2016 Rhonea Roaix Côtes-du-Rhône Villages 750 ml

Beauty and beast in one sumptuous bottle, the 2016 Rhonéa Roaix Côtes du Rhône Villages floored us with its animal elegance, overloading the senses with blackberry compote, fresh herbs and pepper, and rippling with muscular tannins.

This could easily be one of those fabulously rich, spice-scented Southern Rhône expressions that float just below the radar, disappearing into the cellars of locals in the hills of Roaix. But the value here at just $20 for a village-designated bottle is so exceptional, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate had to call it out, noting the old-school bottling for being particularly “supple in texture and silky on the long finish.”

It was the end of our Rhône trip—a rainy weekend in Vaucluse. We were tired, ready to go home, planning the route to the airport. Our allocation budget for the region already well overextended, we didn’t even want to look at another label. And yet, after the owner of our B&B thrust this bottle into our hands, we knew we had to make room for one more.

Dinner came included with our stay. That evening, sitting down in the rustic, stone-walled dining room to a plate of gorgeously aromatic grilled lamb, the proprietor must have noticed our table was absent a wine bottle, for once.

We heard the familiar creak of a cork being twisted from a bottle neck, and next thing we knew he was handing us this 2016 Rhonéa Roaix and a glass. “Gratuit,” he said, adding with a wave of his hand: “Everyone’s favorite around here.”

It immediately became clear why, showing all the hallmarks of high-altitude Grenache. Aromas of bramble and red rose petals burst out of the glass with lifted notes of stewed black fruits and fresh cracked black pepper. Paired with the lamb, its acidity sang, the floral complexity a perfect counterpoint to our savory, juicy chop.

Produced by a collective of 236 artisan winegrowers in the mountainous Dentelles de Montmirail region, this bottle is the handiwork of generations and decades of local viticultural experience. On south-facing vineyards shielded from the Mistral, vines plunge their roots into slopes of sandstone and clay subsoil, giving this wine the tension it needs to balance out the big, mineral-laced concentration.

Elegant in structure, a blockbuster in its flavors, and just $20, it’s the kind of wine we came to the Rhône hoping to find. On our plane ride home, all we were thinking about was when we could pour our next glass. You’ll do the same, so stock up while you can at this awesome price.