Get FREE curbside pickup on any order! Orders are typically taking 1-2 business hours to complete at this time. Please wait for an email confirming that your order is ready before coming to the store.
The Dollar Sale is on now at Premier! For a limited time and on select wines, when you buy one bottle at regular price, get a second identical bottle for just ONE DOLLAR!DOUBLE UP FOR A BUCK!
FREE Shipping to New York State on orders over $200!
Now you can get FREE ground shipping to destinations within New York state on orders over $200! There's no coupon code necessary! This applies to 750ml bottles of wine only.
The French wine region known as the Rhone straddles the Rhone river valley from just south of Lyon and ending 125 miles later just south of Avignon near the Mediterranean. There are well over 20 grape varieties used in the production of Rhone wines with each appellation having rules permitting the use of only certain grapes. The major red grape variety in Southern Rhone wines is Grenache followed by Syrah, Carignan, and Mourvedre. The major white grape varieties in white wines of the Rhone are Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Ugni Blanc, Bourboulenc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier.
The major appellations (or AOC's) in the Southern Rhone wine region are: Cotes du Rhone (the lowest classification and allowed for use in all 171 communes in the Northern and Southern Rhone), Cotes du Rhone Villages, Cotes du Rhone Villages (with the name of the particular village placed after), Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Vacqueyras, Rasteau, and Gigondas. Most of the red wines in the south are dominated by the Grenache grape. The sweet wines called Beaumes de Venise or Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, and dry rose; wines of Tavel should also be noted.
The major appellations (or AOC's) in the Northern Rhone are: Condrieu, Cornas, Cote-Rotie, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, and Saint-Joseph. The major red grape variety in all Northern Rhone wines is Syrah.
JD9090 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 2/16/2022 I’m always amazed at the quality this estate gets in the Côtes du Rhône, especially at the quantities produced. Their 2018 Côtes Du Rhône is well worth seeking out and has a medium-bodied, round, silky style as well as textbook peppery herbs, violets, bouquet garni, and both red and black fruits. It shows the supple, charming, forward style of the vintage and is ideal for drinking over the coming 4–5 years. (Jeb Dunnuck)RP89+89–91 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 31st Oct 2019 Looking more complex and complete than the 2017 at this point, the 2018 Cotes du Rhone still has a year or so of élevage ahead of it. It has a slightly herbal, briary note, dark berry fruit and hints of mocha on the full-bodied palate. Round and fleshy, it finishes smooth and velvety. (Joe Czerwinski)SP8787 pts. - Wine Spectator - Feb 28, 2022 Dusty-edged, with understated cherry and red currant fruit flavors lined liberally with sandalwood and balsam wood notes. Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Drink now. 45,000 cases imported. (James Molesworth)
JD9191 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/8/2021 A year-in, year-out smoking value, the 2020 Côtes du Rhône Les Becs Fins offers a vivid purple hue as well as a great, classic Côtes du Rhône nose of peppery black cherry and framboise fruits, garrigue, spice box, licorice, and even a hint of violets. Soft, medium-bodied, fruit-driven, yet wonderfully pure and far from a simple red, it’s going to put a smile on your face over the coming 3–5 years. (Jeb Dunnuck)
SP9393 pts. - Wine Spectator - Nov 30, 2021 Packed with dark fig, boysenberry and blackberry fruit, this pumps along with ample depth and drive, picking up licorice snap, roasted applewood and dark tea notes along the way. Nice energy through the finish too, thanks to an underlying iron note. Drink now through 2030. 1,000 cases made, 150 cases imported. (James Molesworth)JD91+91–93 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 3/5/2021 Leading off the reds, the 2019 Crozes-Hermitage Vieilles Vignes offers a dense purple color as well as ripe, powerful notes of smoked red and black fruits, scorched earth, chocolate, and a touch of smoke meat. It’s rich, medium to full-bodied, and balanced. (Jeb Dunnuck)
