Elodie Balme has been one of my top new producer discoveries this year, and her 2024 Cotes du Rhone Villages Roaix is off-the-charts delicious.
It's one of the best sub-$30 Rhone wines I've had the pleasure to drink, and to this palate, it's a wine that is deserving of 95-96 points.
Roaix (pronounced rwah) is a Southern Rhone village just north of Rasteau. This is the first one I've ever tried, and I can't imagine there's a better version. This will sound nuts, but this classic blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre qualitatively destroys many Gigondas' and Chateauneufs.
Deeply colored, rich, ripe, and possessing a 100-point nose, this comes roaring out of the glass with gorgeous notes of cassis, warm blueberry, smoked meat, peppery spice, and Provencal herbs. Full-bodied and opulent, it balances all of this decadent richness with fine-grained tannins and lifted acidity. BEAUTIFUL STUFF, and the price is way too low for a wine that gives this much.
At just $22.99/bottle, over 20% off the regular price of $29.99, this is a stunning deal in small-grower Cotes du Rhone with serious character and depth.
Elodie Balme grew up in the Rhone Valley and began bottling her own wines in 2006. She trained with Marcel Richaud, one of the pioneering figures of the modern southern Rhone, whose commitment to organic farming, traditional winemaking, and wines with a strong sense of place has influenced a generation of younger growers. Clearly, some of that philosophy rubbed off on Elodie, and you can taste it in here 2024 Roaix.
Made from old, organically-farmed hillside vines planted in rocky soils, the tannins are ripe and supple, the acidity is rounded, and the texture is seamless. This is a big wine, no doubt, but everything is beautifully integrated, making for a totally pleasurable drinking experience.
I'm telling you, this is a 95-96 point wine all day long. It's big, it's generous, and it's packed with character, but there's a seamlessness and freshness here that make it dangerously easy to drink.
At $22.99, this is no-brainer territory. Trust me, buy 6 bottles, and thank me later!
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville
