Domaine De La Vieille Julienne 2022 Cotes du Rhone "Clavin", Rhone Valley

Now this is not your juicy, playful and simple Cotes du Rhone. No, this is a far more serious and complex wine than that. Clavin is a vineyard that is, literally, across the strip of dirt road from the wineries Chateauneuf-du-Pape vines. Same soil, same varieties, same winemaker and winemaking, but for far less than any Chateauneuf-du-Pape I’ve ever seen. The Grenache still provides that lovely, and punchy, spice and red fruit but there is more going on here. More cracked pepper, more leather, more persistence and length. One of the importers confessed to me that they drink this more than any other wine in their portfolio. Now, that’s saying something.