You don’t see many varietally labeled bottles of this grape, which is usually utilized in small amounts as a blending element with the more common Rhone grapes. Joe Barton liked this vintage of the fruit so well that he obtained enough to bottle it on its own, and it’s a curiosity worth seeking out. It’s very approachable, with its interesting mix of cherry, toasty oak, vanilla, spice and complemented by notes of stems and oak char riding a soft mid palate through a blooming finish. How else will you learn what Counoise tastes like?
Barton Family, Paso Robles (Central Coast, California) Counoise 2014
By Rich Cook