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Posts Tagged ‘Rhône

MWG January 10th tasting (5/7): Three easy-drinking southern European reds

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Vino de la tierra de Castilla 2011, Bobal, Pedro Calabuig/Bodegas de Levante ($15.00, La QV, 12 bottles/case)
100% organically farmed old-vine Bobal. 12.5% ABV.
Spicy red plum and black raspberry, pepper, fresh ground beef, slate. Medium-bodied with a slightly velvety texture, supple, finely astringent tannins and brisk acidity. Earthy yet not without a certain elegance. Perhaps a tad less rich than the 2010 but every bit as drinkable. Food-friendly and excellent bang for the buck; the weekday wine par excellence. (Buy again? Multiples.)

Côtes du Rhône 2010, Petit Jo, Domaine de la Roche Buissière ($20.00, La QV, 12 bottles/case)
Natural. The estate has been certified organic (Ecocert) since 1980. All the wines are made with manually harvested grapes, fermented with indigenous yeasts, unfiltered, unfined. They contain no added sulphur and are vegan-friendly. The Petit Jo is a blend of Grenache (70%) and Syrah (30%). Nearly three-quarters of the wine is vinified like most Beaujolais, i.e. using carbonic maceration, to maximize the fruitiness.  13.5% ABV.
Attractive nose of fig, grape, turned earth, violet. Clean, sweet-and-sour fruit, a fluid texture, light tannins and bright acidity add up to a lip-smacking vin plaisir. Throw-backable in that tart and juicy way we love. (Buy again? Definitely.)

Côtes du Rhône 2010, Le Claux, Domaine de la Roche Buissière ($29.30, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
Natural. This 13.5% ABV wine is 100% Grenache, which surprises me since it has a very fresh, Syrah-like nose.
Red berries, animale, dried rose. More substantial and polished than the Petit Jo. Intensely fruity but dry. Peppery (like all good Grenache) with gleaming acidity, a fine if tight structure and good length. Perhaps a little on the pricey side but very satisfying. (Buy again? Yep.)

Written by carswell

January 28, 2013 at 17:41

MWG December 14th tasting (4/4): Cornas × 4

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The final flight featured three private-import Cornas from a young, up-and-coming producer with a decade-older bottle from another winemaker thrown in for comparison.

Farmed organically since 2001 and biodynamically since 2002, Domaine du Coulet is a 13-hectare estate run by 30-something Matthieu Barret, who says his aim is to make vins 100 % raisin (100% grape-driven wines). His Cornas vineyards are terraced and face southeast. The soil is mainly old, decomposed granite locally called gore. The vines are pruned to produce low yields (no more than 25 hl/ha). The harvested grapes are fed to the fermenting vats by gravity, with a single daily punching down of the cap. After fermentation (with indigenous yeasts), the must is gently pressed to avoid extracting hard tannins. The wines are allowed to clarify naturally, without filtration or fining. Barrels are large (400 or 500 litres) and neutral (having been used for at least eight vintages). Since 2006, a little less than a third of each wine is matured in egg-shaped concrete vats. Sulphur dioxide (a mere 2 g/hl) is added only at bottling and only for bottles that will be shipped.

Alain Voge has been growing grapes on his family’s farm since 1959. In Cornas, the 6.5 hectares of Syrah vines are rooted in decomposed granite. Harvest is manual and on a parcel-by-parcel basis. The grapes are destemmed, then fermented in small stainless steel vats, with daily or twice-daily punching down of the cap. The resulting wine is matured from 14 to 24 months in barrels.

Cornas 2009, Billes Noires, Domaine du Coulet ($108.00, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
Like all Cornas, 100% Syrah. The vines here are, on average, 55 years old and located at the top of the Arlettes slope. The grapes were fully destemmed before fermentation, which lasted two weeks. Clarified by settling, then twice-racked into barrels. Maturation lasted 24 months, 12 of which were in 10-year-old 500-litre barrels and 12 in vats. 5,500 bottles made.
Deep nose of slate, blueberry, char, smoke and a hint of rubber. Rich and chewy in the mouth, the texture poised between velvety and silky. Spellbinding tension between fruit and acidity with sleek tannins in a supporting role. Tangy, slatey finish. Long, balanced and complete if a little austere at this youthful stage. A beautiful bottle. (Buy again? If I were a rich man…)

Cornas 2010, Brise Caillou, Domaine du Coulet ($57.50, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
The estate’s entry-level Cornas, designed to be more immediately accessible than traditional Cornas (should peak at around four years of age, according to the winemaker). A blend of old- and young-vine Syrah from all the estate’s vineyards except the tops of the slopes. Maturated 13 months in 400-litre barrels and egg-shaped concrete vats. 8,000 bottles made.
Bright nose of red and blue berries, spice, animale, polished leather, earth. More understated on the palate. Soft, smooth texture. Fine, faintly astringent tannins and vibrant acidity. Long, graphite-edged finish. (Buy again? Yes.)

