Though this isn't a new wine for me and Devenish (I've had it for over a year) it is a favorite and one of our best values. More importantly I just got the new 2010 vintage in stock and it's even better than the 09 was, proving once again that you shouldn't trust vintage reports and make up your own mind!
Clot del Pila is from the Roussillon just south of Corbieres in south west France. This wine comes from a specific single vineyard (or clot as it's called here) farmed by the Boudau family. You can read more about their history developing their vineyards here. This particular vineyard overlooks the Mediterranean and is steep enough that all the work has to be done by hand. It's pretty dry and rocky with a dry wind out of the NW. It's not hard to get grapes ripe here and in the hot, much trumpeted 09 vintage I feel the wine was a bit over the top. Thankfully the weather was more normal in 2010 and the wine is more balanced while still expressing the hot Mediterranean climate. The dry, nearly roasted vineyard faces the sea and the grapes soak up intense Mediterranean sun.
Varietal: 35%Grenache, 35% Syrah, 30% Carignan
Aroma: Vivid ripe cherry and black raspberry! The aroma is fresh and fun, pretty intense, fruit forward, and has some hints of spice and dry sun baked soil.
Palate: The palate follows up on what the aroma promises; lively ripe berry fruit but with underlying hints of dry dusty soil and the wild herbs rosemary and thyme that grow in the hills here. The tannins are medium and verge on chewy, but not quite. The finish is slightly gravely. It's not super complex, but it's very authentic, well balanced, really satisfying, farmed sustainably and is ridiculously priced at about $12!
That's why this is one of my favorite wines; it brings terroir driven, characterful wine to a price people can afford daily with out stressing about. It's available at all the Rosemonts, the Old Port Wine Merchant, Tess's Market, Blue Hill Wine Shop, Cheese Iron, Royal River Natural Foods, and Oak Hill Beverage. Seriously, $12!
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