Les Deux Cols, Alizé, Cotes du Rhone 2020

€22.99

Buy Local!

This is a stunning French wine made by two Irish and one Frenchman!

This stylish Côtes du Rhône that is fresh, elegant, vibrant and long; more like a Burgundy in its execution, it has made many of us look again at what is possible from the Southern Rhone. Dark berry and fruit flavours with notes of fennel and licorice. This is a delicious wine year-round, but has to be one of the most perfect accompaniments to the cool Autumns, mild Winters and damp Springs that we have here. It's also good in the Summer...

This wine is very much an Irish project, made in the Northern Gard district of the southern Rhone valley. Established in 2012 by Simon Tyrrell and Charles Derain, the estate and partnership has increased over the decade since with the arrival of Gerard Maguire. Their vineyard holding now covers over four hectares in the coolest region on the Ardèche boarder. Planted on a variety of soil types based over a limestone substructure, featuring Loess, granite, clay and loam, the vines are, on average, grown at about 220 metres above sea level. These different terroirs allow for a wonderful array of character in the grapes planted there, which are Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault for the red and Roussanne for the white.

The wine is made using just under 10% whole bunches, which adds further to the freshness of the wine, with the rest of the grapes being destemmed before fermentation in concrete tanks. The fermentation is kept at about 25 degrees - not that low, but low enough to prevent any overly extracted baked flavours from developing. Almost all of the wine undergoes malo-lactic fermentation and is aged in used 228-litre French oak barrels for added structure and refinement.

Now, if you read that wine-making description to almost anyone in France and asked them where the wine was being made, they'd tell you it was Burgundy or maybe one of the red-producing Loire zones: that's how elegant and detailed the wines are.

It's not that they are better than the rest of the Rhone, it is that they are trying to make the best from the grapes and terroir that they have. As Simon once said to us, he wanted to make a wine that reminded him of the Rhone wines he used to drink in his early days of the wine trade: they were fruity, fresh and not tiring; you could drink them for a while, get up, do something else, and not feel flattened.

This is a rather spectacular over-achievement of that goal!

Region: Rhone Valley

Country: France

Grape(s): Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault

Style: Smooth, Refined, Organic, Medium Full, Elegant, Complex, Broad

Best food matches: Poultry, Lamb, Grills, Cheeses, Charcuterie, Casseroles, Beef

Alcohol: 14%

Why buy from us?

When you buy wine from The Allotment Wine Co. you're helping a small Irish company that in turn supports small, sustainable wine producers who grow the grapes and make amazing wines. We only work with partners who share a deep respect and connection with the land and its traditions, witnessed in a firm commitment to quality and sustainability. All of which makes for better wines.

Delivery & Returns

You'll get free delivery when you buy 12 x 75cl bottles of wine online from The Allotment, saving you €7.99.

We charge €7.99 per delivery for quantities less than that.

Our hours for processing orders are between 9am - 6pm Monday to Friday.

We pack your online wine order along the following timelines:

Wine orders for delivery in Dublin, received before 12pm on weekdays are prepared so that delivery should be expected the next working day.

Wine orders for nationwide delivery, received by 12pm on weekdays are prepared so that delivery should be expected two working days later.

Customer reviews

★★★★★
Great choice and excellent service. Received my delivery the next day.
Paul H.
★★★★★
Amazing service from the get go!
I emailed Chris looking for wine recommendations for a birthday gift. Got a really speedy, helpful reply and not only that but he hand delivered it on time to the birthday girl wishing her a happy birthday. Absolutely bowled over by the service. Cannot recommend highly enough.
Michelle McM.
★★★★★
Could not recommend The Allotment enough. The selection is fantastic and each wine that I've drank from them has been utterly phenomenal. Delivery was no hassle and I had the wine at my door in 2 days. Couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Luke B.
★★★★★
Good range of interesting wines. Good personal attention to their orders. Very customer focused. I would be happy to recommend this company to any prospective customer.
Jim D.
★★★★★
A great experience ordering from The Allotment Wine Company. A wide variety of wines to try something new and at good prices with super quick delivery! Really convenient too as opposed to trying to find parking!
N. Dowling
★★★★★
Delicious and interesting range of wines delivered promptly to my door. Not far off that lovely feeling of coming back laden from a good wine store but without any of the traffic or the worry of breaking the wine en route (very impressive travel wrap).
M. Dorman
★★★★★
Chris fields a fine range of excellent, keenly-priced wines. Orders are safely packaged and dispatched efficiently and promptly. Strongly recommended.
David M.
★★★★★
Great selection of wines, hassle free ordering, payment and delivery. Highly recommended.
Patrick H.
Hi, I'm Chris Gifford.

And you're very welcome to The Allotment Wine Co.

When you wine from me, you're supporting a small Irish business which in turn supports small, sustainable wine producers, as well as other small, dedicated Irish wine importers.

When selecting wines, I look for partners who share a deep respect and connection with the land and its traditions, witnessed in a firm commitment to quality and sustainability. All of which makes for better wines.