Grand Veneur Côtes du Rhône-Villages 'Les Champauvins' 2010
Among the 'World's Greatest Wine Estates' - Robert Parker

We absolutely love this winery. They are the new guard in Chateauneuf-du-Pape making clean, powerful wines with beautiful perfume, balance and length. They are legends in the making.

The winery sits right in the heart of Chateauneuf as does their Champauvins vineyard which is accessed down a narrow Roman road, on one side of which grow lauded Chateauneuf-du-Pape-designated Grenache vines and on the other side grow Grand Veneur's Cotes du-Rhone-designated Grenache vines: I challenege anyone to spot any difference in soil, aspect, topography or vine condition from one side of the road to the other. You can't, because there is no difference! This really is a 'mini Chateauneuf-du-Pape' and it's less than $25!!

"The single-vineyard Cotes du Rhone, the 2010 Les Champauvins, is a smaller cuvee made largely from Grenache (70%) and the rest Syrah and Mourvedre. This is the poor person’s Chateauneuf du Pape, with notes of garrigue, lavender, black cherry jam, licorice, and a hint of blacker fruits. Rich, full-bodied, ripe, with sweet tannin and lots of concentration, this is a beauty to drink over the next 8-10 years – it is that rich and concentrated."
- 92 Pts Robert Parker