Domaine des Gravennes Cotes du Rhone

Domaine des Gravennes Côtes du Rhône is a Southern Rhône red that splits equally between Grenache and Syrah, a blend ratio that puts both varieties on equal footing rather than leaning hard into Grenache's jammy ripeness. The wine comes from a family estate in the Côtes du Rhône appellation where four generations of work have refined vineyard management and cellar technique to produce a classic expression of the region's terroir. This is the kind of wine that exists to remind you why the Rhône Valley became famous—no ego, no extraction, just clean fruit and structure. The Gravennes family has been farming vineyards in the southern Rhône for over a century, working the garrigue-studded hillsides where limestone and clay soils anchor the vines and the Mediterranean climate delivers long, warm growing seasons. Grenache brings weight and red fruit to the blend, while Syrah contributes structure, spice, and darker tones. The fifty-fifty split is intentional—it keeps the wine from tipping into either variety's extreme, so you get Grenache's silky texture without losing the backbone that Syrah provides. The approach here is traditional: hand-harvested fruit, fermentation in stainless steel or concrete to preserve terroir, and aging that emphasizes balance over oak. The wine smells of red plum, brambly dark fruit, black pepper, and herbes de Provence—the kind of aromatic profile that Southern Rhône does better than almost anywhere else. On the palate, it's silky and smooth with firm tannins that hold the fruit in check, finishing with a vibrant lift that keeps each sip from feeling heavy. This is a wine for roasted lamb with rosemary, grilled sausages, or a simple beef daube with olives and tomatoes. It's also the kind of bottle that works just as well on a Tuesday with a roast chicken as it does at a weekend dinner party. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.