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Thursday, August 8, 2013

Great new Rhones....

New Rhones-- first time in St. Louis

In stock and online now

2011 Domaine de L'Echevin Cotes du Rhone Villages....$19.99
80% Syrah and 20% Grenache
Domaine de L’Echevin’s Saint-Maurice is a densely packed, dark wine. Dominated by black fruit flavors from the Syrah, the wine exudes blackberry and cassis fruit flavors that are tempered by hints of cherry, black pepper, and garrigue notes from the Grenache. The wine is silky and long, with very firm tannins in the finish. In spite of the wine’s deep extraction, it also has bright acidity that, in addition to making it an excellent paring with grilled meats, should also greatly add to its longevity.
(2010 vintage scored 91/100 The Wine Spectator)


2011 Domaine de L'Echevin Cotes du Rhone Villages Rouville...$22.99
2011 not reviewed yet...but the last two vintages...

2010:  "Dark and rich, but with lovely detail, as charcoal and black tea hints underscore layers of dark plum, blackberry paste and warm fig sauce. Very alluring, with a suave finish. Drink now through 2015. 834 cases made. –JM" - Rated 92/100 The Wine Spectator
2009: This has dark, layered cassis, blackberry and fig fruit offset wonderfully by violet, iron and apple wood notes. Shows heft, but stays racy, with a long, mineral-filled finish that should stretch out nicely with modest cellaring. Drink now through 2016. 834 cases made. –JM" - Rated 92/100 The Wine Spectator


More about the estate:
François Fabre and his son Adrien own and operate Domaine de l’Echevin in Saint-Maurice. 
Domaine de l’Echevin gets its name from a distinguished member of François Fabre’s family, Guillaume de Rouville, the Échevin (Alderman) of Lyon in 1589. Today the labels of Domaine de l’Echevin proudly bare the 16th century crest of Guillaume de Rouville. The wines are vinified at the Fabre’s modern winery in Visan. The winery is, by design, an impressive blend of new and old technology. François put in place a gravity fed system for moving the grapes, which are loaded into a crusher/de-stemmer that is on tracks, suspended above the tanks. The crusher/de-stemmer then moves down the tracks to a desired location, and drops the grapes directly into the tank by gravity. This ingenious system saves time, labor, and allows the grapes to be processed in a short amount of time which helps prevent oxidation. At Domaine de l’Echevin the vines are protected on most sides by woods and an olive grove to the west. Since they work organically, the woods serve as an excellent buffer-zone from other non-organic producers.

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