2021 Cotes du Rhone Bouquet des Garrigues

Not yet bottled, the 2021 Côtes Du Rhône Le Bouquet Des Garrigues is mostly Grenache that saw a touch of stems. It's a rock-solid Côtes Du Rhône revealing bright cherry and raspberry fruit, medium body, a ripe, layered mouthfeel, soft tannins, and some classic peppery, garrigue-like nuances. It's going to be well worth buying and would make one hell of a house red to drink over the coming 3-5 years. The Vacheron Family, along with winemaker Bruno Gaspard, make some of the region’s finest wines. Located on the border of Châteauneuf du Pape, in the Courthezon region of the appellation, the estate covers 25 hectares, and they release a bevy of brilliant Châteauneuf du Pape as well as Côtes du Rhônes. While I thought the 2020s were slightly challenging here, it looks like the 2021s are rock-solid and as good as anything in the vintage, while the 2022s look to be a return to richer, more concentrated, powerful wines that hold onto a beautiful sense of balance and purity.