I have sung the praises of the Saint Cosme CDR; a 100% Syrah with purity and elegance. I just got my hands on a 2004 Cotes du Rhone Les Deux Albions. It’s a step up in price from the regular CDR and a blend rather than 100% Syrah. (And it has a real cork instead of a synthetic one; it doesn’t matter to me. I’d actually like to see the regular CDR in screw cap.)

Here’s the skinny on this wine:

Based on fruit from Cairanne hillsides; 40% Syrah co-fermented with 10% Clairette and aged in wood; blended with 30% Grenache from Vinsobres, 10% Mourvedre and 10% Carignan and aged in cement vats. Not fined or filtered. Best decanted to allow its intense perfume to open.

It’s amazing how the CDR and the Deux Albions, although made from different grapes from different sites, still have that, uh, “Saint Cosme-ness.” That purity and elegance. Silky! Very nice wines. The Deux Albions is about a $19 wine, and I think will benefit from a few years of cellaring. Very nice, very, very nice.

And on a related note, I absolutely adore the labels Saint Cosme uses. I’m posting a pic of the Cote-Rotie label. I just love these wines. I want to try them all!!!