Domaine de la Solitude Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Réserve Secrète 2020
Domaine de la Solitude
The Réserve Secrète cuvée represents the Lancon family's best barrel selections from this historic estate. The 2020 vintage delivered concentration and balance in equal measure, and this bottling captures Châteauneuf's warm-climate generosity without losing its garrigue-scented identity.
Kit Aromas
Nose
Ripe dark cherry and blackcurrant lead, joined by crushed violet petals and garrigue herbs. Beneath the fruit sits a savory, earthy base note with hints of toasted oak and ground pepper.
Palate
Dense and layered, with blackcurrant and cherry fruit coating the palate in a broad, generous wave. Cedar and toasted spice emerge at mid-palate, while fine-grained tannins provide textural rhythm without austerity.
Finish
Long and spice-tinged, with cedar and dark berry persisting. A floral violet echo returns at the close, lending lift and elegance to the wine's substantial frame.
- Varietal
- Grenache
- Blend
- 70% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% Cinsault
- Vineyards
- Old-vine plots across the Châteauneuf-du-Pape plateau, galets roulés soils
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
Food Pairing
The wine's cedar and garrigue character echo the rosemary and thyme crust on roasted lamb, while its blackcurrant fruit intensity complements the meat's natural richness.
The Lancon family has tended vines at Domaine de la Solitude since 1604, making it one of Châteauneuf-du-Pape's oldest continuous estates, and this Réserve Secrète bottling draws from their finest old-vine Grenache and Mourvèdre parcels.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Nerello Mascalese Vigne Vecchie
Calabretta
Calabretta's old-vine Nerello Mascalese is a masterclass in how air and altitude sculpt a wine—vineyards perched high on Etna's slopes channel wind and volcanic breath into the glass. This is traditional Etna winemaking at its most soulful: no shortcuts, no polish, just pure terroir captured by a family that has farmed the same contrada for generations. A hauntingly beautiful wine that rewards patience and contemplation.
Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve Rouge 2022
Perrin
The Perrin family's Réserve Rouge remains one of the Rhône's most reliable everyday reds, delivering genuine terroir character at a fraction of the cost of their Châteauneuf-du-Pape holdings. It captures the warmth of a late November harvest—generous, grounding, and quietly soulful. A wine that pairs as well with weeknight suppers as it does with the season's final fireside gatherings.
Domaine Gramenon Côtes du Rhône La Sagesse 2022
Domaine Gramenon
La Sagesse means 'wisdom,' and this bottling from very old Grenache vines is aptly named. Michèle Aubéry-Laurent farms biodynamically and vinifies with minimal intervention — native yeast, no added sulfur, no fining or filtration. This is transparency in a bottle: terroir, vine age, and vintage, nothing hidden.
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano DOCG 2019
Produttori del Barbaresco
The Produttori cooperative releases single-cru Riservas only in top vintages, and 2019 delivered. Montestefano is among the most structured of their nine crus, combining power with aromatic complexity that will reward a decade of patience — though it's rewarding now with a good decant.