Direct-Import Rhône Bargains: Mas de Sainte-Croix from $12.99

2023 Mas de Sainte Croix "Délicatesse" Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc ($12.99)

92 points James Suckling: "This has the richness and textural complexity of a fancier appellation than Cotes-du-Rhone. Plenty of stone fruit aromas, with waxy and candied citrus complexity on the full-bodied palate. Fine chalky tannins give the long finish excellent balance A cuvee of marsanne and roussanne from a high-altitude vineyard with stony soil. (SP)" (04/2024)

Keith Mabry | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 06, 2025

Mostly Roussanne, this is a beautifully oily and mineral-laden white from the Rhône. Dried nectarine, yellow apple, touch of almond, this is light and refreshing yet wonderfully textured on the palate. This wine sums up, why we should be drinking more white Rhône wines.

2021 Mas de Sainte Croix "Passion d'Une Terre" Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Valréas ($13.99)

89-91 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Including plenty of Syrah, the 2021 Côtes Du Rhône Villages Valréas Passion D'Une Terre checks in as 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah. It has a darker, almost black-fruited style, with lots of peppery herbs, violets, bay leaf, and gamey notes, and it shows more red fruit and floral nuances with time in the glass. It's another elegant, pretty, beautifully balanced wine from this team that readers will love." (10/2023)

90 points James Suckling: "A well-executed blend of syrah and mourvedre delivering notes of currants, blueberries, dried herbs and bark. Full body with fine, firm tannins. Solid, focused and structured with a core of fruit at the center and a compact, precise finish." (04/2023)

Keith Mabry | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 06, 2025

This has been a perennial favorite for the last few years. From the northern part of the southern Rhône, the higher hillside vineyards project a cooler fruit tone in these reds that remind me more of the old-school wines of the region from two decades ago. Red raspberry fruit, tobacco, Asian spices make for a complex nose. The 2021 vintage shows elegant fine-grained tannins that make this a delightful wine on the palate. This wine is always a pleasure, glad to have it back in the stores!

2020 Mas de Sainte Croix "Pure" Grenache Côtes-du-Rhône ($24.99)

94 points Jeb Dunnuck: "My favorite from this estate was the 2020 Côtes du Rhône Villages Valréas Pure Grenache, a red and black-fruited, peppery, spicy, sandalwood-driven Grenache that has medium to full body, a charming, layered, graceful mouthfeel, and gorgeous tannins. This incredibly Provençal, satisfying, lengthy Grenache is well worth seeking out and should drink nicely through 2030." (03/2023)

93 points James Suckling: "Very complex nose with notes of graphite (very rare in this region!) and raw meat, plus hints of coffee bean and bitter chocolate. Seriously structured for this grape with excellent integration of plum and dried cherry fruit with oak and fruit tannins, plus a lively acidity. On the huge body you feel the alcohol (15%) slightly. A pure grenache that was matured in French oak for 12 months. (SP)" (05/2023)

2020 Mas de Sainte Croix "Pure" Syrah Côtes-du-Rhône ($24.99)

94 points James Suckling: "Brimming with wild blackberry fruit with notes of black pepper and bitter chocolate this is powerful and structured, but also remarkably fresh and bright. There is easily enough ripe fruit to carry the serious tannin structure that some may find slightly challenging in this context, but really excites us. A pure syrah that was matured for a year in French oak. Long, beautifully crafted finish. (SP)" (05/2023)

91 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Wonderful blue fruits, violets, candied cherries, and some background oak notes emerge from the 2020 Côtes du Rhône Villages Valréas Pure Syrah, a medium-bodied, ripe, nicely textured, balanced Syrah from the Southern Rhône. I like its tannins, and I suspect it will evolve for at least a decade." (03/2023)