Close to or at the Level of Jamet, Chave and BenetiereAround a Quarter of the Price
Like a Merger of Classic Cornas and Chambolle-Musigny
One of the Best Red Wines I have Sold at Fass Selections
In general, I'm a big believer in markets. Better things generally cost more and there is a general
alignment between price and quality. But sometimes, for whatever reason, the market just totally fails and something is under or over priced. Why? Generally speaking, some wines have great marketing which drives demand and increases prices. I have no idea what happened with Domaine Barge (in my 17 years in traditional retail no one tried to sell me the wines) but let's just say that given the quality, the wines are ridiculously underpriced compared with the other top tier Northern Rhone wines. Just to be clear, I'm not saying that the Popular Kids aren't great. It's just that today's winemaker is close to or at the level of Jamet, Chave and Bennetiere for around a quarter of the price. I've never been more convinced that this is a superstar that just has not yet been discovered.
Traditional Cote Rotie is what everyone pines for because as the appellation has evolved it has also evolved towards the more modern style, which not everyone pines for. There are also producers kind of in the middle that predictably split people down the middle. I think people, now more than ever, gravitate towards traditional wines for a few reasons with one notable one
that in the more globalized wine world we live in today, there is a fear that an appellation can get stripped of its identity through homogenization. It almost happened in Barolo and Barbaresco but thankfully some of the more modern guys dialed back some of their more modern techniques of the mid 90s and are making better wines than ever. There is also the great fear that a great traditional domaine will not continue for a variety of reasons. Notably in Cote Rotie this happened to the great Gentaz-Dervieux estate and
now those wines are over 1K a bottle. But as there is a herd mentality somewhat to wine appreciation in the social media and so
mm world there are some insanely great traditional producers that get overlooked.
When you think of traditional Cote Rotie there is Jamet who is considered the king and then a few others like Gallet and Levet but it's hard to really think of even ten. That's a shame as when I am over there I taste a ton of great old school Cote Rotie and one I could not wait to offer is Domaine Barge. To me this is wine that is like a mini version of Jamet. Especially the Cote Blonde but the Plessy as well. Gilles Barge is making wines of undeniable finesse and freshness in a very traditional way from some of the greatest terroir in Cote Rotie. These wines scream classic Cote Rotie with sizzling bacon, clearly defined fresh and vibrant minerality and tons of smokey complexity. There is so much to love in these wines. They are as "Vielle France" as Cote Rotie gets. Yet pure, vibrant and fresh. No brett. Stunn
ingly clean and deep. Just clean naked Cote-Rotie. The wines remind me of the magical balance one can get if they somehow merged classic Cornas with Chambolle-Musigny. Another world class completely under the radar producer.
First up is the 2013 Domaine Barge Cote Rotie "Plessy" for as little as $47.99 a 3-pack (compare older vintages at $51-$60). JLL for some reason did not review the 2013. He gave the 2012 five stars. What I love about this wine is the richness allied with elegance and freshness. Also this is an aromatic rockstar. I drank a '12 the other day and man, the aromas are spellbinding. Grilled meats and so, so floral. Olive, dark berry fruit, cooling minerality, pungent herbs and more! It is mainly from the Blonde area and is 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier. This is a very aromatic wine due the viognier and the oak. You get naked aromas of pure Cote Rotie. So classic. For me and my friends in France we call this "Baby Jamet." It has that outrageous kinky nose and is very feminine and elegant. Sensual wine. A Vin de Plaisir. Below are JLL's 2012 and 2014 review. The '13 is just as great, and I liked it even more than the impressive 12. The Plessy is aged 24-36 months in used oak and it is ready when it tastes ready according to Julien Barge. It is usually mostly from the Blonde area, but not in '13 as Blonde was so great they made a brand new Blonde cuvee, also offered in this e-mail. One parcel in 2013 is Lancement which Ogier uses to make a super deluxe cuvee. 2013 is indeed a very special Plessy.
2012 Plessy
"dark, properly full robe. The nose expresses power from within, has a concentration of red stone fruit and cassis, an oily raspberry, is handsome and also reduced. The palate has a Blonde sector nature via a wavy spread of strawberry fruit, liqueur plum, the fruiting ripe. Has an appealing and fat centre, heart, and tasty richness that carries well. Has a round, complete finish, snug tannins. Has the potential to be round, spherical. From late 2015. 2025-26. *****" - JLL
2014 Plessy
"(casks) dark red colour. The nose has a meaty quality, is broad, comes with prune and blackberry fruit present. The palate is well-filled, runs with some dashing black berry fruit, has smoky tannins lining it. Plenty of wine here - it is fuller than most, is a genuine, traditional do. The finish is pretty complete - I like the swish of fruit and gras there. - *****" - JLL
I also have a small amount of the estate's brand new debut top cuvee, the Domaine Barge 2013 Cote Rotie Cote Blonde for as little as $67.99 a bottle on a 3-pack. This is the debut vintage (they also make a Cote Brune) and is very, very impressive for a top cuvee from the legendary Cote Blonde for only $69.99 a bottle. There is no comparable pricing as I am the first to offer this little slice of heaven. Julien Barge decided that the quality of the Blonde was so extraordinary in 2013 he bottled it on its own. This is one of the best red wines I have sold at Fass Selections. I had this wine last Friday night for a dear friend's birthday and it was the finest Cote-Rotie I have had in years and obviously a baby but also was very generous and open on this night. The sommelier, Richard Luftig, who is one of the best sommeliers in the USA, opened the bottle and I asked what he thought, and he is very wordy like me, and he just said, WOW, and walked away shaking his head. This one is that good. This was equal in quality to the '96 Giueseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato I brought as well, which is a much more expensive wine and considered one of the great wines of the vintage. I found the Cotie-Rotie so utterly compelling. JLL gives you the flavor profile and I'll give you the emotional profile of this wine. The wine just takes you away. It transports you. It has a nose so enticing, so deep, so complex, so eminently smellable that you know, you just know instantly that you are in the presence of greatness. It is just awesome. There is nothing like the aromas of top Cote-Rotie. They are dramatic, baroque and even rococo. The palate is like a cross between a great Burgundy and a top Cornas or Hermitage. It is so sensual, juicy, layered, deep and complex it's not possible. But it is. All on such a fine thread of finesse. There is a massive hidden structure that will make this wine a terrific candidate for cellaring. I think 15 to 20 years is a safe bet.
Only 1,600 bottles were made and I have the final few cases. But I will do what I can do with allocations. Below is JLL's note as he captures this perfectly. Five stars as well.
2013 Cote Blonde
"quite a dark red. The nose is striking, runs broadly, bears attractive red berry, raspberry fruit, just a little meaty undernote - the bouquet indicates a grounded wine. The palate starts in sturdy fashion, holds mulberry-raspberry fruit, live tannins, and is dashing all round. Interesting, has plenty of pep. The fruit lasts very well - it is buoyant, runs well all though. The exit is clear, sympa, the final tannins enjoying a fine grain. From 2019. 2031-33 *****" - JLL
Blow your friends minds in 10 years with this wine. A wine of transcendent quality. From vines planted in the 1950's and 1960's this is aged for 30-36 months in 228 litre casks of which 8-10% are new. 2013 is now known as a worthy successor to 2010 although with more misses but the highs are just as high.
2013 Giles Barge Cote-Rotie Cuvee de Plessy - $49.99
($143.97 3-pack) (LIMITED)
2013 Gilles Barge Cote-Rotie La Cote Blonde - $69.99
($203.97 3-pack) (VERY LIMITED)
Mix and Match on 3 bottles for deepest deal.
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