Name
Grenache Gris
Order #
917479
Producer
Domaine 3 Vallees
Vintage
2010
Price
$10.99
About
"Domaine des 3 Vallées" is produced by "La Tautavelloise", a progressive, quality-conscious cooperative just outside the village of Tautavel, in the Roussillon region of Southern France.
Wine Cooperatives in France face natural selection. Their number has shrunk by 50% in 20 years. However it is clear that Les Vignerons de la Tautavelloise will be around for a long time. They have dedicated part of the winery to custom crush for properties like Cabirau and they are also bottling more of their own wines. The combination that works is dedicated growers, quality-oriented management and fine winemakers. Every year certain parcels are hand harvested and the wines made in artisanal fashion.
There are 41 active members (40 French + Dan Kravitz, Hand Picked Selections). While most Coops have growers and wines from a single village, La Tautavelloise has members from ten villages, some as far as 20 miles away. The three valleys are the Grand Cirque of Tautavel and Vingrau, the Agly valley southwest (including Maury and Cabirau), and Opoul-Périllos, northeast.
The first release was a 2008 Grenache Gris white, tank fermented and bottled young and fresh. The experiment was a resounding success, selling out quickly. The good news is that significant additional acreage is now devoted to this project. The first red releases, a Cotes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache driven) and a Villages - Tautavel (Syrah based) have sold well; they are oak aged, yields are inherently lower than for the Grenache Gris and prices correspondingly higher. There will be new additions of fresh, unoaked, fruitforward but terroir-driven reds at modest prices soon.
Wine Cooperatives in France face natural selection. Their number has shrunk by 50% in 20 years. However it is clear that Les Vignerons de la Tautavelloise will be around for a long time. They have dedicated part of the winery to custom crush for properties like Cabirau and they are also bottling more of their own wines. The combination that works is dedicated growers, quality-oriented management and fine winemakers. Every year certain parcels are hand harvested and the wines made in artisanal fashion.
There are 41 active members (40 French + Dan Kravitz, Hand Picked Selections). While most Coops have growers and wines from a single village, La Tautavelloise has members from ten villages, some as far as 20 miles away. The three valleys are the Grand Cirque of Tautavel and Vingrau, the Agly valley southwest (including Maury and Cabirau), and Opoul-Périllos, northeast.
The first release was a 2008 Grenache Gris white, tank fermented and bottled young and fresh. The experiment was a resounding success, selling out quickly. The good news is that significant additional acreage is now devoted to this project. The first red releases, a Cotes du Roussillon Villages (Grenache driven) and a Villages - Tautavel (Syrah based) have sold well; they are oak aged, yields are inherently lower than for the Grenache Gris and prices correspondingly higher. There will be new additions of fresh, unoaked, fruitforward but terroir-driven reds at modest prices soon.
Review
- 90 Points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Aug 2009
"The Domaine des 3 Vallees 2008 Cotes du Roussillon Grenache Gris is remarkable in any number of respects, not least for offering sensational value. (In my view, this wine was mis-priced, but there's no going back on that now!) It marries fruit from a grower in Maury who belongs to the Tautavel coop with fruit from ancient vines on the edge of the latter village's great stone cirque, grown by its coop's largest landholder. And as for the name of this wine – Grenache Gris being notoriously unrecognized for appellation controlee (other than in Collioure) – thanks to American liberties and the magic of the "back" label, Kravitz (who calls one of his estate wines "In Spite of the Civil Servants") can pretty much call it whatever he pleases! Intense aromas and sappy, subtly oily palate presence of pineapple and lime tinged with Szechwan pepper, musk, and smoky black tea make for a beverage of striking, utterly intriguing distinction, richly-textured yet incorporating positive tartness and cut, and depositing a lasting load of salt, pepper, chalk, and smoke. While there's no track record for this wine per se, you can count on it being worth following for at least 3-4 years. If you have not yet discovered why Grenache Gris – despite being a rarity almost entirely localized to Catalan France – is one of the world's most exciting grapes, here are some 4,000 inexpensive bottles containing all the reason you need. $11" -D.S.
Print Page"The Domaine des 3 Vallees 2008 Cotes du Roussillon Grenache Gris is remarkable in any number of respects, not least for offering sensational value. (In my view, this wine was mis-priced, but there's no going back on that now!) It marries fruit from a grower in Maury who belongs to the Tautavel coop with fruit from ancient vines on the edge of the latter village's great stone cirque, grown by its coop's largest landholder. And as for the name of this wine – Grenache Gris being notoriously unrecognized for appellation controlee (other than in Collioure) – thanks to American liberties and the magic of the "back" label, Kravitz (who calls one of his estate wines "In Spite of the Civil Servants") can pretty much call it whatever he pleases! Intense aromas and sappy, subtly oily palate presence of pineapple and lime tinged with Szechwan pepper, musk, and smoky black tea make for a beverage of striking, utterly intriguing distinction, richly-textured yet incorporating positive tartness and cut, and depositing a lasting load of salt, pepper, chalk, and smoke. While there's no track record for this wine per se, you can count on it being worth following for at least 3-4 years. If you have not yet discovered why Grenache Gris – despite being a rarity almost entirely localized to Catalan France – is one of the world's most exciting grapes, here are some 4,000 inexpensive bottles containing all the reason you need. $11" -D.S.
