2018 Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône 750 ml

The last vintage of Saint Cosme was our most popular Côtes du Rhône of the year, and we simply couldn’t keep up with demand. Sultry and gorgeous right out of the gate, the 2018 is a masterclass in what can be achieved at this price point with the right talent behind it. 

The Saint Cosme is exploding with smoky, peppery layers of brambly fruit, dried lavender, and savory Kalamata olives, plus a structural crescendo that builds into a lingering finish. It’s enough to make you do a double-take to check you didn’t accidentally grab a top-scoring Châteauneuf-du-Pape from your cellar.

But one glance at the label and—oh, yeah—it’s Saint Cosme. As in Château de Saint Cosme, the consistent 100-point Southern Rhône benchmark that Wine Spectator dubbed the “reference-point estate for Gigondas, as well as one of the most dynamic estates in all of the Rhône Valley, south or north.” It only makes sense that even the estate’s humble Côtes du Rhône bottling would absolutely sing.

Wine Advocate consistently calls this red the Rhône’s “bargain superstar” and Wine Spectator has breathlessly praised it as “(belying) the AOC with its length and depth.” It’s one of the best values in the Rhône—and arguably in all of France.

Château de Saint Cosme has been in the hands of the Barruol family since 1570. Louis Barruol took over from his father in 1992 and according to Robert Parker, “has been at the top of his game since the late 1990s, and over the last few vintages, he has been making some of the finest wines in the southern Rhône as well as France.”

When Louis converted to biodynamics in 2010, he took centuries of accumulated vineyard expertise to its apex, and this Côtes du Rhône benefits from the same meticulous attention he pays to all of Saint Cosme’s holdings. Sourced from declassified cru fruit from vineyards in Vinsobres (a bit cooler, on limestone and sand) and Gard (warmer, on terraces of medium-to-large stones), the result is a wine that balances fresh vibrancy and plush generosity.

It goes without saying that Château de Saint Cosme has been THE producer to know in Gigondas for years now. Robert Parker has heralded its top wine as “one of the greatest Gigondas I have ever tasted”—bold words, as he frequently posits how top Gigondas can equal or even surpass Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône is the ultimate way to familiarize yourself with this landmark estate without spending a fortune. Don’t forget to stock up before it sells out—as many of you have reminded us over the last year, it will be a long wait for the next vintage.