Cotes du Rhone 2018 "Les Deux Albion" - St Cosme

Cotes du Rhone 2014 "Les Deux Albion" - St Cosme

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Co-fermented Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre.

Whole clusters.

Vatting period of six weeks.

Slopes of clay (old alluvium), limestone marls,

rolled pebbles.

The winegrower says:

"Athe estate, we recently tasted some mature Deux Albion from 1999, 2008, 2010, 2011 and others. These tastings  are  always  amazing  and  fully  demonstrate  the  ageability  of  Rhone  Valley  wines.  Deux  Albione pitomises  the  soul  of  traditional,  classic  Rhone;  it  offers  thanks  for  the  gift  of  old  vines;  it  is  quality  insimplicity.  When  young,  Deux  Albion  expresses  fruit  and  is  redolent  of  peony  and  violet,  with  extremely gracious  roundness.  Then,  the  mineral  edge  gently  takes  over,  adding  refinement  and  expressing  the limestone element. At this point, the wine is slightly more akin to our Gigondas, though never achieves its finesse:  it  can’t  be  expected  to  do  the  impossible!  All  of  this  raises  the  issue  of  a  wine’s  ability  to  age  in relation  to  its  price.  It  is  commonly  accepted  that  ‘affordable’  wines  are  not  designed  for  cellaring  and  I wonder why?

Conversely, how many expensive and supposedly prestigious wines are a disappointment to us when we uncork them at what was supposed to be their peak? Sometimes you have to rely on your own opinions, trust your own taste and experiences without being influenced by what others say or write. After the  ‘cosmic’  2016s  and  2017s,  2018  Deux  Albion  offers  a  slightly  softer  version,  suffused  with  charming floral  aromas.  As  I  write  these  lines,  the  first  violets  are  starting  to  appear  and  the  fine-billed  birds  are getting restless as spring approaches. What more beautiful a sight to behold than nature waking up after its winter slumber? Strawberry, gingerbread, violet.

Bottled unfiltered."