Guillaume Gonnet - Lirac "le Virtuose" 2019
Price: $24.99
Sale Price: $17.99
Producer | Guillaume Gonnet |
Country | France |
Region | Rhone |
Varietal | Grenache Blend |
Vintage | 2019 |
Sku | 03479 |
Size | 750ml |
This is an incredible deal no matter how you slice and dice it… the average price for a Lirac on wine-searcher.com is roughly $25! So, how in the heck do we get a deal like this? Simple – we know a guy… Craig Baker. . Craig’s been through the trenches and then some! Having worked for some of the top French importers in the country, Craig has hooked up with MISA Imports to market his own selections. His is a different concept - he is able to work at much lower margins than the average importer as 90% of the orders are placed DI, meaning he doesn't have to hold them in warehouse space and then ship to another state's distributor. That is some serious savings folks. Additionally, he gets his distributors to work on low margins as we agree to take the wines within a very short period of time. And in large drops. The result is an incredible savings off what a similar wine going through normal channels would cost.
Now… onto the wine… according to local archives, the Gonnet family has been settled in Bédarrides since 1600. Beda – where? It’s the town about 1 mile east of Chateauneuf du Pape. Ok. Got it.
Well, after centuries of growing grapes, the family, namely Etienne Gonnet, created a winery in 1950. Font de Michelle. Sounds familiar? It’s only one of the icons of the region!
Okay… so where am I going? Well, Guillaume Gonnet, grandson of Etienne, manages the estate today. And he’s buds with Craig… dots… connecting… aha! Craig convinced Guillaume to create a line of wines just for him… but all made from the same estate fruit as his Font de Michelle wines!
Talk about “knowing a guy!”
Ok… what the heck is Lirac? 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.
“Okay, Todd. I can see where you’re going… but really? I should believe Lirac is of the same caliber as Chateauneuf du Pape? Then why haven’t I heard of it?”
Fair questions. Yes, Lirac can be produced at the same level as Chateauneuf. But the region is tiny in comparison. In 2013, Chateauneuf du Pape produced 623% more wine than Lirac! When you slice and dice the numbers, approximately only 9,625 cases of Lirac came into the United States last year.
So, here, Guillaume Gonnet takes his wealth of knowledge from his family’s generations of production in Chateauneuf and applies it to Lirac. 80% Grenache, aged in stainless steel and concrete to maintain the fruit’s purity, is blended with 20% Syrah that is aged in large oak barrels. A seductive perfume of wild strawberries wafts from the glass along with sensual floral notes, easing gently into a seductive mouthful of fruit. But don’t be deceived – this gem is packed with flavor and fine tannins on the finish linger and build with each sip. A beautifully crafted wine, carefully balancing impact with elegance, fruit with earth, spice with floral notes… for $18? Wow. All I can say is… Wow.
Wine Spectator: 91 Points
Ripe and focused, with a well-defined core of cherry and raspberry pâte de fruit notes, backed by light red tea and garrigue through the finish. Features a nice tug of earth at the end. Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2024. 1,000 cases made, 600 cases imported.
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