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2019 Famille Gourjon Chateau Font Barriele Les Vignes d’Heloise Costieres-de-Nimes

2019 Famille Gourjon Chateau Font Barriele Les Vignes d’Heloise Costieres-de-Nimes

Ok, this one is straight up a personal pick. There’s lots of words in the title above but the key ones are “Costieres-de-Nimes.” This is a great area of Rhone that is frequently overlooked, and I was pumped to see one of these bottles hit Costco stores, potentially for the first time that we’ve ever seen.

Costieres-de-Nimes is best known for its red and rose wines, although a tiny amount of white wine is also produced there. The red varietals are primarily Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, which you would expect from a Rhone wine. This bottle is 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache.

Chateau Font Barriele

Costco’s price on this bottle was $13.99, which is fair for such a tasty wine, but users on Vivino reported an average purchase price of $12.99. So perhaps Costco is a little high on this one.

But that’s ok, it’s still a solid buy for Rhone fans, and others interested in trying what might be a new region for them. Note also on the placard that Decanter gave this wine 96 points, which is pretty wild and clearly really high, but a nice accolade nonetheless.

The wine pours a medium purple with dark fruit, spice and earth on the nose; it is medium plus in body with good acidity, finishes dry; flavors are a nice contrast of red and dark fruit led by black cherry, raspberry and blackberry; some dark chocolate and herbal notes closer to the finish.

Chateau Font Barriele

This is a nice presentation of the varietals, and a solid Rhone wine. Whether you’ve had wines from Costieres-de-Nimes before or this is your first one, this is a reminder not to forget about exploring this great region on your wine journey. Kudos to Costco for bringing this one in.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 points

Costco item number: 1649971

Alc 15% 

Don Donaldson

Monday 18th of April 2022

I saw this wine at the Raleigh Costco. I was intrigued because I love wines from the Rhone. It was lucious! I paired it with a recipe for Osso Buco we tried for the first time and it was perfect. The tannin were deliciously firm, with just the right hint of white pepper, leather, and a hint of lavender. For the price point, it was superb! Give it a try, you will love it!

Diane

Monday 30th of May 2022

@Don Donaldson,

Ken

Friday 1st of April 2022

WHAT!! No rating?? Can’t challenge that 96?

Tucker

Friday 1st of April 2022

@Ken, he rated it 88 look at the bottom

David

Thursday 31st of March 2022

Thanks for pointing this one out! I found it at my local Costco in Apex, NC yesterday and picked up a bottle, based on your article. I have not tried it yet though. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the KS Premier Cru Chablis!

simon

Wednesday 30th of March 2022

I think vivino prices include world-wide reports, so if this wine is sold in France, they are certainly paying much less for it. That is especially pronounced with Spanish wines.

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