The Wines of Chateau Saint Cosme: June 2023

 

Over the years at Vinopolis we’ve made a pointed effort at investing in wineries which offer a longevity of quality and uncompromising translation of the world’s iconic regions. We’ve developed deep relationships with estates all across the world, and in turn deep relationships with the bottlings that they release vintage after vintage. One such relationship that we’re incredibly proud to promote is that of Château Saint Cosme in the Southern Rhone.
 
The timeline of our own interest and investment in the wines of Château Saint Cosme is but a blip dwarfed by the legacy of the Barruol family which has owned the estate since 1490. I won’t sing the full rhyme for you, but that traces back 2 years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Maybe he had some Gigondas on board with him? Winemaking at the estate extends even further back into antiquity, with Gallo-Roman vats discovered in the limestone hills below the Château and artifacts of the wine-god Bacchus located nearby in the region.
 
In more recent times, the world class winemaking and determination of Louis Barroul has brought this estate to the greatest heights it has ever known. Taking over from his father in 1992, Louis rapidly transitioned the estate into uncompromising standards for fine-wine production (biodynamic since 2010), and dramatically expanded the family’s holdings throughout the Rhone Valley. At Louis’ disposal is some of the finest fruit that this Mediterranean landscape has to offer, and it clearly shows in the wines. Dedicated to a philosophy of balancing fruit and freshness (whole-cluster ferments, neutral cement and used barrique elevage), Louis’ wines are becoming a haven of dependability in a region that faces increasing ripeness and alcohol with climate change. Time and again when tasting the wines of Saint Cosme we’re delighted to find that classic grenache richness tempered by delicate acidity and a palate that refreshes vs overwhelms. These are wines whose structure and freshness is aided by the unique limestone soils of Gigondas and which embody the Latin meanings of the name: great pleasure and enjoyment.
 
Everything Louis Barroul gets his hands on turns into magic in the glass. The estate is now producing wines denominated across all the famous appellations of the Rhone, (Cote-Rotie, Hermitage, Châteauneuf du Pape, etc.) and across all consumer price-points. You heard it here first, the Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone bottlings are one of the finest values in all of wine. That’s not an overstatement or embellishment.
 
The fruit of our investment at Vinopolis is the fortune of our loyal customers. We have a deep selection of Château Saint Cosme wines for you to explore and at the best prices this side of the Atlantic. You want my advice? Take a look at the Château Saint Cosme inventory listed below and assemble yourself a half to full case of different cuvees. As the late evening sun of this season warms your shoulders and graces the conversations of your family and friends, open up these wines bottle by bottle and find your spirit warmed as well.
 

Special Feature Wines:

Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Claux 2018 750ml $99 special, 21 bottles available
Wine Advocate 95-97 points “Everything about the all-Grenache 2018 Gigondas le Claux is big. From the huge black cherry and blackberry fruit, to the insane levels of concentration, the rich, velvety tannins and the never-ending, licorice-tinged finish, this beauty should evolve positively for at least a decade and a half.-JC”
Wine Spectator 95 points “Quite ripe, with waves of warmed plum sauce and blackberry preserves rolling through, wrapped liberally with licorice root, sage and lavender notes. Iron minerality runs through the finish, letting the fruit and savory notes meld wonderfully. Built for the cellar. Best from 2022 through 2035.”

Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Claux 2020 750ml $119 special, 30 bottles available
Vinous 98 points “Opaque red. Sharply defined red fruit, floral and Moroccan spice aromas, along with intense mineral, garrigue and cola nuances. Shows superb depth as well as vivacity on the palate, offering juicy red and blue fruit, floral pastille and spicecake flavors and an exotic hint of blood orange. Finishes impressively long and precise with firm tension, discreet tannins and reverberating red fruit and floral notes.”
Decanter 96 points “Beautifully fragrant nose of star anise, cedar and cigar tobacco. Full-bodied, rounded and seductively plump and juicy, showing clarity, precision and focus on the palate, the fruit melds well with the considerable oak element, and it finishes long, tight and saline. Best Gigondas of the vintage. Very old vines, all whole-cluster fermented in concrete, no destemming, indigenous yeasts, and matured 100% in barriques; one third new, one third second use, and the rest third use. Drinking Window 2028 – 2038.”

Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas Hominis Fides 2020 750ml $128 special, 16 bottles available
Jeb Dunnuck 95-97 points “At the moment, the 2020 Gigondas Hominis Fides looks to be the standout of the three single vineyards, although all three are beautiful wines in the making. It certainly offers the most power and concentration, with lots of ground pepper, Provençal garrigue, violets, and loamy soils notes, as well as a darker cassis and berry-driven core of fruit. It builds beautifully on the palate, with ample structure, incredible balance, and a great, great finish.”
Wine Spectator 95 points “A rich, velvety red, showing both power and grace, this is introduced with heady steeped cherry and incense. Reveals raspberry coulis and charred plum flavors that race alongside black licorice and iron. The supple palate is quickly hemmed in by fine-grained tannins, with singed herbs and white pepper notes dancing through the long finish. Best from 2024 through 2035. —B.S.”

Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Poste 2020 750ml $119 special, 13 bottles available
Wine Spectator 96 points “A behemoth of a wine, with dense layers of sweet, ripe plum sauce and mulled cherry that take a dark, savory turn on the palate, coated in melted iron, black licorice, balsamic reduction and singed herbs. Despite its massive power and coiled energy, this is surprisingly delicious now, with beautiful harmony to the texture and structure. A wine to savor and contemplate. Drink now through 2040.—B.S.”
Jeb Dunnuck 95-97 points “More camphor, dried garrigue, flowers, and savory red and black fruits emerge from the 2020 Gigondas Le Poste, a medium to full-bodied red with a rich, concentrated mouthfeel, building tannins, and no shortage of length on the finish. The cellar will be your friend on this one, but it’s another wine that ranks with the crème de la crème of the vintage.”


All Chateau Saint Cosme Wines Available Now:

For the following wines, the Vinopolis price ranges between 10-15% lower than the average retail online! Not convinced? Look for yourself!
 

CHÂTEAU SAINT COSME  WINE	PRICE	AVAILABLE	REVIEWS	LINK
SAINT COSME CHATEAUNEUF 2018	$        45.00	36+	Wine Spectator 95 points	Link
SAINT COSME CHATEAUNEUF 2019	$        49.00	36+	Vinous 93 points	Link
SAINT COSME CONDRIEU 2020	$        84.50	9	Wine Spectator 94 points	Link
SAINT COSME COTE ROTIE 2017	$        55.00	5	Jeb Dunnuck 94 points	Link
SAINT COSME COTE ROTIE 2018	$        69.00	29	Jeb Dunnuck 92-95 points	Link
SAINT COSME COTE ROTIE 2020	$        69.00	23	Jeb Dunnuck 94-96 points	Link
SAINT COSME COTES RHONE 2021	$        16.00	36+		Link
SAINT COSME COTES RHONE 2021 MAGNUM	$        29.00	36+		Link
SAINT COSME CROZES HERMITAGE 2019	$        33.00	3	Grapelive 94 points	Link
SAINT COSME CROZES HERMITAGE 2020	$        39.00	36+	Jeb Dunnuck 90-92 points	Link
SAINT COSME DEUX ALBION 2017 MAGNUM	$        39.00	3		Link
SAINT COSME DEUX ALBION 2020	$        20.90	24	Wine Spectator 92 points	Link
SAINT COSME DEUX ALBION 2020 MAGNUM	$        39.00	19	Wine Spectator 92 points	Link
SAINT COSME DEUX ALBION BLANC 2020	$        20.90	36+	Jeb Dunnuck 90 points	Link
SAINT COSME GIGONDAS 2018	$        49.00	6	Jeb Dunnuck 93 points	Link
SAINT COSME GIGONDAS 2018 MAGNUM	$        79.00	25	Jeb Dunnuck 93 points	Link
SAINT COSME GIGONDAS 2019 MAGNUM	$        99.00	11	Grapelive 95+ points	Link
SAINT COSME GIGONDAS 2020	$        49.00	36+	Wine Spectator 94 points	Link
SAINT COSME GIGONDAS 2020 MAGNUM	$        99.00	23	Wine Spectator 94 points	Link
SAINT COSME HOMINIS FIDES 2020	$      128.00	16	Jeb Dunnuck 97-100 points	Link
SAINT COSME LE CLAUX 2017	$        99.00	6	Vinous 96 points	Link
SAINT COSME LE CLAUX 2018	$        99.00	21	Wine Advocate 95-97 points	Link
SAINT COSME LE CLAUX 2019	$      119.00	4	Wine Spectator 97 points	Link
SAINT COSME LE CLAUX 2020	$      119.00	30	Vinous 98 points	Link
SAINT COSME LE POSTE 2020	$      119.00	13	Wine Spectator 96 points	Link
SAINT COSME LE POSTE BLANC 2019	$        59.00	7		Link
SAINT COSME LE POSTE BLANC 2020	$        59.00	6	Jeb Dunnuck 93 points	Link
SAINT COSME ST JOSEPH 2020	$        39.00	36+	Jeb Dunnuck 91-93 points	Link