2016 Domaine Gassier Lou Coucardie Costieres de Nimes Rouge 750 ml

Critic Jeb Dunnuck’s word on the Rhône Valley carries more weight than that of any other professional in the game. So when he lavishes a little-known estate with the kind of points and praise you’d expect him to heap on the icons of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it’s time to listen—and clear some cellar space.

“This wine just about maxes out the value scale,” Dunnuck said in his 95-point review of the 2016 Domaine Gassier Lou Coucardié Rouge,” a straight-up Châteauneuf-du-Pape ringer grown in one of the region’s greatest vintages this century. It’s powerful and seductive, and “shows why 2016 is such a great vintage in the southern Rhône Valley.”

Tasted blind, this opulent bottle would fool the best palate into believing it’s a Châteauneuf-du-Pape—because it’s made from classic Châteauneuf grapes from a terroir that looks like it was lifted from that pricey appellation.

The big difference? Gassier comes from the other bank of the Rhône. It’s one of the stars of the Costières de Nîmes appellation, and it’s rounding into form after a few years of age. Just past its sixth birthday, it’s powerful and seductive, with aromas of black plum with dark cherry, and a lush and expansive palate of dark fruit and spice.

Domaine Gassier’s vineyards are marked by nearly identical, gentle grades of ancient craggy vines and galets roulés—the smooth, unmistakable stones left by ancient glaciers—which are the distinguishing feature of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Located in the cooler southern portion of the Costières de Nîmes, the domaine’s unique terroir allows grapes to achieve a perfect synthesis of richness, texture, and brightness—making it easy to mistake Gassier wines for much more expensive bottles.