2006 Domaine de Fondreche Cotes du Ventoux Rouge Cuvee Persia, Rhône, France

Parker, 92 points: “This is a beauty that is limited in production. Made from 90% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre, with two-thirds of it aged in small barrels and the rest in 600-liter demi-muids, the inky/purple 2006 Persia displays creme de cassis and blackberry, and oozes charm and succulence.”

Robert Kacher has worked with Young Sébastien Vincenti for over 15 years now. Bobby first met him while Sébastien worked for André Brunel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The core of this wine is from the 50 acres under vine at Domaine de Fondrèche located in the Ventoux. Sébastien has become a super-star in the Ventoux and is by anyone’s standards the top producer in the appellation. “Persia” is a wine made from 30-40 year-old Syrah vines with a splash of Mourvèdre. The wine is aged completely in barrels, varying from 300 liters to 228 liters. Persia requires 2-3 years aging from its release and can be kept for more than a decade. The wine is inky and displays brawny black fruit and earth with tremendous depth, complexity and length. Only about 800 cases are ever made.

From Kacher: “Fondreche is the reference point for what can be done in the Cotes du Ventoux. This is a source of sensational wines that still sell for incredibly fair prices, and virtually every one of these selections proves that you don’t have to drink luxury-priced Bordeaux, Burgundy, or Napa Cabernets to experience the multiple joys of wine.”