1. Domaine de la Mordoree Cotes-du-Rhone Rosé 2018
Cooper’s Price $19.99
The Mordorée is the poetic nickname used locally for the woodcock that flies over our lands during its migrations. Ideally located at the crossroads of Provence and Languedoc, the Domaine de la Mordorée produces some of the finest wines in the Rhone Valley. They own manage and control vineyards in: Châteauneuf du Pape (Castle of the Pope), Lirac, and Tavel in Southern Rhone.
Kevin’s Notes: This wine is 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 20% Cinsault. An important fact about this wine is the importer; Kysela. In Atlanta as a buyer, our company imported Fran Kysela wines. Fran is a Master Sommelier who turned his expertise by discovering and importing some of the greatest wines and wine values from France and Spain. Whenever I read the back of a wine label and I see Kysela’s name, I am immediately interested in that wine! One simple remark, “Due to its richness, this is one of the best Roses.
2. Marotti Campi, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Superiore Luzano
Regular $19.99 Cooper’s Price $12.99
The Marotti Campi estate is one of the most important in the Castelli di Jesi zone and has been a leading producer of Verdicchio and Lacrima di Morro d’Alba for generations. The farm, founded in the 19th century, has 52 hectares planted to vine, all of which are cultivated using sustainable techniques.
Verdicchio – the grape – means “little green one”, a name which holds true as the wines are typically straw colored with pronounced green tinges.
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi is a white-wine DOC located in the Marches region of east central Italy.
TASTING NOTES: Straw yellow color with light green reflections. Aromas of acacia, broom and wildflowers, chamomile with hints of almond. Dry, savory, rich texture with hints of pineapple and pleasant almond finish.
3. Château d’Oupia Les Hérétiques Red
Great, Great, Great, wine value Cooper’s Price $11.96
Historical Notes from the Winery: “History figures prominently in this, the main, bottling from Château d’Oupia: “Les Hérétiques” is named in recogntion of the Cathars, a heretical Christian group once based on the Languedoc but wiped out by order of Pope Innocent III in 1208 in response to the murder of a papal representative by a Cathar supporter near Minervois. The castle which is the home of Château d’Oupia dates back to this time as well.
90% Carignan/10% Syrah. The Carignan vines average 40 years in age, with some of them being up over 100 years old. The fruit is sustainably farmed. Half of the Carignan is vinified traditionally–destemmed and fermented in used barrel and macerated with skins for 30 days–and half as whole clusters with carbonic maceration. Those wines are blended with the Syrah and aged in a combination of steel tank and neutral oak vats.”
Carignan (Cariñena in Spain) is a black-skinned wine grape variety, most likely native to Aragon, Spain. The variety is found in wines along the Mediterranean coast, particularly in northeastern Spain and in France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region.
4. Ferraris Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG
Cooper’s Price $19.99
Ruchè is a grape variety of Piedmont, Italy that has risen from virtual obscurity as a little-known, dark-skinned variety to having its own appellation, Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato. The appellation was elevated to DOCG status in 2011. Its origins are disputed, with some claiming Ruchè as indigenous to the region, while others claim it has French Burgundy roots.
All Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato wines must be made from at least 90% Ruche grapes; the remaining 10% is left open to any combination of Barbera or Brachetto grapes.
Important Wine Education: What does DOCG mean? DOCG Laws – “Denominazione di Origine Controllata Garantita”
In 1980 the Italian wine board took quality control even one step beyond the regular DOC, adding DOCG. The G means the wine was submitted to governmental controlled tasting panel and they absolutely guarantee the stylistic authenticity of a wine. DOCG designated wines make up only 1-3% of all Italian wine produced.
Kevin’s Notes: I bought this wine through a DI order with my wholesaler. DI means “Direct Import”. It is not a wine the wholesaler carries on a regular basis. This is an outstanding floral, full-flavored red that over delivers.
