The Hautes Cances Cotes du Rhone labels
Parker gives the 2006 Cotes du Rhone
vintage a 90!
"The 2006 reds are far better than I
expected. The wines are full of charm,
elegance, and ripe tannins with good balance.
They will be more accessible in their
youth than the 2005s, but the purity and
freshness suggest they will last longer than
expected."
-Robert Parker
"The [2006] vintage shares some of the
qualities that have made 2004 a favorite of
many Rhône-lovers, with similarly gentle
structure, good balance and noteworthy
freshness. Where 2006 holds an edge is in the
fruit department. I found more up-front,
pliant and flat-out sweet fruit in the 2006s
I tried than in the same producers' 2004s,and
the tannins are usually more deftly woven
into the wines. Most 2006s will appeal to
impatient drinkers who cannot defer
gratification and enjoy drinking plump,
sweet, juicy wines that are unencumbered
by youthful tannins and noticeable acidity."
-Tanzer
Jean-Marie converted his vineyards to
Agriculture Biologique in 1999. They don't
use pesticides, or chemical fertilizers and
they do
everything in a Bio fashion including
hand
harvesting. Very importantly, they use only
natural
yeasts for fermentation. This not only
reflects their
deep desire to protect the environment but
also allows the maximum natural expression of
terroir.
Get your stew pot bubbling and your corkscrew
twisting. The 2006s, particularly this Hautes
Cances Cotes du Rhone will
make you
want seconds of everything! These wines are
powerful, knee-deep in black fruits and so
beautifully balanced.
I don't think I know any grower who puts more
effort into their wines than this familial
pair from
the southern Rhone. They pretty much work
themselves to the bone, but the wines are
fabulous! And, the prices are so amazingly
reasonable.
Jean-Marie and Anne-Marie work out of a modest
house in the middle of the village of
Cairanne. Anne-Marie's great grandparents
created the property in 1890. The land passed
down through the family until it came to
Anne-Marie. When she inherited the property
she was already ensconced in a medical career
as was her husband, Jean-Marie.
Jean-Marie decided to give up his medical
career to farm the family vineyards and
vinify his
own wine, which at the time was being sold
off in bulk to the Cairanne cooperative. They
named it Domaine les Hautes Cances which
means the end of the vines where the tractor
turns around.
After making the Biodynamique leap,
Jean-Marie then built a new winemaking
facilty into
the hillside
for natural temperature control. His
vinification is done using gravity to protect
the grapes along their journey into the vat.
The place is absolutely eat-off-the-floor
pristine. Jean-Marie has a singular passion
when it comes to winemaking and it shows in
his wine.
The Cotes du Rhone vines average about 50 years
old (very
old for Cotes du Rhone where they are usually
torn out younger to get better yields). The
vineyard is near
the village of
Rasteau. The soil is the magic hillside
clay-limestone
that drains from the top and yet harbors
water deep in the earth to nourish the vines
during times of drought, which are frequent
in the southern Rhone. The cepage is: 34%
Syrah, 19% Grenache, 19% Carignan, 15%
Cinsault, 13% Mourvedre.
There is severe selection in the vineyard so
only the ripest and most comely grapes make
it to the vat. Jean-Marie uses a modest
amount of older Gigondas barrels for aging
this wine. He does not fine or filter. When
you have your first sips of this wine, swirl
it around in your mouth and think about its
richness and its length. There really is a
clear difference between this wine and most
other Cotes du Rhones out there.
Cynthia Hurley
To order just hit reply and let me
know how many
cases.
Delivery will be immediate.
