We will be closing at 4:30 on Thursday, December 24th. We will be closed Christmas Day. And, we are always closed December 26th - "Boxing Day" as Rich likes to call it - I think because he and his siblings would fight over presents... As fate would have it, then we are closed regularly Sunday and Monday. So the gang gets a real Christmas break. I think they've earned it. So fair warning... come load up this week so you can make it through the break!

Domaine Giraud Lirac Vieilles Vignes Les Sables D'Arene 2018

Sale $24.99

92 pts Wine Advocate

No, my apostrophe is not misplaced... Domaine Giraud is a family affair! Founder Pierre Giraud is kept in line by matriarch and manager Mireille, while son Francois manages the vineyards and daughter Marie is gradually taking over the winemaking. Together, they have become one of most lauded wineries in Chateauneuf, with multiple 100 pt wines to their credit. And yet, this is the first time anyone has seen this wine!

Well, that's only partially true. Prior to this vintage, the wine was labeled as Cotes du Rhone, despite being from Lirac. That's because the wine was 100% Grenache and the appellation doesn't allow mono-varietals. But, a few years ago, an elderly neighbor was so impressed with Francois' fastidious organic farming that he offered to lease his his old vine parcels of Mourvedre and Syrah. 2018 is the first vintage, made from 70+ year-old vines and roughly 70% Grenache and 15% each Mourvedre and Syrah.  

And Lirac... I've talked about it a lot lately, but for those not on the Rhone list, here is a quick primer.  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. 

And THIS soil is the same sandy soil found in the vineyard that has produced Giraud's multiple 100 pt winner "Grenaches de Pierre". 

While the addition of "Lirac" to the label has resulted in a $5 price increase over last year, this is still a ridiculous bargain. Heck, compare with Giraud's own regular Chateauneuf, also 92 pts, that sells for $48 on sale. Or Vaudieu's Amiral G 2018 - 92 pts for $100. And on and on... 

"Giraud's 2018 Lirac Vieilles Vignes is a standout effort, with gentle garrigue notes of rosemary and bay leaf accenting ripe raspberries and stone fruit. Full-bodied and supple, it's easy to drink but shows ample concentration, sufficient to sustain it for at least 5-6 years." WA


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