Grenache may lead the conversation in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but plot selection, soils and winemaking take these wines in very different directions. Keith Mabry on three of them: the translucent Grenache of Piedlong, Isabel Ferrando's precision, and Beaucastel's Mourvèdre-heavy 2023.
Read MoreKeith Mabry has been buying Château de Montfaucon for more than two decades. The estate is now fully organic, the range runs from the returning $15.99 La Côte to the late-released 2020 Baron Louis, and Léon de Pins has a project of his own.
Read MoreEven though they are an historic property, Mas de Libian still falls a little under the radar. For me, though, they check a lot of boxes. They have long practiced organic farming and are now Demeter-certified biodynamic. They make fresh, vibrant wines that are accessible, quaffable, sumptuous, and compelling. It doesn’t hurt that the property’s terroir is a dead ringer for that of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with its calcareous iron-rich clay soils and galets roulet (the rolled stones) sitting on the surface and radiating warmth back to the vines. With all these pluses, it is hard to believe that not a single one of their delicious wines retails for north of $30!
Read MoreWeatherEye Vineyard, on the ridgeline of Red Mountain in Washington, is without doubt one of the most exciting vineyards anywhere in the United States: a site so radical, its implementation has been 15 years in the making! The incredibly rocky, volcanic soils, constant wind, elevation, and lengthy growing season give the wines immense concentration and structure. Even though the vines are relatively young, the intensity of the wines here is already formidable.
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