2022 Crous Saint Martin Les Etriers Red Blend (Côtes du Rhône)
90 Points - Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
Warm garnet robe. Nose of ripe red fruits, which develops towards aromas of cedar. Fine and fleshy tannins, a very nice balance.
A savory nose intertwines with aromas of fresh plums and iodine in this wine. Mouth-coating acidity and plush tannins support dark fruits and provide a lengthy finish. Notes of freshly crushed plum, black currant, apple skin, and black olive on the palate lead into a subtle saline finish. Drink now. — Wine Enthusiast
The Vineyard
The grapes for Crous St Martin Côtes du Rhône ‘Les Etriers’ are grown primarily in Courthézon and South of Orange. The vineyard is on beautiful terroirs of sand and clays with few pebbles. The vines are 30-50 years old.
Specs
Vintage: 2022
Varietal: 65% Grenache, 35% Syrah
Appellation: Rhône Valley, France
Elaboration: Hand harvested. Aged 2-5 years after vintage prior to release.
Location: North-east of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation
An overnight blockbuster for us immediately upon arrival two vintages back, Crous St Martin is a collaboration between Rhone expert Harry Bosmans and Eric Bonnet of Domaine Bastide Saint Dominique. Harry is a household name amongst quality growers in the Rhone Valley and an invaluable resource thanks to his skill on both the production side and the sales side. Eric’s family has been growing grapes in the northeast corner of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation for three generations now, with 120 acres of vines in their name. Eric’s father began to make wines at Bastide Saint Dominique in 1980, quickly establishing the property as an elite player in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Eric, now 39 years old, spent his early winemaking years up North in Burgundy, and that influence still shows in the delicate balance he is able to achieve between power and detail.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
@davirom@tercerowines I had several family members use “me” and “us” instead of “I” and “we” in an email chain this week. Educated family members. Adults. Professionals. It made me scream.
I’m lucky enough to have received another express delivery from Casemates of a single bottle, and an email with the good news that I’ve been selected as an official lab rat! It’s always a treat to be entrusted with a review, and here we go.
I recall a recent rat using the Davis scoring system, and I thought this would be a good chance to play the copycat, so I’m using it as well for this Crous St. Martin 2022 “les Etriers” Côtes du Rhône rouge. And, please forgive me for failing to capture any pictures of the wine this time. I was not on top of my game when I opened this a couple days ago.
The first category in the Davis system is appearance: I’ll give this two points out of two. This wine is bright and not at all murky or dull. There is absolutely no sediment.
Next is color: again this gets both points, with its brilliant violet, or even claret color. It’s a little translucent, but dark enough you’d have to put it in a well-lit spot to see this.
On to the aroma & bouquet: well, here I’ll give it 50%; two of the four available points. Now I have in my notes that I noticed I was a little stuffed up the night I opened this, but I found it a bit shut down. The wine itself was also a bit chilly from the fridge, which can play a role here as well. Maybe a little from column A, and a little from column B. Anyway, there was perhaps a hint of flowers in the nose, some fruit behind that, but not a lot going on for me. The second day it had picked up a bit (again maybe that was my nose more than the wine), but I picked up a little burn from the alcohol behind the fruit, with a little less fruit, and no more floral notes at all.
There’s a category for volatile acidity? There is; and I’ll give this both points here. I perceive no vinegar in this wine at all.
As for total acidity, I will also give both points. It’s sharp with enough bite to keep the flavor bright.
On to sweetness & sugar: this is fruity, which can be perceived as sweetness sometimes, but I don’t get a sugary sweet here at all. This wine gets the one possible point here.
This wine has body: I found it full and rich the first night. The second day (here I should mention I did not put it in the fridge, just left on the countertop, capped but not recorked) it, uh, seemed to wither. It was much thinner in mouthfeel, and the alcohol stood out a bit more, I think. But I’ll give it the point here; the first night it was quite good.
Then the flavor: this is quite fruity, with big bright red berries. I’d guess this is a high proportion of Grenache, based on the flavor… and sure enough, the back label says 65%! The remainer is Syrah, which I do not get much dark fruit or smoke from in this wine. Again, on the second night this was not as big as it was on the first night. But still good. One of one point here.
Now for astringincy: the tannins here are not too big or bold, but lend a little spice, and I think blend well with the fruity flavor to give this a nice finish. I’m giving it both points.
