I often get asked how we find the wines featured on these email offers. It’s complicated. Just because we like a bottle of wine out of the many that come through our door to try, that is only one of the criteria we use to feature. First, there must be enough inventory at the distributor for us to draw on. Most wines we like have local inventories of less than 20 cases; we need around 50 cases to satisfy our customer base. Then we are looking for a reasonable price on the wine, and there are many reasons why we can get that, because of the volume of the purchase, end of vintage, label change, and a host of others. Oftentimes, the offers come to us because we are one the few stores that can take a 50+ cases drop, sell it in a week, and move on to the next wine. Unlike most stores that buy it, stack it, and wait for it to sell in a few months. The other criteria we look for is the wine has a sense of place and a good story. We do not write about tank farms, mass-produced wines that are lifeless, and what can only be described as plonk. Ok, I did it once and deeply regret it. Not to say we don’t carry those types of wines, and we sell a lot of them, but they are, to me, uninteresting.

One day, I was sitting in my office, sharpening my pencils (actually, I don’t have any pencils in my office, but I do have a pencil sharpener should that day come) when I got a call from Tim, our wine manager, saying I should come down and taste this wine. Now. He had a series of wines being presented to him, but the one he wanted me to try and thought was very special was this Cotes du Rhone from Domaine Solitude. I tried it and agreed it was great, and upon further prying, the distributor had plenty of inventory, great write-ups, and an excellent price for us to sell it at $11 a bottle. But the hits did not stop there. It comes packed in a very nice wooden case along with a $30 Mail-in-Rebate on a case purchase, bringing the cost of this great Cotes du Rhone to $8.50 a bottle. This was making my job too easy.

The Lançon family, owners of Domaine de la Solitude, descend directly from the 12th Century Barberini family of Rome. They reigned in Rome for two decades. Maffeo Barberini was elected Pope Urban VIII and went on to appoint his family members to the most senior positions at the Vatican, such as cardinals, and Prefect of Rome, making the Barberini family rich and powerful while creating enemies in the Roman Nobility. When Pope Urban VIII died in 1644, the Barberini family was forced to flee Rome and made their way to  Avignon, the home of Chateauneuf du Pape, the summer home of the papacy. Helen Barberinin married Claude Martin, owner of the vineyard “La Solitude.” Fast forward to the 1980s, brothers Michel and Jean Lancon took over as the eighth-generation owners of the Domaine de la Solitude, focusing attention on the neglected vineyards. Over the past several years, Michel’s son Florent Lançon has taken over the day-to-day operations of Domaine de la Solitude, continuing to make improvements while preserving the traditions of his father and uncle. The Estate is a contiguous 100 acres, planted to 86 acres of red grapes and 14.8 acres of white grapes, with vines averaging 50 years of age.

The grapes used to make this wine are grown in the stony, limestone, and clay terroirs typical of the southern Rhône Valley. It is a blend of three emblematic varietals: Grenache noir, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. The destemmed grapes are vinified in concrete vats and then aged in concrete and stainless-steel vats for a year. The wine is a beautiful ruby-red color with an intense nose of red berries and spices. It is supple and generous on the palate with a very fine and elegant tannic structure.

50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault, 5% Counoise, Terret, Muscardin, Vaccarèse

Tons of black cherry and ripe-blackberry fruit, but not a jot overripe. This is a bold and substantial wine for the appellation, thanks to the healthy dose of soft tannin. Plenty of star of anise and spice, plus a hint of tar at the long finish. Carries 14% alcohol effortlessly! A GSM blend of 50% grenache, 40% syrah and 10% Mourvèdre. Drink now. James Suckling 92 pts



Delivers crushed red currant and cherry coulis that show nice focus and purity, edged in graphite with a liberal dusting of white and black pepper. The silky palate is marked by dusty granite and earth, with a whiff of smoke and earth and fine tannins that frame the finish. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2028. Wine Spectator 89 pts

Domaine de la Solitude Cotes Du Rhone Red 2020 

As mentioned before, we really liked this wine when we initially tried it. But to get the proper descriptive adjectives, we need to try it again because that’s our job. The color was a dark garnet color. The wine has an earthy fruity nose, loganberries, and blackberries. Medium weight on the palate, lush fruit, blackberry, strawberry rhubarb pie, sweat black bean, and some black olive with a very long dark cherry finish. Medium tannins balance the medium acids. At this price, it is a bargain for a great wine. To top it off, the wine is packed in one of the nicest wooden case I have ever seen. This is a wine you will want to own and share with good friends. 

Regular Price: $14.99

Internet Average: $17.00

*Sale Price is on 12 or more bottle purchase

Mail-in-Rebate $30 on 12-bottle purchase

Final Cost is $8.50 after MIR

MIR is limited to one per household

Wine is packed in a premium wooden case

*Wine pricing for these wine promotions are held for two weeks after the email offer.

We can hold wines in unpaid reserves for two weeks to allow you time to pick up your wine. If it takes you longer than that to pick up your wines, give us a call, and we can process your wine and move it to paid reserves.

Place your order now with the store contacts above, while you've got all the information at your fingertips.

Cheers!

John Hannum,

Fine & Rare Wine Specialist

Attleboro

628 Washington St.

Norwood

942 Providence Hgwy.

Sturbridge

376 Main Street.

Swansea

207 Swansea Mall Dr.

Monday-Saturday

9AM to 9PM