2017 Thunevin-Calvet "Cuvée Constance" Côtes du Roussillon-Villages

The 2017 Constance comes from a mix of Syrah and Grenache that was completely destemmed and brought up in tank. It’s another beautiful wine from this great winemaker and offers lots of black raspberries, garrigue, dried flowers, and savory earth and mineral aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, textured, and beautifully balanced, drink it anytime over the coming 5-6 years (it will probably keep longer). (7/2019)

A fresh, vivid red from Roussillon with crushed berries and light chocolate, as well as orange peel and lemon. Medium body, fine tannins and a clean finish. Grenache and carignan. Drink or hold. (1/2020)

It's hard to believe a Roussillon estate's entry-level wine can be this good. The 2017 Cuvee Constance shows some of Carignan's greenish side, but in this case, it just adds a bit of freshness and lift to the aromas of raspberries while bringing in hints of roses and tea leaves. It's medium to full-bodied with silky but firm tannins that suggest a few years of agreeability, plus plenty of length on the finish. (JC) (4/2019)

It is only fitting that the winemaking duo behind Thunevin-Calvet launched their project from a garage in an alley in the small village of Maury, considering that one of the owners is Jean-Luc Thunevin of Château Valandraud, the original garagiste winemaker of St-Émilion. Thunevin and partner Jean-Roger Calvet combined forces in 2001 and have slowly expanded this project from those humble beginnings to its now 65-hectare estate. The Cuvée Constance is just that - the Constant! It is the most reflective of the Roussillon style, composed of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan. It is brought up all in concrete tanks to preserve freshness and the purity of the fruit.