Southern Rhone Wines

A “Rhone Renaissance” wine tasting at the French Embassy in Washington recently featured fine wines from throughout the Northern and Southern Rhone. This column treats those from the Southern Rhone.

While we were tasting the wines, Pope Benedict XVI was visiting Washington. Therefore, we must start with Chateauneuf du Pape! This storied southern Rhone appellation takes its name from the removal of the papacy to Avignon in the fourteenth century. Chateauneuf du Pape became the papal summer residence, and there the vineyards grow today. The region has long produced sturdy, flavorful wines, and the appellation was formally created in 1936.

For the red wines, up to 13 grape varieties may be used, but there are no minimum requirements. Some fine white Chateauneuf du Pape wines are also made, and perhaps more will ensue if the current demand meets expectations. The reds have had a string of fine vintages, including 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2005, with 2004 not too far behind. Although 2003 was a hard vintage throughout France, owing to extreme heat, I am persuaded that in Chateauneuf du Pape, the vintage was a success. There, old vines sought needed water deep below the ground The white wines are flavorful, substantial wines and contrary to popular belief, age well.

It was a pleasure tasting the Perrin wines. Their flagship Château Beaucastel is regarded by many as the finest Chateauneuf du Pape. It may be the only CDP that still uses all 13 permitted grapes, although most of them are in trace quantities only. We here tasted their second CDP, “Les Sinards” Rouge 2005, which is made from grapes grown from younger vines in the classified CDP area. For that reason, “Les Sinards” also merits the CDP appellation and the trademark papal arms etched on the bottle. The grape varieties used are 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and 15% Mourvedre. This wine was deep and satisfying, as good I think as many first wines from the region (list price $40.99).

Then came the surprise of the tasting. We now have a CDP “Les Sinards” Blanc. It is not from the same vineyard as the Beaucastel CDP Vieille Vignes Blanc (which now retails for over $100 a bottle). That rarity is produced, just 1000 cases a year, from a 7 acre vineyard, from vines that are at least 75 years old. The “Les Sinards” Blanc 2005 is grown from a 2.5 acre vineyard located within the actual enclosure around the historical papal palace. Made from 70% Grenache Blanc and 30% Clairette, tasting a hint of apricot or peach, with a refreshing minerality like a properly made Chablis, this pale golden wine was stunning. The 2005, a wonderful vintage, is the first vintage for “Les Sinards” Blanc ($34.99). Only 250 cases were made.

Beaucastel’s Condoulet de Beaucastel Rouge 2005 ($32.99) is made from Perrin property adjoining their Beaucastel CDP classified region. So you are getting with this wine some approximation of the grand vin at a fraction of the price. This wine was very smooth and good, and is made from 30% grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 20% Syrah, and 20% Cinsault. I also liked the Condoulet Blanc 2005 ($44.99), which was very good, but lacking in the finesse which I have tasted in both the Beaucastel CDP Blanc and their 2005 “Les Sinards” Blanc. It is, however, a rounded and rather floral wine which pleases, and would go very well with sturdy fish or white meats where some body in the wine is preferred.

The Perrin brothers also showed several other wines from the Southen Rhone. I asked about this. Wasn’t there some danger of spreading their skills a bit thin? The answer was reassuring. “The Perrins like to do small plots and do them well.” Who could argue with that?

Their organic Domaine Perrin Nature Organic Cotes du Rhone Rouge 2006 comes from a single vineyard not far from Vinsobres in the Southern Rhone. It was full-bodied and interesting, with very spicy notes, and for that reason is said to go well with Mediterranean foods, such as zucchini, eggplant, olives, garlic. And at $11.99 a bottle, you are doing your bit to encourage organic wine growing! The Domaine Perrin Vinsobres Les Cornuds Rouge 2006 ($17.99), 50% Syrah and 50% Grenache, was rather peppery (from the Syrah), and would go very well with lightly seasoned food (don’t overdo it, due to the spicy flavors already present in the wine).

Perrin’s Reserve Cotes du Rhone Rosé 2006 ($9.99) was full bodied and flavorful, avoiding the sweetness that too often makes rosé wines unpalatable. The wine is produced, not by the blending of white and red together, but by the saignée, or “bleeding” of just crushed dark-skinned grapes. The varieties used are Cinsault 60%, Syrah 20%, Grenache 15%, and 5% Mourvedre. This is the rosé wine to serve when you want good quality and no fuss with your summer barbequed pork or burgers.

