91 Jeb Dunnuck - The Rhone Report

"A blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Mourvedre, and 15% Syrah that is aged in neutral barrels, the 2011 Domaine les Grands Bois Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne Cuvée Maximilien is a knockout 2011 that is loaded with fruit and texture. Showing pure raspberry, blackberry, licorice, and smoked meat qualities, it hits the palate with a full-bodied, round, and layered texture that stays fresh and focused. Coming together beautifully on the finish, with good acidity and ripe tannin, this superb value should be enjoyed over the coming 4-6 years."

90+ Robert Parker - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

"A blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Mourvedre and 15% Syrah (aged in demi-muids and tank) from 12 to 50-year-old vines, the 2011 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne Cuvee Maximilien is another beauty, but slightly more closed, structured and muscular compared to the Cuvee Gabrielle. A big wine for a 2011 Cairanne, it displays lots of roasted herb, sandy, mushroom-like notes. This complex, Mediterranean-styled, medium to full-bodied Cairanne should be consumed over the next 4-5 years."

"Consistently one of my favorite estates in the Southern Rhone, Les Grands Bois produces Cotes du Rhones that consistently over-perform their appellation and modest prices. The four red wines are all from the 2011 vintage, which Jeb Dunnuck has already commented about in the Southern Rhone. It’s a charming, fruit-forward, evolved year that produced delicious, 'pop-and-pour' wines that are ideal for the current marketplace. It's a nice 'fill in' vintage while waiting for your bigger, richer, more structured and tannic 2010s to evolve, as well as the enormously concentrated, almost over-the-top 2007s to lose more baby fat."