The final category is general quality, the more subjective category. Well, I loved this wine on the first night, but was honestly a little disappointed on night two. Now, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t at all bad, just not as great as the previous night. I’ll give it one of the two available points.
I’ll admit I’m an amateur taster, but here’s your tally:
Appearance: 2
Color: 2
Aroma & bouquet: 2
Volatile acidity: 2
Total acidity: 2
Sweetness: 1
Body: 1
Flavor: 1
Astringency: 2
General Quality: 1
Total score: 16 of 20. Perhaps not outstanding, but plenty good.
The bottom line is that I, an avid appreciator of Rhône wines, but still an amateur taster, like this wine. I keep telling myself that I don’t have room for more wine, and yet at this price, it’s quite tempting. Perhaps I should suggest another split with other KC area mates?
But I might recommend you open this with friends and family to finish the bottle in one night. Or at least do a little more to preserve it overnight than just leave it out on the countertop, perhaps.
The aforementioned WE review:
90 points. A savory nose intertwines with aromas of fresh plums and iodine in this wine. Mouth-coating acidity and plush tannins support dark fruits and provide a lengthy finish. Notes of freshly crushed plum, black currant, apple skin and black olive on the palate lead into a subtle saline finish. Drink now. — Anna-Christina Cabrales 10/1/24
Side note, WE has price as $14. Not much other info. Producer website has little info. I did find a retailer selling this for $13.99
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Crous Saint Martin Les Etriers Red (Côtes du Rhône) - $30 = 16.66%
Sorry for being late to the party! I’m grateful for another chance to rat! And a French wine to boot!
PNP (no screwcap here) - I wasn’t able to get much besides alcohol on the nose. It seemed pretty tight.
Color was a deep purple. Blend is indeed 65% Grenache/ 35% Syrah.
Upon tasting, there was a nice acidity and the tannins seemed balanced, but I couldn’t get much of anything on the palate initially. After sitting in the glass for a bit, I was able to detect some dark fruit, plum, maybe some sour cherry, and maybe even hints of vanilla. It seemed to open up a bit after some time. But we will find out more on day 2…
Day 2 - Same tightness on initial pour, not much detectable on the nose besides alcohol. I’m starting to get some notes of blackberry or cherry. I let it sit for 20 minutes, or maybe just 10 and wow! What a difference! Now I’m getting the plum, some ripe red fruit, and even some bruised apple. It’s mellowed out significantly.
I was initially thinking this was a simple wine, but after day 2 it seemed much more layered and it was very enjoyable. I’d recommend it.
2022 Crous Saint Martin Les Etriers Red Blend (Côtes du Rhône)
90 Points - Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
The Vineyard
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $360/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Apr 14 - Thursday, Apr 17
2022 Crous Saint Martin Les Etriers Red (Côtes du Rhône)
4 bottles for $59.99 $15/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $149.99 $12.50/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Did someone say Rhone varieties?
@tercerowines Good one!
@tercerowines Larry, I deeply appreciate your correct use of “varieties” instead of “varietal”!
@klezman @tercerowines
Grammar police!
@davirom @tercerowines I had several family members use “me” and “us” instead of “I” and “we” in an email chain this week. Educated family members. Adults. Professionals. It made me scream.
@klezman @tercerowines Take a deep breath and have a glass of wine. Usually works for me
.
@davirom @klezman @tercerowines Yes. Him and me both agree on that.
@InFrom
@davirom @InFrom @tercerowines Well played!
Hello hello, 'mates!
I’m lucky enough to have received another express delivery from Casemates of a single bottle, and an email with the good news that I’ve been selected as an official lab rat! It’s always a treat to be entrusted with a review, and here we go.
I recall a recent rat using the Davis scoring system, and I thought this would be a good chance to play the copycat, so I’m using it as well for this Crous St. Martin 2022 “les Etriers” Côtes du Rhône rouge. And, please forgive me for failing to capture any pictures of the wine this time. I was not on top of my game when I opened this a couple days ago.
The first category in the Davis system is appearance: I’ll give this two points out of two. This wine is bright and not at all murky or dull. There is absolutely no sediment.
Next is color: again this gets both points, with its brilliant violet, or even claret color. It’s a little translucent, but dark enough you’d have to put it in a well-lit spot to see this.