Cornas 2009, Les Terrasses du Serre, Domaine du Coulet ($81.00, La QV, 6 bottles/case; a very few bottles of the reportedly graceful and accessible 2007 are available at the SAQ for $78.75)
The Syrah is from vines averaging 45 years of age and grown in the Arlettes, Reynards and Patronne vineyards. Fully destemmed before fermentation, which lasted three weeks. Clarified by settling before transfer into barrels. No racking. Matured 15 months in six- to ten-year-old 400- and 500-litre barrels and 600-litre egg-shaped concrete vats. 10,000 bottles made.
Fruit tending more toward cassis, slate, a hint of marzipan. Singular – the closest thing to an odd man out in this flight. Medium-bodied. Velvety yet supple texture. Pure, intensely flavoured fruit. Crunchy acidity and round tannins. Lingering smoke, slate, blackberry. The driest of the three Coulets. Initially seemed more about the surface but gained depth with an hour in the glass, so it may be passing through a phase. (Buy again? Maybe, though if making the investment, I’d be tempted to throw in another $25 bucks for a Billes Noires.)

Cornas 1999, Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, Alain Voge ($55.00 in 2004; a few bottles of the 2007 are available at the SAQ for $67.50)
Made from manually harvested grapes from various hillside parcels. The vines are at least 30 years old and rooted in old, decomposed granite. Vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats, macerated four to five weeks, with daily punching down and pumping over. Matured 18 to 20 months in barrels, 20% new.
The most evolved and complex bouquet: forest floor, violet, animal, obsidian dust. Still vibrant, the dark fruit is tart and juicy, cloaked in tertiary flavours, pointed by fine acidity, underpinned by resolved tannins. Long, sourish finish. In a good place now. (Buy again? Moot but yes.)

A lovely flight. As a group, the Coulet wines were remarkable for the purity and clarity of their fruit. They’re also elegant, showing none of the chunkiness often associated with the appellation’s wines, especially in youth. At the tasting, it seemed to me their only downside was their relatively high prices. Yet in the days that followed, I found they had a rare length: I could – can – still taste them on my mind’s palate. Like only a very few wines, they’ve stayed with me – thinking about them causes my mouth to water – while in retrospect the Voge Vieilles Vignes seems less characterful and less memorable. So, I’m not so sure the Coulets are overpriced after all. And I’m convinced the estate is one to keep an eye on.

Written by carswell

January 17, 2013 at 13:09

MWG November 9th tasting: report (5/5)

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Vacqueyras 2009, Cuvée Azalaïs, Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux ($28.25, 11796420)
70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and Cinsault from 35- to 40-year-old vines, organically farmed but not yet certified as such (the 2010 vintage reportedly will be). Manually harvested. Destemmed. Fermented in concrete vats with native yeasts and daily pumping over. Matured a minimum of six months in large barrels. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. 14% ABV.
Plum, garrigue, spice. Fluid and nicely structured, with welcome acidity and fine tannins that linger through the finish. Initial salty plum and fig sweetened and deepened, with leather, minerals and licorice adding savour. Long. An excellent, terroir-driven Vacqueyras, about the best pairing imaginable for a garlic- and herb-scented leg of lamb. (Buy again? Yes.)

Naoussa 2009, Terre et Ciel, Domaine Thymiopoulos ($28.40, 11814368)
This 100% Xinomavro is a blend of organically farmed grapes from three parcels and 40- to 70-year-old vines. Fermented in stainless steel vats with native yeasts. Matured in a mix of Burgundy barrels, 20% new. Bottled unfiltered, unfined and with a small squirt of sulphur dioxide. The estate, which has been in the Thymiopoulos family for generations, used to sell its grapes to Boutari. Now-30-something Apostolo had other ideas: he attended wine school, stopped selling grapes, started making wines under his own name and began converting to biodynamic farming. 14.5% ABV.
We’re not in the Rhône Valley anymore, Toto: marked aromas of V8 juice, black raspberry jam, kirsch and menthol. Rich but not heavy fruit and a velvety mouth-feel. Dry. The initially raspy tannins soften as the wine breathes. Long, black cherry and earthy/slatey finish with spice notes. Not exactly my style but, along with its younger sibling, easily the best Xinomavro I’ve tasted. Will be interesting to see what some bottle age brings. (Buy again? If in the market for an exotically flavoured, fruit-forward but savoury and balanced wine, yes.)

