2019-C Chateau La Borie Cotes du Rhone, Rhone Valley, France (750ml)   

About the Icons
Château La Borie is a single-block 115-hectare estate with 75 hectares of vines and 35 hectares of forests, located in Suze-La-Rousse in the southern part of the Rhône Valley. Since 2018, the estate has belonged to the Knapp family and is managed by owner and winemaker, Raphael Knapp, who began converting to organic farming in 2019. The property is primarily planted to Syrah and Grenache, with some Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Marselan. In 2021 and 2022, Raphael planted the first white varietals on the property: Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Clairette Blanche, Picpoul, Roussanne and Viognier. Château La Borie is committed to making wines in a traditional (natural) way—with minimal intervention—harvesting earlier and limiting extraction to produce fresh, lively wines with moderate alcohol levels.

Firm and structured, with a touch of brightness, La Borie’s Côtes du Rhône Villages is a blend of 45% Grenache, 50% Syrah and 5% Cinsault. This represents a higher proportion of Syrah than is typical of the appellation. The grapes were carefully sorted and completely destemmed. The berries underwent traditional vinification in concrete vats at low temperatures to highlight the pure varietal expression of each grape. A¥ter 3 weeks extended maceration, and complete malolactic fermentation, the resulting wine was aged for 8 months in tank before bottling, and was finished with a Diam cork, which guarantees no cork taint.