Maison Bouachon has a long history in the Rhone Valley. It began as a cooperage for other wineries in the 19th century. The Bouachons family operated the winery for four generations until they sold it to another local family, the Skallis, in 2001.
The Skallis is one of the most interesting vigneron families in France. In 1920, Robert-Elie Skalli was a winemaker in Algeria. In the 1950s, he moved his family to France and acquired several more wineries. Now they have significant holdings in the Rhone, Provence, Languedoc, and Corsica. They also own the Napa winery St. Supery.
Full-bodied and densely tannic, this is an aggressively attractive wine. It offers great pleasure and layers of flavor—a lick of burnt cedar and rosewood on the nose, followed by notes of lavender and licorice. Ripe blackberry is married with the smoky elements of charcoal and roasting coffee. The finish is long and lingers beautifully.