Domaine Gramenon "La Papesse" Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge, Rhône Valley, France 2022

FROM KERMIT LYNCH:

THE WINE: 100% Grenache. Gramenon's cuvées, a product of biodynamic farming and careful natural winemaking, demonstrate the purity and finesse old-vine Grenache can achieve from the southern Rhône's most exciting terroirs. La Papesse is crafted from sixty-year-old vines high on a rocky plateau in the commune of Vinsobres, where elevation and abundant limestone combine to give taut, high-toned wines with delicate floral aromas and stimulating mineral freshness. The domaine advises decanting young vintages, but in good years like 2019 this seductive red can be cellared for upwards of a decade.

THE PRODUCER: Domaine Gramenon is in the Drôme Provençale, the southern portion of this beautiful French département that transitions us from the northern to the southern Rhône. Lavender fields and olive groves share the landscape with its vineyards. Some of the best Grenache in southern France has been produced here for decades, under the direction of Michèle Aubéry-Laurent and more recently her son, Maxime-François Laurent. This pearl of their production is from a selection of some of their oldest and “wisest” vines. Purity, depth, and vibrant fruit are the signature of this exceptional wine, which can be enjoyed young, old, and in between.