The vineyards of the Northern Rhône Valley are amongst France’s oldest ones, planted to the vine since before Roman times. Here the river valley is narrow and the vineyards are located on its steep banks of granite and schist soil. The red wines come from a single variety, Syrah, synonymous with Côte Rôtie, Hermitage red, Cornas, Saint Joseph etc. The whites are made from mostly Marsanne; Viognier is used to make Condrieu and Château-Grillet. Both reds and whites from the Northern Rhône Valley are considered some of world’s best wines, not always well known by the general public, but highly sought after by connoisseurs, fine-dining restaurants and other sommeliers.

 For all the admirers of fine Syrah, I am very pleased to announce the arrival at ABC of a new Syrah from the Saint Joseph appellation in the Northern Rhone valley, domain Durand, St. Joseph Lautaret 2009!

On June 16 2011 our ABC Wine team was visiting domain Durand in Cornas, producer of Cornas and St. Joseph. We were greeted by Eric and Joël Durand, the two brothers who run this small, family estate. We were equally impressed by the high quality work done both in the vineyards and in the state-of-the-art winery.

The fruit for the Lautaret comes from a small, 1ha plot that sits on the top of a granite hillside; the 2009 Lautaret seduced the ABC wine jury with its dark, saturated ruby color, its rich aromas and flavors of black currant, blackberry, spice and its silky tannins and round, generous mouth-feel. The 2009 Lautaret has great aging potential or could be immediately enjoyed with roasted or grilled red meats and vegetables.

The Lautaret 2009 is offered at $32.99, a bargain for this level of quality and priceless for the experience.

Atanas Nechkov, Central Florida Wine Supervisor

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