The Cellar: Great Finds from France’s Rhone Valley
Friday, May 20, 2011
For the longest time Rhône Valley wines were considered the ‘blue collar’ wines of France, especially when compared to the delicate wines of Burgundy or the Big Boys from Bordeaux. Rhône wines were considered ‘the people’s wine’ - cheaper, simpler and less expressive.
This perception has changed over the years and while great value remains readily available in the Rhône, the Valley produces its fair share of high-end, collectible and age-worthy wines - in the northern Rhône as well as in the south. Join us as we explore some of what the Rhône has to offer.
2009 M. Chapoutier Cotes du Rhône Belleruche Blanc
Michel Chapoutier is one of the most highly respected winemakers in France. Since taking over the family business in 1990, he has transformed the winery into what many believe is one of the leading Rhône Valley
producers. He would make history when he became the region’s first common grape grower to actually make wine from his own fruit, a practice that had previously been reserved for the French elite.GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
Red and white wines labeled simply ‘Cotes du Rhône’ are almost always blends. Typically the grapes in these blends are sourced from growers all over the Rhône, and not anywhere specific. The whites are usually blends containing Viognier, Rousanne, Marsanne or Grenache Blanc as a principal grape, but can consist of a dozen others. The 2009 Belleruche Blanc is a Grenache Blanc-based wine but contains considerable amounts of Clairette and Bourboulenc. While the Grenache Blanc gives the wine its softness and medium body, the Clairette adds a certain muskiness along with hints of sweetness, which is offset by Bourboulenc’s green apples and citrus notes. The perfumed aromas you will detect in this wine are the Bourboulenc grape speaking to you. (B)
2008 Les Lauzeraies, Tavel, Rosé
Stylistically, the Rhône is one of France’s more diverse wine regions, offering wines made of more than 20 different grapes; from light whites to heavy reds, fortified wines and sparkling wines, but in the tiny, sleepy
village of Tavel it’s all about Rosé wines. Forget everything about the flimsy and sweet, mass-produced white Zinfandel wines of California. Rosés from Tavel are known for being dry, rugged and robust with solid spice and red berries.
Nine grapes, red and white, are grown in Tavel and the traditional method that makes these wines involves crushing the white grapes in a tank with the weight of the red grapes, letting the contact between the white grapes’ juices and the skins of the red grapes add color. The 2008 Les Lauzeraies from the Vignerons de Tavel wine cooperative is a Grenache, Cinsault, Clairette and Syrah blend. Imagine what spicy strawberries would smell like if there were such a thing, and you can imagine the aromas I am getting. This wine has great mouth-feel. It’s well-balanced with fruits and spice, but also with an herbal and earthy notes on a long finish. (B+)
2007 Domaine de Vieux Lazaret Châteauneuf-du-Pape
For this week’s third and final wine I had to take a small step outside our normal price range of under $20 and into the $25-$35 category, because no review of wines from the Rhône would be complete without
highlighting at least one of Rhône’s landmark appellations, in this case my favorite: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Châteauneuf-du-Pape roughly translates into ‘the Popes new home’ and refers to when the Papacy moved to Avignon, however briefly, in the 14th century. Thirteen grapes are allowed in this appellation with the primary grapes being Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre.
All the grapes used in making this wine are grown on the 250-acre vineyard ‘Domaine de Vieux Lazaret’, an area of land on which an 18th-century hospice run by a silent order of monks once stood. The intensity and concentration in this wine, along side its (already) well-integrated acidity, is undeniable and is what makes this wine capable of aging and gaining complexities for another decade, should you have the patience. But after being decanted this wine drinks nicely now. The bouquet displays mostly red fruit, but also dark fruit and a solid dose of a smoky element. It’s a dry wine; smooth and delicious. This is a keeper and The Cellar’s first solid A!
Enjoy!
If you have any wine-related questions, comments or concerns feel free to contact Steffen Rasch by emailing [email protected]. And as always, don’t forget to follow GoLocalProv’s Wine Cellar on Facebook.
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