"Les Trois Frères" - The Ultimate Northern Rhone Insiders' Wine - The Debut Wine of the Greek's 3 Sons - Genius St. Joseph from Elite Sourcing...

 "Les Trois Frères"
 - The First Wine Made by The Greek's 3 Sons
 - Made for the Brothers and Their Friends
 - No One Else Is Getting It - Except Us!
 - Sourced from "First Division" Fruit 
 - Read Between the Lines - They Have Relationships with All of the Top Growers...
 - A Major Collector's Item!
 - 290 Bottles. That's It. I Have a Fraction Of Them

2019 Hector Adrien Charalambos Lelektsoglou St. Joseph
 - Nose: Big Blueberry, Dark Berries, Some Cassis
 - Wafting Rock Quarry of Minerals
 - Super Floral
 - Some Cocoa
 - So Bright, High Toned and Detailed
 - So Complete
 - Palate: Complex, Fresh and So Mineral
 - Rich and Ripe, Excellent Freshness
 - Intensely Granitic
 - Palate Staining Blackberry and Blueberry Fruit
 - Huge Freshness and Insane Complexity

 - Energetic and Juicy

I've got the debut of a St. Joseph today so rare, so ridiculously great and so profound that I'm not sure if I'll ever offer it again. We will see. A true insider's wine. As inside as a wine as I'll ever sell. This is the first wine made by the Greek's 3 sons.  It was intended to be drunk by the 3 of them and shared with their friends.  But Charlie saved me a small amount.  These guys are young and I would not be surprised to see them making elite level wines in the Northern Rhone for several decades.  

I don't normally suggest that wines will be collector's items because I believe that wine should be purchased for drinking and not collecting but this will be a collector's item for Rhone lovers!

The Story

So you all know The Greek, the world famous wine retailer in Tain l'Hermitage who is the kingmaker of the Rhone. He also had many cuvees he makes in the name of the store and they happen to be some of the best wines in the Rhone. The Hermitage Le Cerisae, the Crozes Hermitage VV de Gervans and the two single vineyard Cote Roties (Rozier/Brocarde) are all in many people's cellars who are reading this and are amongst the best and most popular wines we sell. George's fruit sources are very secretive but he raises the wines all on his own. His elevage is what makes the wines truly great. 

George has three sons. Charalambos, Hector and Adrien. I've met them all. Wonderful people and Charlie, who also works at the wine shop and has one of the best palates of anyone I know in France, is the brother I am closest to. Adrien owns a wine bar in Tain l'Hermitage and that's where I've spent many a great night drinking even greater wines. Adrien has perhaps as equal a palate to Charlie but Charlie's I'm more familiar with. Hector is the brother who I've only met briefly as before he got into the family business he was a tennis instructor. Now he works with the wine bar that Adrien runs and owns. Anyway wine runs through this family's veins and they know the most of anyone about Northern Rhone wines. They have been there for 40+ years when Georges came over from Greece. They all know everybody and are highly respected by the growers. Everybody in the Rhone goes to that store and that wine bar. It's a virtual who's who of the Northern Rhone. 

This is a wine that I am very humbled to introduce as it is a passing of the torch in some ways. It's the first wine made by the 3 sons of George.  

Our internal name for the wine is "Les Trois Frères" - it does not say that on the label.

The 2019 Vintage

If you don't know 2019 in the North is an amazing vintage. It's got the solar character of 18 but it really just eviscerates 2018 when it comes to acid, freshness and the fruit is cooler. Maybe a 10/18 hybrid. It's a brilliant vintage. 

The Wine

The 2019 Hector Adrien Charalambos Lelektsoglou St. Joseph can be had today for $57.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. It is $51.17 with tariff rebate.

This is a "first division" St. Joseph. I have no issues comparing it to Gonon/Fauterie or Gripa. It's elite. The sons have cashed in some goodwill capital and got some incredible sources for their fruit. This is an insane debut. I can only imagine how much this wine will cost in 5 years. The fruit is from very old vines in Mauves, which is like the Pauillac of St. Joseph. 

The nose is genius. Big blueberry, wafting rock quarry of minerals. Super floral. Some clay that recalls Fauterie. Cocoa, dark berries and even some cassis. It's so intense , gorgeously ripe, but so bright, high toned and detailed. After air a graphite mineral thing develops. It's so pretty and also so gamey. The perfect aromatic blend of meat, minerals (granite), berries and stunning florals. It's so complete.  As it airs the flowers and cocoa become more defined and there is so much clarity. This is is the nose that lets you know there is new first division St. Joseph. This is like REM Murmur or Nas Illmatic level of a profound debut. 

The palate confirms that we are in rare territory. It's rich and ripe, with excellent freshness and intense granitic minerality. Hit of opulence as well. Such dramatic and palate staining blackberry and blueberry fruit that is so well defined. Grippy and substantial tannins. Complex, fresh and so mineral. Like the energy on this wine is beyond ridiculous. Stunning depth and purity. Ripe and juicy tannins. Huge dark blueberry fruit, huge freshness and insane complexity and mineral. Firm tannins and a mineral granitic party on the finish. Energetic and juicy with an incredibly long finish. Elegant and substantial with a thick core of fruit and just wonderful freshness. 

This has characteristics of some of the top St. Joseph one can think of but it is totally it's own wine.

This is one one of the most refined and elegant wines I have had in a long time. A mindboggling debut. This can be drunk young as there is wonderful fruit but this will age 15+ years and will significantly improve. 

Do not miss this. 

2019 Hector Adrien Charalambos Lelektsoglou St. Joseph - $59.99 

($231.96 4-pack) (*Including Tariff of $6.82)