On to the aroma & bouquet: well, here I’ll give it 50%; two of the four available points. Now I have in my notes that I noticed I was a little stuffed up the night I opened this, but I found it a bit shut down. The wine itself was also a bit chilly from the fridge, which can play a role here as well. Maybe a little from column A, and a little from column B. Anyway, there was perhaps a hint of flowers in the nose, some fruit behind that, but not a lot going on for me. The second day it had picked up a bit (again maybe that was my nose more than the wine), but I picked up a little burn from the alcohol behind the fruit, with a little less fruit, and no more floral notes at all.
There’s a category for volatile acidity? There is; and I’ll give this both points here. I perceive no vinegar in this wine at all.
As for total acidity, I will also give both points. It’s sharp with enough bite to keep the flavor bright.
On to sweetness & sugar: this is fruity, which can be perceived as sweetness sometimes, but I don’t get a sugary sweet here at all. This wine gets the one possible point here.
This wine has body: I found it full and rich the first night. The second day (here I should mention I did not put it in the fridge, just left on the countertop, capped but not recorked) it, uh, seemed to wither. It was much thinner in mouthfeel, and the alcohol stood out a bit more, I think. But I’ll give it the point here; the first night it was quite good.
Then the flavor: this is quite fruity, with big bright red berries. I’d guess this is a high proportion of Grenache, based on the flavor… and sure enough, the back label says 65%! The remainer is Syrah, which I do not get much dark fruit or smoke from in this wine. Again, on the second night this was not as big as it was on the first night. But still good. One of one point here.
Now for astringincy: the tannins here are not too big or bold, but lend a little spice, and I think blend well with the fruity flavor to give this a nice finish. I’m giving it both points.
The final category is general quality, the more subjective category. Well, I loved this wine on the first night, but was honestly a little disappointed on night two. Now, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t at all bad, just not as great as the previous night. I’ll give it one of the two available points.
I’ll admit I’m an amateur taster, but here’s your tally:
Total score: 16 of 20. Perhaps not outstanding, but plenty good.
The bottom line is that I, an avid appreciator of Rhône wines, but still an amateur taster, like this wine. I keep telling myself that I don’t have room for more wine, and yet at this price, it’s quite tempting. Perhaps I should suggest another split with other KC area mates?
But I might recommend you open this with friends and family to finish the bottle in one night. Or at least do a little more to preserve it overnight than just leave it out on the countertop, perhaps.
I think the specs above are incorrect: The specs above say this is a 50% Grenache, 50% Syrah blend, but the rat says it’s 65/35 (from the bottle).
@TimW Indeed.
@TimW Thanks, correction applied to the specs.
The aforementioned WE review:
90 points. A savory nose intertwines with aromas of fresh plums and iodine in this wine. Mouth-coating acidity and plush tannins support dark fruits and provide a lengthy finish. Notes of freshly crushed plum, black currant, apple skin and black olive on the palate lead into a subtle saline finish. Drink now. — Anna-Christina Cabrales 10/1/24
Side note, WE has price as $14. Not much other info. Producer website has little info. I did find a retailer selling this for $13.99
fwiw
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Crous Saint Martin Les Etriers Red (Côtes du Rhône) - $30 = 16.66%
Right up my alley!
/giphy gutteral-tame-cave
Sorry for being late to the party! I’m grateful for another chance to rat! And a French wine to boot!
PNP (no screwcap here) - I wasn’t able to get much besides alcohol on the nose. It seemed pretty tight.
Color was a deep purple. Blend is indeed 65% Grenache/ 35% Syrah.
Upon tasting, there was a nice acidity and the tannins seemed balanced, but I couldn’t get much of anything on the palate initially. After sitting in the glass for a bit, I was able to detect some dark fruit, plum, maybe some sour cherry, and maybe even hints of vanilla. It seemed to open up a bit after some time. But we will find out more on day 2…
Day 2 - Same tightness on initial pour, not much detectable on the nose besides alcohol. I’m starting to get some notes of blackberry or cherry. I let it sit for 20 minutes, or maybe just 10 and wow! What a difference! Now I’m getting the plum, some ripe red fruit, and even some bruised apple. It’s mellowed out significantly.
I was initially thinking this was a simple wine, but after day 2 it seemed much more layered and it was very enjoyable. I’d recommend it.