Domaine De La Vieille Julienne 2022 Vin De France "Ceci est un Flacon", Rhone - SEPTEMBER WINE OF THE MONTH

“If you told me this (Southern Rhone red wine) was going to be on the shelf for $32.99, I would have that it was a great deal, at $16.99, it’s a steal!” Michael Frank, The Wine Country New World Buyer

I was thinking the same when this gorgeous bottle of regal-tasting wine left us all nearly speechless (as if wine dorks can be speechless) and returning to our glasses for another sip. It’s not too often that we are dumbstruck, but there was not one of us that could stop ourselves from smelling and tasting it, most of us returning to the sample bottle a couple more times just to make sure we were really evaluating it correctly. We were and I let the importer we were going to need 25 cases for September Wine of the Month.

The Domaine de la Vielle Julienne is located at the northern end of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and dates back to the 17^th century. Due to its northern exposure the vines don’t get as much direct heat, so the wines are more on the elegant end for southern Rhone. The estate believes strongly in biodiversity and works their vineyards with that in mind.

Made from a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Counoise and Mourvedre, this refined red wine is layered and has more complexity than many Chateauneuf-du-Papes we’ve tasted, even though some of the grapes for this magnificent table red lie just outside the actual region. You are actually getting baby Chateauneuf for a quarter of the price! A floral, gentle spice, red fruited, wicked cool dried herbal notes, dream of a red wine that is suitable for all your end-of-summer grilling, and noble enough for nice dinner tables.

I still cannot believe how beautiful this wine is for the price. Grab them while you can. –Samantha Dugan