2017 Domaine du Coulet (Matthieu Barret) Côtes du Rhône Petit Ours, 1.5ltr

Domaine du Coulet (Matthieu Barret) is a 40-acre estate established in 1998 by Matthieu Barret, who was at the time a 23-year-old winemaker. Barret immediately began the process of turning his enterprise into a biodynamic domaine, and in 2002 he received his biodynamic certification. Despite Barret’s relative recent entry into the Cornas appellation, he is winning compliments and very good reviews for his limited production wines, both red and white. Wine Spectator has written that “Matthieu Barret represents the future in Cornas. His domaine is, in my opinion, the single most exciting new domaine in the appellation today.” Wine Advocate has rated some of the wines in the high 90s, and many of the wines in the low- to mid-90s. In 2014 Wine Advocate’s reviewer wrote this: “To say I was blown away by the new releases from the young Matthieu Barret would be an understatement…. All of these are brilliant wines that I can't recommend enough!

The Southern Rhône Valley wine region extends from Orange in the north through the communes Lirac and Tavel in the southwest. The French call the region Côtes du Rhône Méridionales and it includes some of the best known appellations in France, such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas. The climate and landscape of the Southern Rhone differ significantly from the Northern Rhone. There are hot, often windy Mediterranean appellations near Nimes and the south, and higher altitude, relatively cool appellations such as Côtes du Ventoux to the east. Understanding the region can be confusing given that there are thirteen appellations and sixteen red and white grapes allowed for wines with appellation status. Syrah is grown here, but it is much less important than in the north. Grenache is the prominent red grape, though most red wines are blends of at least four varietals. Other commonly used red grapes are Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Muscardin. Counoise, Terret Noir, Vaccarèse and Syrah are also permitted. The primary white grapes are Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Bourboulenc, though Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne are permitted, as are Picpoul and Picardin. Of note is the Côtes du Rhone Villages AOC, which is only in the Southern Rhone. Though Côtes du Rhône AOC wine is made in both the north and south, the Villages appellation has stricter requirements for winemaking and is generally considered higher quality than simple Côtes du Rhône. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “There is a vast amount of enjoyment to be discovered in the southern Rhône…for these are some of the most sumptuous and pleasure-giving wines produced in the world.”