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 Advocate - 90 points - "Mainly Grenache, with the balance a blend of Mourvèdre and Syrah, the 2019 Cotes du Rhone offers up notions of ripe cherries, garrigue and even a few modest hints of pine sap. Medium to full-bodied, it's concentrated and ripe yet silky and reasonably elegant. Drink it over the next several years."

Jeb Dunnuck - 89 points - "Moving to the 2019s from bottle, the 2019 Côtes du Rhône is mostly Grenache but includes small amounts of Syrah and Mourvèdre, and it sees close to two years of élevage, as the terroir yields a burly, tannic wine that benefits from additional time in tank and foudre. Black fruits, peppery herbs, and leather notes define the nose, and it shows the Provençal, spicy, complex, medium to full-bodied style of the vintage nicely. I’d be happy to drink a bottle, and I have no doubt it will evolve for 7-8 years, if not longer."