VN9292 pts. - Vinous - Dec 2022 Saturated magenta. Displays expressive red and dark berry, smoked meat, olive and floral qualities on the spice-accented nose. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering gently sweet cherry-cola, blackberry and baking spice flavors that show fine detail and a mineral, back-end lift. Finishes very long and subtly chewy, with repeating smokiness, harmonious tannins and strong persistence. (Josh Raynolds)
JD97+97–99 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 2/16/2022 I was blown away by the 2018 Côte Rôtie Château D’Ampuis, which is certainly in the same league as the famed La Las. Coming from seven single vineyards and seeing the same upbringing as the flagship releases, this reveals a vivid purple hue as well as stunning aromatics of cassis, smoked game, spring flowers, and subtle smoke. It has background espresso-laced oak that’s perfectly integrated, it’s full-bodied, and it has ripe, polished tannins and a great finish. (Jeb Dunnuck)JS9696 pts. - JamesSuckling.com - Monday, March 21, 2022 The very deep, smoky and spicy nose pulls you into this very concentrated, focused and elegant Cote-Rotie, with delicate notes of coconut and pomegranate adding to the very complex picture. Very long, polished finish with delicate sweetness and underplayed power. Drink or hold.RP95+95+ pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 10th Feb 2022 Smoky, briary and complex, the 2018 Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis spent 38 months in new oak, yet it still exudes notes of blackberries and blueberries, testament to the wine’s ample concentration. It’s full-bodied and rich yet silky and long, with hints of mocha and brown sugar appearing on the finish. It’s another beautiful vintage of this cuvée, which combines fruit from seven different parcels (three on the Cote Blonde and four on the Cote Brune).
JD9898 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 11/19/2020 While not submitted to my tasting (and it wasn’t presented from barrel last year), it would be hard to imagine there won’t be a Les Vieilles Fontaines cuvée. Don’t miss a chance to buy a bottle if you find one. Moving to the 2018 Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes, this beauty is cut from the same cloth as the Les Chailles yet is deeper and richer, with another level of concentration. Black and blue fruits, ground pepper, violets, smoked game, and loads of spring flower notes define the bouquet, and it has a vibrant, almost old school vibe that carries plenty of power yet still stays light and elegant on the palate. This beautiful, singular wine is open and enjoyable today, yet I wouldn’t be surprised to see it close down with a year or two of bottle age. It should see its 20th birthday in fine form. (Jeb Dunnuck)VN9595 pts. - Vinous - Apr 2020 Opaque ruby. An exotically perfumed bouquet displays powerful aromas of black and blue fruit preserves, incense, peony and olive paste. Palate-staining blackberry, boysenberry, fruitcake and floral pastille flavors deepen steadily on the back half. Gains weight and sweetness with air, finishing with a jolt of smoky minerality, sneaky tannins and outstanding persistence.RP9494 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 13th May 2021 The 2018 Cornas Vieilles Vignes blends fruit from some of the top lieux-dits of the appellation: Combe, Patou, La Côte, Les Mazards and Chaillot. Aged 20 months in approximately 15% new oak, it’s a dark, inky-hued wine, but one that retains bright, fresh fruit notes of red raspberries and plums alongside hints of cedar and menthol. It’s full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, with a firm, granitic structure and sense of restraint, fine-grained, almost silky tannins and tremendous length.SP9494 pts. - Wine Spectator - Feb 28, 2021 Dark and winey, with lots of steeped black cherry, plum and blackberry fruit forming the core while light sweet tapenade, rosemary and mineral notes streak through on the finish. Vivid, energetic Cornas. Best from 2022 through 2036. 1,350 cases made, 128 cases imported.
