You Know You Want Some Cote Rotie and Condrieu in the Cellar - Incredible New Producer, Direct from the Estate, Under $50 and Under $54

From The Desolate, Barren, Rocky, Steep Slopes in the Far North of the Rhone
 - A Story of Struggle
 - As Old School As Cote Rotie Can Get
 - Terrific Sun Exposure
 - Wines That Taste of the Struggle of Their Birth
 - Never Exported to the US
 - Almost No Exposure Internationally So These Wines Are Incredibly Affordable
 - Direct from the Estate - Would Be MUCH More 3 Tier

2016 Andre Francois Côte Rotie "Peintre"
 - $49.99 for Beautifully Traditional Cote Rotie
 - Nose: Super Floral (Violets), 
 - Spice Bazaar, So Mineral, Very Schisty
 - Palate: Super Sappy, Floral/Mineral/Blackberry-Spice 
 - Remarkably Delicious
 - Tremendous Grip 
 - Incredible Top Notch Purity and Deep, Serious Structure
 - Ready to Drink - Will Age for 15-20 Years
 - Current Vintage - Just Bottled - 24 months in Barrel - One Year In Bottle

2018 Andre Francois Condrieu La Maladière
 - What Condrieu Should Be (And So Rarely Is)
 - The Gorgeous, Classic Florality of Condrieu
 - Melon Fruit, Ripe Apricot, Citrus and Pear
 - Serious Depth and Substance to the Nose
 - Palate: Beautifully Ripe and Juicy; Awesome Complexity
 - Tangerine/Citrus Flavor As It Aerates
 - Balance is Wonderful and it's So Nervy
 - Only 700 Bottles Made
 - Only $53.99 for a Classic Example of Condrieu

This is the last month before wines get picked up for fall delivery and I am thinking of the wines I

really want people to have and enjoy. 

With tariffs, Cote Rotie and Condrieu have gotten expensive. The bottom of the 3 tier market is $50ish and there's not much decent under $60-$75.

And let's face it - a great Cote Rotie is awesome.  It's one of my favorite AOCs in France.  Even I had difficulty sourcing wines this good at these prices. SO if you like Northern Rhone wines, this is one to buy a bunch of. It's a terrific but inexpensive producer.

A Story of Beauty and of Struggle
It's a haul to get to Côte Rotie from Hermitage. They vineyards are so dramatic, barren, rocky and steep. The skies  are so blue. You're just in awe that vines grow and flourish here. One would think that it is an idyllic existence.

Alas, the the father at the Andre Francois estate had a car accident and is still hobbled by it.I politely asked him how he was when I arrived, and he sardonically said, look at me, that's how I am. And he laughed. He came all the way down the wet windy cellar stairway in his crutches and tasted in the cellar with us.

His daughter, Nancy, has taken over the winery and has done a masterful job, under her father's watchful eye.

This is what the wines are. The story of struggle, yet with beauty emerging. These are the farthest thing from modern, pumped up Cote Rotie that one could find.

I love these wines and they are extraordinarily inexpensive for how incredible they are. The story of the visit is as good as the wines.

The Wines
I'm super excited to offer the 2016 Andre Francois Côte Rotie "Peintre" which can be had for $49.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. Despite the tariffs and weakening dollar I managed to keep this under $50 as I cut my margin. The price is absurd for a wine this stunning. The wine is as old school as it gets and I have been dying to sell this as it was in barrel when I tasted it in February 2019. It was so memorable as it even outshined the 2015.

Stunning nose. Decidedly rich on the nose. Almost a liquor-like intensity. Gorgeous old wood shavings, library books. Almost cassis. Some blackberry. But it's balanced and fresh just rich.   Evocative and very open. Super floral, violets peek out from under the fruit.  So mineral, very

schisty, very granitic.  Some olives and blackberry jam with a kiss of licorice.  So deep and with so much breadth and depth. There is a spice bazaar that develops after a while.  This is a style of Côte Rotie that is mineral and elegant and combine that with the refined character of the 2016 vintage and we have a home run here. Granitic and schisty. This is a wine that is built to age and I love how mineral focused it is. It's super sappy and the granitic thrust on the finish is just incredible. There is a little new wood but it is impossible to tell as the floral/mineral/blackberry-spice component is so pungent and deep.

The palate just has that mineral, deep, black fruited thrust, with incredible top notch purity and deep, serious structure. So complex, layered and complete. Bright and juicy with great freshness and painful tiny berry fruit intensity. Bright red and black fruit with wonderful finesse and freshness. The elegance and finesse on this wine is so absurd. A thing of beauty. This is a beautiful wine that i s absurd to be this price.

The finish is incredible. It's so stoney and sappy and the blackberry fruit just echoes. The length of this wine is incredible.

Drinks like $75+. It can and will age for 15-20 years.  Decant recommended but boy is this a fun one to drink young.

These are classical, traditional wines aged an extra long time in barrel with whole cluster fermentations and are as genuine as Côte Rotie gets. These wines spend 24 months in barrel and then a year in bottle before being sold. The 2016 is the current vintage and  I cannot believe it.

Up next I've got the very rare, beautiful Condrieu the 2018 Andre Francois Condrieu La Maladière for $51.99 a bottle on a 3-pack. It's a beautiful bottle of Condrieu and so so intense.  They only make 700 or so bottles so this is super limited.

Amazing nose. Floral but also intensely mineral. Yellow fruits, some apricot. So, so aromatic but in an elegant way - it's not at all vulgar like much Condrieu can be. Lots of melon fruit along with citrus and pear. Super lemony and very clean. Not oaky at all with such nice clarity and energy to it. There is serious depth and substance to the nose. I love Condrieu when done right and if you do as well you'll adore this nose and this wine.


Dynamic palate that is beautifully ripe and juicy with just awesome complexity. Huge pear and peach that is all kinds of juicy. Super intense honeysuckle mineral finish with terrific sap and freshness. It's rich but also there is huge substance and texture from the tannins and terrific acidity. The tangerine/citrus flavor develops as it aerated and becomes so present on the finish. The balance is wonderful and it's so nervy. Not rich, cloying or vulgar like Condrieu can be. A beauty. So so stylish.

2016 Andre Francois Cote Rotie "Peintre" - $51.99 ($199.96 4-pack) (*Including Tariff of $5.66) 

2018 Andre Francois Condrieu "Maladiere" - $53.99 ($207.96 4-pack) (*Including Tariff of $5.80)