INSIDER'S PICK: 2019 DOMAINE ROGER PERRIN COTES DU RHONE $16.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

Some family names have great importance in certain wine regions, where there is a dynastic sort of implication to what they are doing even if they aren't directly related. Perrin is such a name in the Southern Rhone, made famous by the branch of the clan that own and run Chateau de Beaucastel, turning it into one of the most important wineries in Chateauneuf-du-Pape over the last century. While not of that line, Domaine Roger Perrin did start from a branch with many generations of farming their vineyards before becoming their own winery in the late 1960s. While their wines may not reach the exalted heights of the 'other' Perrins, they are great in their own right, especially for fans of a more traditional character. Primarily Grenache but with a healthy dose of Cinsault, this carries some soft spicy red fruits on the nose as well as savory notes and tart cranberry from the Cinsault. The Cinsault also takes some of the ripeness out of the palate, which can sometimes become a bit jammy in Grenache dominated Rhones, so in this case the drier red fruit notes come through a bit more and the finish is full but less viscous. A great food oriented wine that will hopefully linger at this price for a while.

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