M. Chapoutier La Ciboise Costieres de Nimes Rouge

A very good and very French red blend, the M. Chapoutier La Ciboise Costieres de Nimes Rouge.

A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan and Cinsault from Costeries de Nimes, Rhone Valley, France. The wine was aged for 6 months in concrete tanks.

Sample submitted for review. The M. Chapoutier La Ciboise Costieres de Nimes Red has an SRP of $15 and is available for as low as $12. Imported by Terlato Wines International.

From the bottle:

My reference.
Wines with a Signature, the expression of M. Chapoutier taste.
A will to avoid developing a “typical taste” or a set style.
On the contrary, a permanent objective to work on differences in tastes, to bring out the specific tastes provided by each local terroir and wine.
This is how we could sum up the Chapoutier Estate quest, which has been present in the Rhone Valley since 1808.

14% Alcohol

Perhaps because it is the southernmost appellation in the Rhone or perhaps because it was part of the Languedoc wine region until 2004, Costieres de Nimes seems to be a relatively unknown part of the Rhone Valley.

The area produces mostly red wines made using all the traditional Rhone grapes with a requirement that at least 60% of the blend be comprised of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. Some consider the soils and conditions to be similar to the famed Chateauneuf-du-Pape region. We think this is a great spot for Reverse Wine Snobs who love the classic Rhone varieties to explore.

The 2017 M Chapoutier La Ciboise Costieres de Nimes Rouge begins with aromas of black cherry and other dark berry fruits, black pepper, a little bit of leather and some funk and herbal notes. Tasting reveals lots of ripe fruit, nice touches of spice and pepper and more leather notes in this smooth and tasty, medium-bodied wine.

My first thought was that it’s very good and very French. I’m not sure if it was the funk on the nose or the herbal notes, or the combination of it all, but this one just smells and tastes distinctively French to me. It ends with a dry, long, grippy finish. Be sure to give it plenty of time to breathe as well as everything continues to come together nicely as it has more time in the glass.

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