Knocking on Heaven's Door

What's a little inflation to Châteauneuf-du-Pape?  Even as CdP prices rise closer to the heavens, devoted fans will find room in their wallets. 

But for everyone else, it’s a great time to consider alternatives to CdP from neighboring AOCs such as Vacqueyras. The quality has risen remarkably in Vacqueyras over the past decade and now, a $25 bottle of Vacqueryas can rival a $50 CdP.  

That’s actually what brought me to Fontaine du Clos. After looking for a CdP in a classic, “pre-Parker style” that punched above its weight, and finding none, I moved on to Vacqueryas and found a winner in Fontaine du Clos. 

Fontaine du Clos is headed by 5th generation Céline and Jean-François Barnier. The husband and wife team embrace the light-touch ethos (organic farming, vinifying with native yeasts, aging in concrete or neutral barrels) that highlights their rocky terroirs in the foothills of Mt. Ventoux. And it works--their wines have all the wonderful Provençal markers in a finessed frame that is textbook Vacqueyras. The style is elegant and food-friendly, which resonates with younger generations of wine drinkers (including the Barniers and their friends). 

Reviewers are taking note too -- the wines are among the best in the category in recent reviews, including Jeb Dunnuck, Hachette and Jancis Robinson.

We recently brought in Fontaine du Clos’s red and white Vacqueyras duo called Reflets de L'âme, “reflections of the soul” and their higher-end Vacqueyras Rouge, Castillon.