Lirac 2010, La Dame Rousse, Domaine de la Mordorée ($22.00, 11690836)
A 50-50 blend of Grenache and Syrah from 40-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Destemmed and given a long maceration. Fermented for 30 days at 34ºC (93ºF). 14.5% ABV.
Leather, spice, plum and eventually kirsch. Started off well – dry, tannic, structured, ripe – but seemed to take on weight and flatten as it breathed. That heaviness and two-dimensionality together with the alcoholic heat made for a distinctly unrefreshing mouthful. Many people love Mordorée but I’m about ready to give up on it. (Buy again? No.)

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2009, Cuvée Réservée, Domaine du Pégau ($75.00, 11521354)
80% Grenache, 6% Syrah, 4% Mourvèdre and 10% other varieties permitted in the appellation. Manually harvested. Fermented with the stems for ten to 14 days with native yeasts and twice daily pumping over. Slowly pressed. Allowed to settle over the winter, then racked into old oak barrels. Blended just before bottling. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. 14% ABV.
Horsehair, garrigue, turned earth, hint of tar, savoury meat, black fruit. Rich, dense and very ripe yet quite acidic. Structured though the tannins are fine. Long with a little kirschy heat flaring on the finish. At this point early in its life, lacking cohesion and devoid of charm. Unlike the 1995, which was as approachable and seductive in its youth as it was a year ago, this bordered on galumphing. Obviously a thoroughbred and likely to evolve into something impressive. But Pégau used to be thought of as one of the more “feminine” Châteauneufs, and I have a hard time imagining anyone ever using that descriptor for this wine, even 15 or 20 years down the road. (Buy again? Probably not.)

Written by carswell

November 24, 2012 at 13:51

Don’t judge a wine by its label

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VDP des Collines Rhodaniennes 2010, Syrah, La Dernière Vigne, Pierre Gaillard ($21.25, 10678325)
100% Syrah from 35-year-old vines. Partially stemmed, then crushed. High-temperature fermentation with pumping over thrice daily. Matured 12 months in 20% new French oak barrels with racking every three months. 12.5% ABV.
Nose dominated by black pepper with blueberry and game in the background. Gains earth, cherry, coffee, slate and an herb-like freshness as it breathes. Medium-bodied, silky textured and well balanced. The pure fruit is shaped by supple tannins, firmed by a faint tartness. Clean finish. Setting aside the label (in competition for the world’s tackiest), if there’s a more amiable Syrah at this price point these days, I’ve not encountered it. As a simple, straightforward quaffer, this will do quite nicely.

Written by carswell

September 14, 2012 at 10:13

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MWG tasting with Jean-Paul Daumen

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Focused, well-spoken and charming Jean-Paul Daumen, the man in charge of the southern Rhône estate Domaine de la Vieille Julienne, was in town recently for a series of promotional events that included a tasting with the Mo’ Wine Group. And what a tasting it was: an overview of the estate’s red wines that featured a vertical of Châteauneuf-du-Papes the likes of which even Jean-Paul said he has rarely experienced. Many thanks to oenopole for making this happen.

Vieille Julienne was acquired by the Daumen family in 1905, who sold the grapes to négociants until 1960. After trying his hand at various vocations, including that of musician, Jean-Paul returned to the estate in 1990. Unaware of the budding organic and biodyanmic movements, he decided on his own to adopt a natural approach in the vineyard and a non-interventionist approach in the winery. The question “So, for you, a wine is made in the vineyard, not the cellar?” elicited a succinct “Absoluement.”

The estate comprises 10.5 ha of vines – 10 ha of black grapes and 0.5 ha of white – in the northern part of the Châteauneuf region. Most of the vines are old, upwards of 100 years in some cases. All the wines are made in essentially the same way: hand-picking and repeated sorting of grapes; partial destemming; temperature-controlled fermentation with indigenous yeasts; extended maceration; approximately 12 months’ aging in foudres and neutral barrels; no filtering or fining; sulphur added – and then minimally – only just before bottling.

Jean-Paul admits that the wines are, first and foremost, about fruit; that’s what nature and the terroir produce, he says. However, they are far from fruit bombs. Before the event, more than one MWG member expressed apprehension at the prospect of tasting through a baker’s dozen of big, heady wines. Would palates be obliterated as had happened only a week earlier? We needn’t have worried. While big, the wines weren’t bruising and their purity and balance ensured refreshment. They were also remarkably stylish and consistent across the vintages, as the following notes show.

