintillating acidity and depth. It takes over your palate like a wine amoeba. It has such nice richness or "gras" as John Livingstone Learmouth would say. It has epic length in '15 but I think will drink better younger than the '14 did at this stage. This is NOT like any other young Northern Rhone white you have ever had. I've served this to several people who HATE Northern Rhone Whites because they are too fruity, honeyish and lacking in acid - they've all loved this. It is a really terrific wine - more about balance, freshness and soaring floral aromatics than fruit (even though, it obviously has terrific fruit). It has brightness that comes from acid balance. The finesse is wonderful and with the very nice crisp acids of 2015 this is outstanding wine and an outrageous value. The freshness, minerality and just plain depth of this wine is incredible. It lasts and lasts and lasts.
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