2014 Domaine Jean David Cotes du Rhone 750 ml

Old Vines meets Old School

It’s a rare occasion when all you have to do is smell a wine before you decide that you’re on board. The first whiff of the 2014 Jean David Côtes du Rhône was nothing short of punch-drunk love. All we had to do was dip our nose in the glass and we cut the check right then and there.

Robert Parker calls the “idyllic” hamlet of Séguret “one of the most beautiful Cotes du Rhone villages.” One of the most stunning jewels of this hilltop town is the small Domaine Jean David.

The estate has been certified organic since 1987, but no chemical additives have ever been used in their vineyards. Family owned and operated by Jean and Martine David, a husband and wife crew, everything is done by hand: the pruning of the vines, the plowing of the soils, the harvesting, and the bottling. It’s as if they’re avoiding all modern conveniences in order to make the most pure, focused, and unmanipulated Côtes du Rhône possible. Perhaps that’s why Parker singled Domaine Jean David as “making waves” in the region.

What sets Jean David Côtes du Rhône apart is the focus and purity. There’s nothing heavy or “baked” to the wines. The wines are based on Grenache but there are also relatively high amounts of Carignan and Cinsault — which give it a high-toned and lifted aroma more akin to Red Burgundy than your average Southern Rhône.  

The soils are also unique. The combination of sandy-loam and limestone soils gives this wine tremendous elegance and great structure without weighing it down with too much body. Sand is key to satiny elegance in wines of the Southern Rhône; it’s no coincidence that our favorite Châteauneuf-du-Pape ever made, the 1990 Château Rayas, was drawn from fine, almost beach-like sandy soils.

2014 offered a classical, excellent perspective on the appellation, with a long growing season shining a spotlight on deeply concentrated, old-vine Grenache. Following a mild winter and a warm, dry spring, summer temperatures cooled and the sky dumped rain. Jean and Martine David took to the vines with a vengeance, dropping fruit aggressively. The harvest lasted from mid-September to October, giving grapes time to reach full maturity on the vine, resulting in juicy textures and rolling, soft tannins.

The 2014 Jean David Côtes du Rhône stands apart from any other Côtes du Rhône that we’ve ever tasted. The nose surrounds you with sweet red flowers, cranberries, red currants, red raspberries, sweet spices, incense, and a lively mineral note. High-toned red and dark-berry fruit flesh out a supple, sweet-spice palate. The finish is mouth-coating with soft tannins and a lifted, red-fruit-focused finish. This is an incredible wine for $16.99. Drink now until 2020.

How Jean David is able to hand-produce a wine such as this for $16.99 is beyond the realm of reason. We here at WineAccess HQ feel it’s among the finest of its type in the Southern Rhône at this price-point. $16.99 with shipping included on 6. NOT to be missed.