Wine of the Week! 11/05/23

Domaine du Serre des Vignes
Secret de Syrah Grignan-les-Adhémar

Normally $21.99 / Now on Sale for $16.96
100% Syrah

Sitting on the great Rhône River’s left bank, Grignan-les-Adhémar is one of the northernmost appellations in the Southern Rhône. That designation still puts it only 50 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. Established in 1973 under the name Côteaux du Tricastin, it’s a land of aromatic herbs, truffle oaks, olive groves, fields of lavender, and, of course, grapes. Mostly known for its red wines, the allocation is rife with the Southern Rhône’s usual suspects: Grenache Noir, Cinsault, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Marselan, and Syrah.

Bereft of their parents at an early age, brothers Jean-Louis and Daniel Roux planted the roots (literal and figurative) of the Domaine du Serre des Vignes when they were just 16 and 18 respectively. At first it was Grenache in their soil of fine clay and coarse sand but, in 1980, they switched over to Syrah. Ten years later, Daniel’s son, Jérôme, took the reins of the property with the brothers still involved. In 1994, Jean-Louis’ son, Vincent, joined them, and they launched Domaine du Serre des Vignes (Area of the Hothouse Vines). By the 2000s, Jérôme and Vincent were converting to organic farming, receiving certification in 2011.

Their Secret de Syrah is made from organically farmed vines, 25-50 years old. Part of the wine is aged for a year in barrels, while the rest of the wine is aged in concrete vats. Intense, spicy black fruit on the nose gives way to this medium-bodied Syrah that plays smooth tannins against a touch of chalkiness from the soil and concrete. A little acid manages to keep the whole thing refreshing.

Jérôme and Vincent clock the ideal serving temperature at 63°F. Have this wine with grilled red meat and/or sautéed mushrooms.