Domaine de la Solitude

Many more than several years ago I had a good run with Chateauneuf du Pape and Domaine de la Solitude was among my favorites.  In fact, it was a Chateauneuef du Pape that was my first experience with a wine that made me stand back and be amazed at how good wine could be. That wine was a 1957 Paul Jaboulet Les Cedres.  A friend who was a wine merchant purchased an old cellar and there were several bottles of that wine in the mix.  I bought all three and drank them over the course of the next few years.  Old and faded notes tell me that the last one was consumed in 1980.

I fell out of love with Chateauneuf du Papes when their alcohol content and extraction  started soaring and I have only two left in the cellar.  The same thing happened to Cotes du Rhone in the last ten years.  Too many of them are too big for me now and some of their appeal is gone.

It has been quite some time since I saw a Domaine de la Solitude in this area and when I saw this 2010 Cotes du Rhone I had to bring one home and try it.  It made me very happy to find that it was not over the top in any way.  It was fresh, alive, moderate in both alcohol and flavors and was fantastic with a couple of grilled lamb chops.  Everything was in balance here - the fruit, the tannin, the acid.  It did not lend itself to introspection or deep thought, it just made the food taste better.  Good wine - good bargain.

2010 Domaine de la Solitude Cotes du Rhone.  14 % alcohol and $13.