Two knockout Cotes du Rhone-Villages… both for under $15… beating the best prices you can find online?

The line starts to the left…

Okay… seriously… I only count five other Rhones from 2010 rating 91 or higher and selling for under $15… We’ve already sold three, and the other two aren’t available…

Supplies are limited. I am offering to my Rhone customers first. Please hit reply if you are interested.

2010 Les Grands Bois Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cuvee Philippine – sale $13.59 / reg. $16.99 – save 20% (beats best price online!)

91 pts wine Advocate – Delicious. I’m not sure what more to say! Okay… roughly 40% Syrah adds more oomph to the region’s more typically dominant Grenache. Blackberries, lavender and smoky, roasted wild herbs greet you before giving way to a pure, dense wine that saturates the palate yet finishes with nary a hard edge.

“The 2010 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cuvee Philippine is composed of equal parts Syrah and Grenache blended with 15% Carignan from 12-80 year old parcels. Bottled unfiltered, it exhibits an opaque purple color along with a deep nose of black currants, black cherries, licorice and lavender. Complex, medium to full-bodied, rich and dense, it is a heck-of-a-bargain that should drink nicely for 3-4 years.”

2010 Aphillanthes Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cuvee des Galets Plan de Dieu – Sale 14.99 / reg. $19.99 – save 25% (beats best online price!)

91 pts Wine Advocate – From the renowned windswept Plan de Dieu northeast of Chateauneuf du Pape comes another blockbuster from Domaine les Aphillanthes. Robert Parker once noted of this winery, that the wines "may be the richest Cotes du Rhone I have tasted.” I won’t argue… proprietor Daniel Boulle restricts vine yields to a minute amount, resulting in intensely concentrated, yet physiologically mature fruit. The result? Big, rich and dense, with loads of glycerin, yet the tannins are fine and surprisingly integrated at a young age. 20% Mourvedre adds a deliciously earthy dimension to this beauty.

“Another winner is the 2010 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cuvee des Galets Plan de Dieu. Fashioned from 45-65 year old vines, this unfiltered blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre is a killer value. It boasts a dense ruby/purple color as well as stunning aromas of kirsch liqueur, licorice, camphor, tobacco leaf and underbrush. Spicy, peppery and loaded with fruit, this medium to full-bodied red is another crowd-pleasing, classic example of Provencal viticulture that should age nicely for 4-5 years. 

In 1999, I discovered one of the finest estates in the southern Rhone, the Domaine Les Aphillanthes owned by Daniel Boulle. His oenologist is none other than Philippe Cambie and his commitment to quality is evidenced by the fact that he refused to bottle any 2008s. Following that troublesome year, Boulle has produced some impressive 2009s and 2010s. This is a certified organically managed vineyard with practices increasingly moving toward biodynamic.”