Domaine Gallety Côtes du Vivarais Rouge 2018

Domaine Gallety Côtes du Vivarais Rouge 2018

If the king of the southern Rhône—Grenache—married the queen of the northern Rhône—Syrah—and had a beautiful child that bore the best features of each, that prince would be Domaine Gallety’s red Côtes du Vivarais.

Here, in the small commune of Saint-Montan, halfway between Cornas and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Alain Gallety and his son David-Alexandre grow Syrah and Grenache and craft this rouge with equal parts of each. Syrah’s savoriness and notes of pepper, together with Grenache’s stoniness, are balanced by an open-knit structure and ripe juiciness that make this wine ready to drink today.

Because Côtes du Vivarais is less well known than the storied appellations of the North and the South, this red stands among France’s best values. Pair it with grilled meat, roasted eggplant, or Chris Lee’s Tomato and Cantal Cheese Galette for a sublime match.