Nirvana for Bold Wine Lovers: Domaine des Lises Equis, Crozes-Hermitage 2007 Northern Rhône

As a wine lover, sometimes you have an experience that is so otherworldly that you're transported just by inhaling what's in your glass. It's rare, I know, but when it happens you feel like you've reached wine nirvana.

I've tasted good wines lately, but with the exception of the Kaiken Reserve Malbec, I haven't even approached this heavenly level of sensory delight in months...until I had the Domaine des Lises Equis 2007 Crozes-Hermitage. This may be the best Syrah I've ever had and at $22 it is one of the most intense, beautiful, complex, and utterly delicious wines I've experienced in this price range, period.

To give background, this wine is from the Northern Rhône Valley. The Rhône is split in two in a north/south fashion. The north grows mostly Syrah and has an inland climate (cold winters, hot summers, four seasons) and the south grows mostly Grenache and has a Mediterranean climate (temperate, not as many extremes in temperature).

Maybe my favorite piece of dork trivia about the Rhône is the name of the nasty, harsh wind that blows from the north and can ruin a harvest if the grapes aren't protected. It's called the Mistral. Apparently it's so strong it can blow away pollution from the skies and it's said to bring good luck (probably because it dried the stagnant water lying around and made people less likely to contract horrific diseases back in the day!).

But back to the Northern Rhône...

Only about 10% of Rhône wines come from the northern strip, but it is the source of the most prestigious ones (of course, human nature -- if it's scare then it must be outrageously valuable). In fairness, they do have something to this claim, since people have been making Syrah-based fine wines since the 10th century in the towns of Côte Rotie and Hermitage. Most of the wine in the Northern Rhône is red from Syrah, but whites from the aromatic Viognier, Marsanne, and Rousanne are made too. Sometimes these varieties are blended with the Syrah, producing some amazingly fabulous and interesting stuff that you should try.

Moving to the wine in question, it's from Crozes-Hermitage. This is below the esteemed vineyards of Hermitage (higher elevation usually means higher quality wines, BTW) and it's the largest area of the Northern Rhône. What does that mean for quality? Huge variability, but also lower prices and more selection. A good wine from this region can be outstanding, with characteristics of the famous Hermitage wines but a little more subtle. If you find a good producer, you'll get one of the best bargains in French wines. In my shopping for client tasting I came across the Domaine des Lises Equis and I think I struck gold.

Here is the rundown:
The Wine: Domaine des Lises, Equis
Where It's From: Crozes-Hermitage, Northern Rhône, France
The Grapes: 100% Syrah
Vintage: 2007
Price: $22.00

Color: With a dark maroon center and brownish edges, this wine was very dark and stained the glass when I swirled it around. Pretty.

Smell: And here's where I kind of left the building and headed to nirvana. This wine was so aromatic and full of exotic spice that it reminded me of entering a Hindu temple on my trip to India a few years back. An intense aroma took me in. Piñon (a Southwestern pine tree -- it's kind of like warm, sweet pine sap), cardamom, tobacco, and clay-earth were striking. Violets, roses, potpourri, prunes, and dark ripe plums nearly overwhelmed my senses, but in a hedonistic, all-pleasure way.

Taste: To call this wine complex does not begin to scratch the surface. The taste was more delicate than the smell, but still the exotic, rich, Chai tea, cardamom essence was prevalent. There was a distinct mineral quality that tasted like dirty rocks, which I just loved. All this lived on top of huge fruit flavors. Overripe black plum, dried cherry, raisins, prunes, blueberry, and even a little blood orange flavor were in the mix. Nutmeg, clove, pepper, savory spices -- the layers just kept coming. This was unlike any Syrah I've tasted, with a honeyed character and not much horsey-ness or leather, which I usually associate with the grape.

The texture was unique too. The tannins were noticeable but not mouth-puckering or drying. The blockbuster on this wine was the acidity. If someone described the flavors and textures to me, I would think it was gross, but somehow there was an amazing balance between the acidity and the bold spiciness.

Food: This wine needs big food or spicy food. Tradition says grilled or braised meats with Syrah, so I'm sure that will do. I personally will take mine with Indian food, thank you very much. A complementing wine pairing can be delicious and this bottle with some baigan bharta, korma, malai kofta, or zeera aloo is it for me.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Domaine des Lises Equis is made by Maxime Graillot, the son of Alain Graillot, a famous Crozes-Hermitage producer. Clearly it's in the blood, because this wine is outstanding. Maxime's plots are less prestigious than his father's but he makes up for what he lacks in perfect grapes through perfect handling of them in his winemaking. Clearly, I say drink. However, as a caution, if you don't like bold, acidic, spicy, complex wines this ain't the wine for you!

Note: This wine was just reviewed by Jamie Goode, who has an outstanding blog, Wine Anorak. Here's the link if you're curious to see his take: http://www.wineanorak.com/blog/2010_02_01_archive.html