Clos du Mont-Olivet - Montueil la Levade (2007) - 18.5/20

I'm a big Rhone fan - and of course Chateauneuf-du-pape is a wonderful appellation, but the prices on CNdP are rocketing up, and I'm always on the lookout for a more budget concious alternative that still delivers the taste.

This Cotes du Rhone wine may be it. 

80% old vines Grenache, 5% Syrah, 15% Carignan
Alcohol : 14.0%
My Rating : 18.5/20 - Four and a half stars.

This wine has a rich, licorice, fruity, spicy flavour, and wonderful deep purple hue, and a very complex nose offering hints of citrus, lavender and of course wonderful rich red fruit.

It's 80% grenache, but all "Vieilles Vignes" giving a depth and complexity that only comes from advancing ages, with the grenache planting having an average of 40 years in the terroir.

Surprisingly this wine is 100% tank aged and fermented and to have all this spice without foudre wood barrel aging says volumes about the quality of the fruit from 2007 - a fantastic vintage for Southern Rhone.

Produced by Clos Du Mont-Olivet and obviously a second tier wine behind their CNdP range, this Cotes du Rhone is imported into New Zealand by John of Truffle Imports of Wellington (he does mail order), and it is retailing for around NZ$35 a bottle.

Frankly it has a taste and intensity that puts many weaker CNdP producers to shame and this wine is a fantastically priced alternative to Chateauneuf du Pape. Get it while it lasts.