'In only its second vintage, Barroche's 2016 Liberty Vin de France is a terrific wine, produced from a patch of 65-year-old vines in Côtes du Rhône and some declassified Châteauneuf-du-Pape. After spending 20 months in foudres and demi-muids, it was bottled less than a month before my visit. It's medium to full-bodied, intense, firm and spicy, with herbal notes from the bit of Carignan in the blend, pinches of black pepper and cinnamon and crunchy red fruit. There are 1,250 cases of this wine, which is right up there with some of the better Côte du Rhônes and lesser Châteauneufs on the market, but it sells for around US$30.

91 points | Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate

The wine itself might well be from a town called Châteauneuf but it’s not Châteauneufdu-Pape. It's labelled 'Vin de France', a catch-all designation that is increasing in popularity for wines pushing the boundaries of French wine laws. Stylistically, it is quite similar to it's famous neighbour.

It comes about from a collaboration between two winegrowers who have been friends for 20 years. Yannick Alliaud is a fifth-generation wine grower with 40 hectares of vineyards in the southernmost part of the Rhône Valley. Here near the town of Châteauneuf de Gadagne the terroir is not unlike the famed La Crau lieu-dit in Châteauneuf-du-Pape itself and Yannick’s 50 year old vines draw warmth from the smooth round river stones carpeting the vineyard.

Julien Barrot of course is the winemaker for Domaine La Barroche and has now given life to Yannick’s dream of producing a wine from his beloved vineyard.


 

(BARLIB16)

Grape Variety Grenache
Closure Cork
Bottle Size 750ml
Brand Domaine La Barroche
SKU BARLIB16