MCF Rare Wine
2016 Vacqueyras Value - Domaine Les Ondines
Now comes the annual newsletter where I start to get all misty about how much I love the Fall...and it probably won't be the last one.
This morning, Emily and I dropped both our kids off for their first day back at school, given the obvious circumstances and just how long it had been since we last did this, the 'First Day of School' excitement felt even more special than in years past.
Couple that with the fact that it was a perfectly cool, breezy, damp and overcast late-September morning, and the Fall nostalgia was extra thick.
As I walked home from the school, it was as if I could see the shift in my brain to 'Fall Mode' happen in real time, and I instantly found myself reveling in how that 'shift' would be affecting our gastronomic endeavors.
Foods will get richer and more warming, and the steady diet of Martinis, fresh whites and beer with give way to Scotch and big, earthy reds.
There, you survived my ode to my favorite season...on to today's wine...because it's perfect for my favorite season...
The 2016s from the Southern Rhône have been some of my favorite wines from the region in a long time...and, since they landed, I've found myself drinking a lot more Southern Rhône, maybe than I ever have.
Even as the vintage slowly cycles out, my re-ignited love for some leathery, smoky, earthy dark fruit persists and, while I've enjoyed the '17s very much, and the '18s are very nice as well, anytime there's a good 2016 around, I try to jump on it.
That's how I opened an offer back in June for the Cotes du Rhône A Seraphin 2016 of Clos du Mont Olivet - a wildly successful offer for a wine that everyone loved.
Today I'm back with another fantastic 2016...
...one that might be an even better deal...
Just to be clear, they're quite different wines, with different designations, so they aren't exactly apples-to-apples, but they will scratch the same itch...and it's an itch I have...
Today's wine is the Vacqueyras 'Passion' 2016 from Domaine les Ondines, and it's a darker, more structured, more mineral wine, capable of years of betterment in the cellar.
Ondines is a biodynamic winery, based in Vacqueyras, and this is their top red bottling.
It's a blend of Grenache 68%, Syrah 27% and Cinsault 5%, and that dark, stony Grenache character is what speaks the loudest at the moment.
The few years it's had in bottle already, though, have allowed a nice amount of spice, earth and, definitely, a bit of those classic Southern Rhône smoky, incense-y aromas to show themselves.
Even further underneath, the hints of the leathery, meaty complexities that are sure to emerge over the next 3-5 years, are present enough to tease you into maybe burying 3-6 bottles somewhere where that you'll forget about them.
At its original $31 price tag, I think it represents a lot of wine for the money.
At today's $25/btl price tag, with an additional 10% off a case of 12, it's a 'lotta lotta', I suppose...
So, if you're like me, and the first hint of brisk weather has notions of Cassoulet or Roast Lamb swirling around your brain, this is the wine for you.
Hell, even if you're not like me (which would, obviously, speak very highly of you)...
...this is still the wine for you...
You may order by emailing info@mcf-rarewine.com or calling 212.255.8870.
Matt Franco
MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street NYC 10011
212.255.8870
