Alain Jaume & Fils  Featured Wine Rating Reg Price Our Price You Save 2007 Clos de Sixte Lirac 92 RP $27.99 $24.99 Save $3 (11%) 12 bottles or more $22.99 Save $5 (18%) Free Shipping on 6 bottles or more! *Please see our shipping policy below.

The Clos de Sixte vineyard in Lirac The Top Echelon There were a lot of success stories in 2007 in the southern Rhone. In a vintage that many (Parker included) have called the best in 30 years, average producers made good wine. But, at the very top echelon, the wines weren't just good, they were monumental. We began tasting 2007s in barrel in the spring of 2008. We visited every top cellar that would receive us. Since that visit, two things have happened, and both help explain why a couple hundred cases of the extraordinary 2007 Clos de Sixte is being offered today on WineAccess. In May of 2008, the market was still strong, and almost everyone knew that the 2007s would receive raves from the international wine press. The growing season had been drawn out perfectly; the wines were black in color, with amazing density. Particularly when there was sufficient Mourvedre in the mix, the wines had excellent length. The most meticulous winegrowers, like the Jaume family at Grand Veneur in Chateauneuf, and their equally remarkable Clos de Sixte, had longstanding relationships with importers all over the world, every one of which appeared poised to grab as much as it could get. It's no wonder. When we first tasted the Jaume wines (before the Parker 92-97 point scores -- more on this later in the week!), we found ourselves in front of an incredible lineup of lush, mouth-filling old-vine cuvees. But the first wine in the tasting -- preceding some jaw-dropping Chateauneufs -- was this 2007 Clos de Sixte Lirac from the sandy soils of the wind-swept plateau just 10 kilometers south of Chateauneuf. This was a wonderfully hedonistic bottling with a surprisingly firm finish (due to a healthy dollop of perfectly ripe Mourvedre). The product of some of the most meticulous organic farming practices in Chateauneuf and Lirac, Clos de Sixte was simply exquisite. There wasn't only explosive ripeness, but a clear sense of the incredibly clean, tight bunches that were harvested in this incomparable vintage. We waited, and as we waited (keeping close touch with the winery through its importer), two things happened. The US market softened -- as did almost every other significant market in the world. In the interim, WineAccess grew, and finally last week, we got the call we never expected to get. Did we want the last 200 cases of Clos de Sixte 2007? Are you kidding? If you think you've already stocked up on enough 2007 wines from the southern Rhone, think again. If you can get your hands on wines of the top echelon for less than $25/bottle, buy all you can get. It's better than waiting another 30 years. Just $22.99/bottle on cases. Free shipping on 6. Tasting Notes 2007 Alain Jaume & Fils Clos de Sixte Lirac "A brilliant effort, the 2007 Lirac Clos de Sixte is composed of 50% Grenache and the rest Syrah with some Mourvedre. It is a rich, full-bodied, dense purple-colored Lirac offering sweet blueberry and blackberry fruit as well as hints of smoky oak, pepper, and herbs. Both vintages should evolve nicely for 5-7 years." 92 points -- Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

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