E. Guigal’s CDP 2003 was very good. Their technique in that difficult vintage was said to be heavy pruning, with only perfect grapes used, overripe ones carefully discarded. Their Cotes du Rhone Rouge 2004 ($13.99) is a very good vin de table, which would go very well with pork roast, or perhaps thin cut steaks on the grill. There is an ocean of Cotes du Rhone – why not spend a little more and get a good wine that you and your friends will savor? The E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2006 (also $13.99) was smooth, and a step beyond ordinary Cotes du Rhone Blanc. It would go very nicely with scallops.

The Kacher selection Font Michelle CDP 2004 ($39.99) was OK, but rather peppery (from Syrah grapes?). Perhaps that was the bottle. We served this CDP to accompany a cassoulet dinner at home a few days later, and it was rounded, medium deep without harsh tannins, a clear success. Their Ogier Viognier 2006 ($36.99), a flowery white wine was on the light side and somewhat acidic. Clearly it needs some time in the bottle to reach its taste plateau. The Santa Duc Gigondas 2005 ($40.99) had a very nice nose and was full of flavor, somewhat tannic at this youthful stage, a keeper wine.

William Harrison Imports Vignerons de Venise Rouge, La Chapelle 2005 ($10.99) was plonk, nothing special. Don’t waste your money. On the other hand, the Vignerons de Beaumes de Venise, Muscat Beaumes de Venise ($21.99, half bottles also available) was a revelation. This is a Southern Rhone appellation to get to know, if your taste runs to deep, rich red wines. Here, the Black Grenache grapes are at least 90% of the wine. It struck me as even deeper than many Chateauneuf du Pape wines! Then came a stunner, the Tardieu-Laurent CDP Cuvee Speciale 2004 ($65.99). It was very rich and expressive, an excellent CDP. Again we see that there are layers of complexity, and special cuvées, in fine CDP wines. This was exceptional.

From the Château du Trignon I enjoyed a very flavorful Cotes du Rhone Rouge 2006 ($16.99), pricey perhaps, but very well made, not a “commercial” Cotes du Rhone. The Gigondas 2004 ($29.99) was a very nice wine, balanced with good fruit, although a bit spikey at present. The wine will evolve. The wine representative said that 2004 was a nice vintage, superior to the 2003, but that 2005 will be the preferred vintage for this area (as with many others). The Domaine Duclaux CDP Rouge 2000, a bargain at $32.99, is made from vines that are quite old, averaging 50 years, with long, slow maturation. For history buffs, the Duclaux family has produced leaders for the region since the seventeenth century.

The Domaine du Vieux Lazaret is the largest estate in Chateauneuf du Pape, covering over 250 acres. Their CDP Rouge 2005 ($31.99) was very smooth, an excellent wine, with deep colors and fruits, from a benchmark vintage. It is a blend of 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and traces of the other eleven permitted grapes. The Vieux Lazaret CDP Blanc 2006 ($31.99) was a fine, fresh dry white wine, which will ripen and deepen as it matures. I was told that much of the flavor comes from the Roussane grape. Although it is just 5% of the blend, the other grapes used are said to be more taste neutral, adding body and complexity perhaps, rather than flavor.

Rounding out my CDP tastings, I enjoyed the Chapoutier CDP La Bernardine 2005, which is 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah. It was very fine and rounded, and should be kept for 10 years to be at its best. Also worth special note was the Louis Bernard Gigondas 2004 ($22.99). Gigondas is about 15 miles from Chateauneuf du Pape, and was said by this exhibitor to be more like a red Burgundy than a CDP, altogether a “nobler” wine. An interesting point of view. I did find this wine to be rich and rather deep, with a nice flavor of cherries. Gigondas used to be used as a “booster” wine to prop up other varieties during weak vintages. Now that it is made on its own merits, there is a nice alternative for CDP admirers who want to explore a bit and discover new quality wines.

Clearly, the wines of both regions of the Rhone valle are well worth your seeking out. They do seem to be well made, and for the moment, bargains compared to the stratsopheric prices that their cousins from Beaune or Margaux now routinely fetch. I hope these columns will enrich your enjoyment of these fine wines, which are flavorful and distinctive, and for the moment, not very well known.