Clos Saint Antonin Cotes du Rhone

This is one of the Southern Rhone estates to watch. Clos Saint Antonin was purchased by the Sabon family in 2014 -- this is the same family that owns Domaine de la Janasse. The vineyards sit on the famed red clay, sandy, and galet-studded soils of Plan de Dieu, and this is pretty much identical to the "dirt" you find in Chateauneuf du Pape. Isabelle Sabon heads up this project, and Clos Saint Antonin's Cotes du Rhone is not just a simple bistro-styled red. Produced from 30 to 50 year-old Grenache (80%), Syrah (10%), and Mourvedre (10%), it is fermented in neutral 600 liter French oak demi-muids, and it is much more substantial and complex than most CDR's. Wine Spectator - 89 points - "A sanguine, silky red, with a polished mix of winey red fruit and cassis supported by earthy undertones of cigar box, incense and forest floor. This is drinking beautifully now, with appealing saltiness that glides through the iron-edged, medium-length finish. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Drink now thro