2017 Chateau des Roques Cuvee du Chateau Vacqueyras 750 ml

Just three months ago, in a piece highlighting the incredible run of recent vintages in the Southern Rhône, Vinous’ Josh Raynolds snuck in a nugget of wisdom for savvy buyers and Rhône lovers alike: “Vacqueyras and its wines continue to fly under the radar...there’s never been a better time to explore this still underrated (and, happily, in most cases underpriced) appellation, whose wines, at their best, can rival top-notch Gigondas and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.” 

Case in point: the 2017 Château des Roques Vacqueyras, a 92-point “beauty,” boasting “rocking aromatics,” and making good on Raynolds’ promise with a $23 price tag. 

We all need this wine in our lives. The old-vine 2017 Château des Roques Vacqueyras delivers sun-kissed concentration and a lavish bouquet of crushed black raspberry and black cherry fruit etched with garrigue and spice. 

As Decanter wrote in its review, “The acidity runs through it like an electricity cable, and it has a real sense of harmony and purity.” In a blind tasting Château des Roques could pass for a top-tier Châteauneuf-du-Pape, yet it goes the distance for a mere $23.

With a lightspeed sellout of the 2015 vintage already on the books, the 2017 is poised to disappear even faster, so don’t miss this Rhône value.

Leading the way in Vacqueyras, Château des Roques is set in the shadow of hundred-year-old plantain trees on a 93-acre estate perched above the bustling little village that gives the region its name. Just 12 miles from the galets roulés moonscape of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the soils here share much the same composition—large cailloux (pebbles) blanketing a light, fine mix of limestone and clay—lending vibrancy and freshness to this plump Southern Rhône red. 

Firmly situated in the modernist camp, owner Corine Seroul and winemaker André Fregière pushed the envelope on maturity in 2017, abetted by the vintage’s ample sunshine, all while lowering yields. The handpicked 40-year-old vines gave just a few tons per acre by the end of harvest, with Grenache lending a deep opulence, Syrah adding ethereal floral notes, and old-vine Mourvèdre providing muscle. Aged in large tanks as well as demi-muids to preserve freshness and purity of fruit, the seamless blend is currently bursting with richness and ambition. 

As Raynolds wrote for Vinous, the time is now for Vacqueyras. Though it remains under the radar, it won’t for long. When the lid blows off, Château des Roques will be a long way away from its $23 price tag. Best to have a case or two in the cellar before then.