Mission Codename Alexandria
This has ALL the right stuff. THREE 92 point scores! A super honest $26 price tag. The epic 2015 vintage. Our little discovery Meffre continues to give!
Days before the quarantine started, we were in, of all places - NYC - unknowingly putting our lives on the line hunting for treasures at Vinexpo. Seems like YEARS ago…but in between repeated trips to Joe’s Pizza we managed to find a few big winners - like these gorgeous gems by Meffre from the Southern Rhône.
Gabriel Meffre started in 1936 as a négociant, and by the time of his passing in 1987, he had amassed 900 hectares of prime Rhône vineyards. Interesting side note - his daughter owns another hugely respected winery - Vaudieu. Yes, the winemaking roots run deep for this family. And of course, like any top Rhône producer, they sought the help of Philippe Cambie to level up their quality. Cambie is like a winemaking prophet, a Grenache wizard; he’s the guy winemakers call on to reach their highest potential. He is to the Rhône what Michel Rolland is to Bordeaux or Bill Belichick is to NFL coaching.
This Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault blend shows a fresh and flashy abundance of red fruits, blueberry, violet and peppery spice offset by toasty baking spices and dusty minerality. Sitting right on the fence between brawny/gutsy and charming/feminine. A joy to drink!
Super scarce and at an even more ridiculous price, with abundant ratings…this too shall not last… ACT FAST!
92 Points – Wine Spectator
“This has a solid core of crushed blackberry and black currant fruit flavors, carried by brambly grip and extending through a charcoal- and tobacco-fueled finish. Gutsy, but should settle in easily with cellaring. Best from 2018 through 2025.”
92 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The quality from this large estate in Gigondas continues to soar, and these latest releases are packed with quality wines and terrific values. The 2015 Gigondas Sainte Catherine is a Grenache-dominated blend that incorporates smaller amounts of Syrah and Cinsault. It’s aged all in concrete tanks and is a charming, forward, supple barrel sample that offers classic Provencal aromas and flavors of ripe red and black fruits, roasted meats and garrigue. It should easily end up being an outstanding wine and keep through 2025.”
92 Points – Antonio Galloni’s Vinous
*“Lurid ruby. Ripe, spice-tinged red berries, licorice and a hint of vanilla on the deeply perfumed nose. Round and seamless in the mouth, showing good heft to the sweet blackberry, cherry and spicecake flavors. Closes supple and broad, displaying very good clarity, harmonious tannins and a subtle, lingering suggestion of smoke.
91-93 Points – Jeb Dunnuck
*“Based in the Southern Rhône, Meffre nevertheless turns out a bevy of brilliant wines from the Northern Rhône as well. Unfortunately, very few 2015s were submitted for this report, but I loved the wines from barrel last year. I also loved the 2015 Gigondas Sainte Catherine and this blend of Grenache and Syrah is slightly more elegant, yet still offers full-bodied, concentrated notes of black raspberries, darker fruits, graphite, and spring flowers. It has bright acidity and is going to evolve nicely. *“
Gold Medal – International Wine Challenge
What the Winery Says
2015 'Saint-Catherine' Gigondas AOC
- Consulting winemaker
- Phillippe Cambie
- Winemaker
- Véronique Torcolacci
- Varietals
- 70% Grenache, 30% Syrah
- Vintage
- 2015
- Appellation
- Gigondas, Rhône Valley
- Soils
- Marl, limestone, sand, clay
- Average Vine age
- 35-45 years
- Altitude
- 500-600 meters
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Aging
- 14 months
- Barrels
- 20% new French barriques