Always happy to see Rabbit Ridge makes this wine out in the open and proudly offers the same bottling via their winery at a fair price (read more on my take here). For those that aren’t familiar Allure de Robles is an estate grown wine that is made in a Châteauneuf-du-Pape style. This one is a traditional Rhone Blend composed of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. With the grapes being predominantly from clones of the esteemed Tablas Creek Winery which in turn are cut them from the fabled Chateau Beaucastel. For those that don’t recognize the names it is safe to say they are punching well beyond a $5 price tag…
Fairly or not always ends up getting compared to the Chariot Gypsy as the “other cult wine” which begs the same questions I asked last night. Why was this released 4 months earlier? Perhaps we can ask Erich Russell, Rabbit Ridge’s founder.
Speaking of Erich, if you like your Allures de Robles you may want to stock up now. Erich previously shared that “the supply of 2010 will be really low compared to 2009, maybe as much as 60% lower.” And to further compound the issue he reached out again in April to let me know they suffered some pretty significant hail damage that left him wondering whether a 2011 vintage would even be possible. I’ll follow up with him to see how it netted out but in the meantime let’s dig into this 2010…
Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s
What They Said:
Per Rabbit Ridge (pdf) “The 2010 vintage is big and round with strawberry and cherry overtones from the Grenache, body from the Syrah and richness from the Mourvèdre. This wine is a great choice for sipping or with a wide variety of foods.”
What I Think:
(14.8%) Made from Tablas Creek clones this one is predominantly from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. It starts juicy with lush, peppery lifted cherry fruit that swells turning toasty and a touch sweet on the mid-palate before drying out with medium tannins on a barrel spiced finish. I’d prefer more acidity but for those that are fans of bigger, fruit forward wines there is a lot to like here. Available for $8 via Rabbit Ridge.
Rating: Buy It (if you like your wines big with some tannins…)
I disagree with you on this one Jason. I loved the Allure de Robles from last year which was a delectable wine with nice fruit flavors, a slight sweetness and some tanins on the finish making it an easy wine to drink or pair with food. Unfortunately this years version didn’t compare at all (or at least the bottle I got). Except for a little strawberry on the nose, I didn’t get any fruitiness in the wine and it just tasted flat with few flavors that stood out. I managed to drink two glasses before I had to throw in the towel and call it a wine to cook with. I’m glad that I only bought a bottle instead of the case I was planning on getting. I was just drinking it, so maybe it needed a food pairing or maybe I got bottle from a bad batch?
Russ, Give it another try. And it definitely benefits from being open for a while.
It has a big dark flavor, rarely found in cheap wines, it has nice tannins, and
you really can’t beat it for $5.
If you are all talking about the 2010 vintage…….this is phenomenal for the price point. We eat primarily a mediterranean diet and pairs fabulously ! We were drinking the Martin Ray Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara) which retails for $20 until their latest vintage which doesnt have the character I believe the 2008/07 had. You would be hard pressed to find a wine this approchable with the fruit and complexity at this price. I can tell you if you do a true blind taste you may be shocked………with a up to eight times the price.
Thanks for sharing! I need to grab another one of these next time I visit TJ’s as you got me all excited…
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Extremely pleasing aromas of spearmint, lemon, red fruits and barnyard, but this one is dry, dry, dry with mineral, spice and herb flavors in the forefront and fruit very faint..reminds me more of a Duoro wine than a Rhone. Good food wine and a good wine. However, I’m not a fan of this Rabbit because it is not a fruit bomb (which I prefer) and because it’s too dry for my taste.