Côtes du Rhône-Villages 2022

46% Syrah, 35% Grenache, 9% Mourvèdre, 5% Carignan, 3% Marselan, 2% Cinsault   One of our best values year in and year out, our house Côtes du Rhône is an unfiltered Grenache-based red we blend each year together with a cave co-op outside of Avignon. The winemaker works closely with numerous small vignerons and purchases their grapes, sourcing from a variety of nearby terroirs to give a quintessential rendition of a southern Rhône red. Much of the fruit comes from the neighboring town of Châteauneuf-de-Gadagne—one of the twenty communes permitted to append its name to the Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation—whose stony, alluvial soils are similar to those of a much better-known Châteauneuf not far away. Our annual blending consists of tasting samples from roughly two dozen different tanks, with the goal of capturing classic Rhône flavors in a versatile and approachable bargain red. In the 2022 rendition, you’ll find rich, juicy aromas of ripe dark fruit, spicy flavors of licori