JD9797 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 2/16/2022 The 2019 Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes is similarly inky colored and has a classic nose of plums, Asian spices, sandalwood, and iron. Medium to full-bodied, with good acidity and ripe tannins, it doesn’t have the sheer weight, richness, or girth of the Vieilles Fontaines, yet it’s certainly a more classic Cornas that will be approachable with just 3–4 years of bottle age yet evolve for twenty years if you’re so inclined. (Jeb Dunnuck)SP9696 pts. - Wine Spectator - Jul 31, 2022 This is packed with succulent cherry, plum paste and blackberry fruit flavors that show hints of mulled spice, dried anise, singed tobacco and sweet tapenade as they move through. A mouthwatering mineral edge extends the lengthy finish. Cellar patiently, then serve with game for the full seduction. Best from 2024 through 2038. 1,265 cases made, 225 cases imported. (James Molesworth)RP9292 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 20th Jan 2022 Now, this is more like it. A big step up from the disjointed Les Chailles, the 2019 Cornas Vieilles Vignes is a classic rendering of Cornas, with hints of crushed stone, mint, blueberries and red berries on the nose. It’s medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated enough, yet it’s not overbearing or heavy; it’s just deliciously drinkable and will drink well for more than a decade. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes. (Joe Czerwinski)
RP100100 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 29th Dec 2013 Even better and a prodigious effort that hits all my sweet spots, the 2011 Ermitage Le Pavillon comes from one of the top terroirs on Hermitage hill, the granite soils of the Les Bessards lieu-dit. Spectacularly perfumed, with raspberry, blackberry, licorice, toasted spices and assorted floral nuances, this full-bodied effort has massive depth and richness, no hard edges and masses of finely polished tannin that emerge on and frame the finish. It will be approachable at an earlier age than either the 2009 or 2010, yet should nevertheless have 2–3 decades of ultimate longevity.
JD9090 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 1/25/2022 A great Côtes Du Rhône readers should seek out, the 2020 La Bouveau is up-front, balanced, and ready to go, with the purity and freshness of the vintage as well as lots of Southern Rhône character in its garrigue, pepper, strawberry, and black raspberry aromas and flavors. Drink it over the coming 3–4 years or so. (Jeb Dunnuck)
JD93+93–95+ pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 3/5/2021 Another killer wine, the 2019 Saint-Joseph Vieilles Vignes reveals a dense purple color to go with loads of red and blue fruits, bacon fat, cured meat, and spring flowers. Offering classic Saint-Joseph minerality, medium to full-bodied richness, and plenty of both acidity and tannins, it’s going to shine for 15 years or more. (Jeb Dunnuck)SP9393 pts. - Wine Spectator - Nov 30, 2021 This lets a silky-textured core of cherry and plum preserve notes unfurl slowly, carried by a bright iron streak and dotted with white pepper and savory accents on the mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2030. 750 cases made, 200 cases imported. (James Molesworth)
RP92+92+ pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 20th Jan 2022 Atypically big, rich and velvety, the 2019 Crozes Hermitage emanates from a vintage whose yields were cut in half by hail. Bottled in March 2021, it delivers rolling waves of ripe black cherries, tinged with understated herbal notes and a long, luxuriously textured finish.SP9292 pts. - Wine Spectator - Feb 28, 2023 Juicy and nicely packed with dark cherry and currant notes, this is liberally laced with a sanguine thread. Gains range through the finish from cedar, savory and tar hints. Drink now through 2035. 1,250 cases made, 250 cases imported. (James Molesworth)
RP9191 pts. - Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate - 20th Jan 2022 Graillot’s 2019 Saint Joseph is a charming, medium-bodied wine, with attractive scents of crushed stone, subtle stemminess, hints of woodsmoke and notes of cranberries and cherries. Fine, silky and long on the finish, it should drink well through 2030.
VN9292 pts. - Vinous - Dec 2022 Dark violet color. Assertive, mineral- and spice-accented blackberry, bacon, olive and woodsmoke aromas pick up a floral quality with aeration. Sappy and broad on the palate, offering pliant dark berry, spicecake, black pepper and floral pastille flavors and a hint of botanical herbs. Closes with repeating smoke and olive notes, even tannins and strong tenacity. (Josh Raynolds)
JD9393 pts. - Jeb Dunnuck - 3/16/2023 Moving to the 2020s from bottle, the 2020 Ventoux Quintessence is beauty revealing assorted blackberry and black raspberry-like fruits, some obvious chalky minerality, medium to full body, and a complex bouquet of violets, flowers, and spice. I love its purity, and it’s going to age for 10–15 years in cold cellars. (Jeb Dunnuck)
member store
$16.99
Tardieu-Laurent Les Becs Fins
Tardieu-Laurent Crozes-Hermitage Vieilles Vignes
