Kermit Lynch Cotes du Rhone 2020

dried black cherry, cooked strawberry, black olive, clove, and herbs de Provence

For the wines that bear his logo and name on the front label, Kermit works with partner growers in the Southern Rhône with whom he has a long-standing relationship. This Côtes du Rhône is produced by winemaker Jean-François Pastourel in the tiny village of Châteauneuf-de-Gadagne, with Kermit consulting throughout the winemaking process. Similar to the Alsace Blanc, this is a wine whose make-up changes every year, though Grenache always comprises most of the blend. This vintage, there is a significant proportion of Syrah to provide backbone and savory characteristics as well as small amounts of Marselan (a crossing of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache) to bolster its acidity.

To make this wine, Jean-François employs a number of traditional and “natural” methods, using only native yeasts and fermenting in open-topped cement tanks. Once fermented dry, the wine is racked to cement vessels for a few months, after which, at Kermit’s insistence, it is bottled unfixed and unfiltered.