Chateau Mont-Redon Lirac 2018

Description

Chateau Mont-Redon will be familiar to those who know and love Chateauneuf-du-Pape being well recognized as the owners of one of the most highly regarded vineyard sites in the appellation. The superb quality of its vineyards has been recognized throughout history and prior to the adaptation of the appellation controlee system it was one of the few ‘Grand Crus’ in the region (together with Chateau Rayas). The 2018 vintage of the Chateau Mont-Redon Lirac is produced with 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre totally de-stemmed with ferment up to 3 weeks and aged 2/3 in tank and 1/3 in barrel for 18 months before assembling and bottling and ageing another 4 months under cork before sale. These vineyards were purchased in 1997. The bottling of Lirac from Chateau Mont-Redon is always one of my favorite values in the southern Rhone and the 2018 has again, turned out very nicely indeed. The wine is comprised of a blend of seventy percent grenache, twenty percent syrah and ten percent mourvedre, grown in soils quite similar to Chateauneuf du Pape. The 2018 Lirac comes in listed at 14.5 percent alcohol and offers up a bright and complex bouquet of red and black raspberries, pepper, roasted meats, a fine base of stony soil tones and just a hint of fruitcake in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full bodied, complex and well-balanced, with a fine core of fruit, ripe tannins and a long, focused and classy finish. This is excellent wine and a fine, fine value! 2020-2035 – John Gilman, View from the Cellar, January 2021 The Finer Details Style – Red Wine Varietal – Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre Country – France Region – Rhone Valley Vintage – 2018 Bottle Size – 750ml ABV – 14.%