Two incredible values today… cut from the same soil as Chateauneuf du Pape… for a fraction of the cost! You’d easily spend $30 for 92 pt Chateauneuf… and you have! So I thought I would save you some money today…
 
The only “problem” is these are super-limited. Just 5 cases of each for the entire state! Remember: There are two wines being offered.
 
Domaine Les Aphillanthes Plan De Dieu Cuvee Des Galets 2017
 
Sale $18.99
 
90-92 pts Jeb Dunnuck

60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre from 45 year old vines, farmed biodynamically.

Among the Côtes-du-Rhône Villages villages, Le Plan de Dieu is unique in that it is not a village. It is a distinct terroir surrounded by sleepy, rural, and classically provençale hamlets. In the Middle Ages, when crossing this vast, bandit-infested “forest “of scrubland, you were taking your life in your hands. All you could do was commit your soul to God. Maybe this is the origin of the name Plan de Dieu (God’s Plain).

The geologic forces that created the terroirs of the Rhône Valley also formed the Plan – a flat plain of red clay covered in gravel overlaying deep sandy subsoils situated just to the east of the ancient city or Orange. In many regards this soil shares a lot in common with the high plateau of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, most notably that which is found in Le Crau. But it wasn’t until 2005 that the Plan was elevated to Cotes du Rhone Villages status

The 2017 Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan De Dieu Cuvée des Galets (60% Grenache and 20% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre brought up in concrete) looks to be outstanding, with a deep, rich, concentrated style. Blackberries, black cherries, garrigue, and dried earth notes all flow to a full-bodied, deep, rich, powerful Côtes du Rhône.

Stephane (Raymond) Usseglio Lirac Charles 1er 2017
 
Sale $21.99

92 pts Wine Advocate

70 % Grenache (eighty years old) 20% Syrah (45 years old), 10 Mourvèdre (25 years old); 50 % Stockinger vat  (14 months)/ 50 concrete tank (14% months )

Lirac is the southernmost village in the Cotes du Rhone region. But this is no mere Cotes du Rhone. In 1947, it was granted status as a “Cru” in the same category as the famed Chateauneuf du Pape. But the connection, and comparison, to Chateauneuf runs deeper – well, it runs as deep as the soil… You see, if you look at a map, Lirac lies nearly due west from Chateauneuf, on the opposite side of the Rhone River, about exactly the same distance from the river and the same elevation. So? So… hello? It’s the soil that makes the wine – and Chateauneuf is famed for its soil that resulted from the Rhone River washing quartz pebbles and clay down from the Alps. The heart of Lirac is composed of the same soil from the same geological age.  

“A fine effort from estate-owned vines, the 2017 Lirac Charles 1er starts off with charming raspberry and strawberry aromas. It's full-bodied and silky, with hints of licorice, dried spices and black cherries on the palate, then firms up on the finish, enough to think it will still be drinking well 10 years from now.”


Or reply. The wine is available now in Chapel Hill. Next Wednesday, as ordered, in Hillsborough.