first vine: wine imports + sales : Château de Clapier Cuvée Soprano

Château de Clapier Cuvée Soprano
On Sale
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Price: 16.00
Sale Price: $13.00

ON SALE!
description
Located in the village of Mirabeau in the Luberon, this family vineyard was owned by the Marquis de Mirabeau until the French Revolution. The property was purchased in the 1880s by an ancestor of the current owner and winemaker, Thomas Montagne. The Côtes du Luberon is in the extreme southeastern part of the winemaking Rhône Valley, and Luberon wines are not as well known in the U.S. as Côtes du Rhônes (even with the publicity from a not-very-good movie with Russell Crowe about the region). Although Clapier was well-reviewed in the latest Guide Hachette, the winery has never before exported to the U.S. M. Montagne makes traditional Luberon wines along with new vintages outside of the traditional – and traditionally approved – formulations. The “Cuvée Soprano” is made from Grenache, Syrah, and Pinot Noir grapes. The Pinot Noir, not typically found in Luberon wines, gives more up-front ripe fruit flavors and adds additional softness to the finish. The Guide Hachette was particularly enthusiastic about the Soprano Rouge. (By the way, the Soprano isn’t named for the TV show but for music -- another of M. Montagne’s new wines is called Cuvée Tessiture. And also for you Francophones, the name Clapier comes from a Provençal word for stone, a reflection of the terrain, and not the clapiers that hold chickens and rabbits!)

Alc. 13.5% by vol.

producer / region: Château de Clapier

type: Côtes du Luberon red

grapes:
55% Syrah, 25% Grenache, 20% Pinot Noir

category:
reds to impress

food pairing suggestions:
Meats, game, cheeses. Great stand-alone, sipping by the fire, wine!

drink when? Now or hold 5-8 years