Re: The King of the Rhone's Brilliant 2019 CDP, 99 Points, "It might be the closest thing to an older Rayas . . . ."

 2019 Compagnie L'Hermitage Chateauneuf-du-Pape "lieu dit Pignan 

 - 99 Points Jeb Dunnuck

 - One of the Greatest CDPs I've Ever Tasted
 - Better than Rayas/ Soils Bordering Rayas
 - The Best Pure Grenache Made in All of the Rhone
 - Nose: Stunning Complexity
- Mineral, Raspberry Coulis, Spice
 - Palate: Fruit and Freshness are Once in a Generation Type Stuff 
 - Deep, Palate Staining Fruit 
 - Astonishing Balance
 - Amazing Sweetness, Structure and Tannins
 - Mind-Boggling Inner Mouth Perfume
 - VERY Limited and Allocated - 50 Cases Made
 - Only Made in Vintages that Have Perfect Conditions

 - Only George's Best Customers Get This

Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio?

Back in the day, I used to drink a lot of CDP. It was largely affordable and generally interesting and quite
good. Then Parker and global warming took over and most of it turned into overpriced, overly alcoholic jammy swill. So I moved on (mostly to the wines of the Northern Rhone).

But there are still a small number of excellent wines made in CDP and none better than todays offer. I have a small allocation but anyone who wants to time travel a bit and enjoy the great CDP of yesteryear should give this offer a read.

The Greek

We all know the Greek, who runs the top wine store in the Rhone and who has been the first retailer to sell pretty much every top winery in the region. We call him the King of the Rhone.  He knows all of the best plots in the entire region and makes a series of stunning wines. This CDP is his magnum opus form the South.

The Wine

This is perhaps the hardest to get and I'm thrilled to sell the 2019 Compagnie L'Hermitage Chateauneuf-du-Pape "lieu dit Pignan" for as little as $92.99 a bottle on a 3-pack. This is 100% old vine Grenache (80-100 years) and is one of the greatest Chateauneuf-du-Papes I have ever tasted. In 2018, George says it is better than Rayas and the best pure Grenache made in all of the Rhone iMy favorite CDP year in and year out. Jeb Dunnuck just gave it 99 Points and said "It might be the closest thing to an older Rayas . . ."

Nose is just gorgeous herbs. So complex and so detailed. Gorgeous plum and berry fruit. So intense yet refined and delicate. Heavenly nose. 9.8. Just stunning. The nose is pungent and aromatic with a raspberry coulis, complex spice and so much stoney minerality. Really a wine that you can sit with over hours and just watch (smell) it evolve). Wow - what a nose. Truly epic and wild yet refined at the same time. 

On the palate, the fruit and freshness are once in a generation type stuff. Deep, palate staining fruit and astonishing balance. It goes on for minutes and after proper aeration a perfume like you cannot believe develops. There is also mind-boggling inner mouth perfume. Darker fruits than more red. Palate is juicy, complex and so, so, so stoney.  And this wine is so stoney, which I will repeat often. I can only imagine the source of the vineyard and grapes given the name of the wine.  Amazing sweetness, structure and tannins. Long. Elegant. Wonderful.This is a CDP in a pure style with astonishing depth and layers of fruit all presented on slabs of rock. 

This is very limited as only 600 bottles were made in 2019. This is only made in vintages that have perfect conditions. There was none made in 2013/2014 and 2012 was sold out before I opened Fass Selections. I am VERY lucky to get an allocation of this wine and this is the third time I am offering this insanely rare cuvee. This will be allocated so put in your top amount and I try and abide.

"The finest example of this cuvée I’ve ever tasted, the 2019 Châteauneuf du Pape Lieu-Dit Pignan comes from sandy soils bordering Rayas and, I believe, was brought up in tank. It might be the closest thing to an older Rayas (which were more concentrated and opulent than today’s wines) with its deep ruby/purple hue as well as insanely good aromatics of kirsch, wild strawberries, flowery incense, Provencal spice, candied orange, and garrigue. Full-bodied, ethereal, deep, and multi-dimensional on the palate, it builds with time in the glass and has ultra-fine tannins, flawless balance, and a thrilling finish. If you get a chance, buy it."- 99 Points, Jeb Dunnuck

One of the things George is the most proud of and is also the most secretive about are his sources for his cuvees that fall under the name Compagnie l'Hermitage, which is the name of his store. He knows everyone and anyone in the Rhone and has only the best sources for his vineyards and fruit for cuvees he puts his name or his store's name on. He's been tasting the best wines from the region every year for decades and knows exactly where to get the absolutely best fruit. He also picks incredibly talented winemakers to partner with to make the wines. 

These wines are all undeniably great and some of the best examples of their appellations. And this is his side project. The guy is amazing! They are thrilling wines. George is an uncompromising guy and he oversees all the vineyards and winemaking decisions. It shows as these are some of the greatest wines I sell and they are also amongst the rarest. I tasted the whole batch when I was there and they all, as expected, blew me away.

2019 Compagnie de L'Hermitage (Lelektsoglou) Chateauneuf du Pape Lieu dit le Pignan - $94.99 ($269.97 3-Pack)