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Written by carswell

June 25, 2012 at 23:00

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MWG May 11th tasting: report (5/5)

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Except for the Crozes, all the wines in this flight came from the May 10th Cellier release.

Crozes-Hermitage 2010, Domaine Combier ($30.75, 11154890)
100% organically farmed Syrah from three vineyards. Destemmed and fermented for 25 days in temperature-contolled stainless steel tanks with pumping over in the morning and evening. Matured 12 months in recent vintage oak barrels.
Leafy red berries with floral, menthol and animale notes. Bright and juicy but far from being a fruit bomb. Fluid texture, tingly tannins, background spice and oak. Long, clean finish. Pure and, at 12.5% ABV, digeste (“While the literal translation of digeste would be ‘digestible,’ in this case it implies that a wine has an ‘airy’ quality to it, that it’s built along freshness, lightness.” –Bill Zacharkiw). I could drink this every week. (Buy again? For sure.)

Shiraz 2010, The Riebke, Barossa Valley, Teusner Wines ($26.00, 11621081)
100% old-vine Shiraz. After fermentation, the wine is matured 12 months in used French and American oak hogsheads.
Sweet plum, blackberry and dark spice (licorice?). The decent acidity, chewy tannins and dollop of oak notwithstanding, this wine is all about fruit: pure and supple but also very sweet (6.6 g/l of residual sugar) and over-concentrated. Plush texture and fair length with some high-toned kirsch chiming in on the finish (the 14.5% ABV speaking?). One-note and unrefreshing. That said, what it does, it does well. You either like the style or you don’t. I don’t. (Buy again? No.)

Syrah 2007, Terrunyo, Valle del Cachapoal, Concha y Toro ($30.25, 11625680)
88% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. Spent 15 months in French oak barrels (60% new, 40% second or third vintage). 14% ABV.
Earthy nose showing some red and black fruit (“high-bush cranberry” according to a New Brunswick native), smoke and an odd peanut brittle note. Rich, dense, structured, layered and very dry. The ripe fruit is only one in a complex of savoury flavours. The oak is kept in check. Charry, leathery finish. A passably interesting wine, though probably not one I’d identify as a Syrah in a double-blind tasting. (Buy again? Doubtful.)

Shiraz 2007, Heathcote, Greenstone Vineyard ($33.50, 11601768)
100% Shiraz from the Mornington Peninsula. Fermentation followed by two weeks’ maceration with occasional punching-down and 20 months’ maturation in 20% new French barriques.
Smoky plum, volatile herbs and slate waft from the glass. Richly flavoured, the fruit joined by mineral, wood, spice and maybe even violet. Supple, almost lean texture. Structured by fine tannins, enlivened by just enough acidity. Lingering finish. All that and 13.5% ABV, too. The most elegant Shiraz I’ve encountered. (Buy again? Quite possibly.)

Written by carswell

May 22, 2012 at 11:55

MWG May 11th tasting: report (3/5)

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Sierra Foothills 2010, Vin Gris d’Amador, Terre Rouge ($22.10, 11629710)
Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, though neither the estate’s website nor the wine’s Quebec rep say in what proportions. This is a saignée method rose, meaning the juice is “bled” from the red wine tanks. Matured in used French oak barrels, like the estate’s white wines.
Dark red-orange-pink. Caramel, dried herbs, spice, nectarine, crab apple. Heavy, cloyingly sweet fruit, insufficient acidity and little depth. Several people around the table were drop-jawed at Phaneuf’s rave (“Sec, minéral, à la fois délicat et persistant et doté d’un très bel équilibre d’ensemble. Bravo !“). (Buy again? Nope.)

Tavel 2011, La Dame Rousse, Domaine de la Mordorée ($24.80, 11629664)
Perhaps the biggest name in the appellation. Grenache (60%), Cinsault (10%), Mourvèdre (10%), Syrah (10%), Bourboulenc (5%) and Clairette (5%) from 40-year-old vines. Cold-macerated for 48 hours before pressing.
Deep pink bordering on light red. Classic Tavel nose of peach/nectarine, strawberry and garrigue. Dense, winey texture. Dry. The fruit sits heavily on the palate. One-dimensional and unrefreshing. Hot finish (14.5% ABV). (Buy again? For Tavel lovers only, i.e. not for me.)

Coteaux du Languedoc  2011, Prestige, Château Puech-Haut ($19.35, 11629891)
Grenache and Cinsault, fermented and matured in stainless steel. Packaged in a frosted bottle with an embossed seal and glass stopper; a few liked the look, others declared it tacky.
Very pale, almost white. Light nectarine and minerals on the nose. More flavourful than expected, with light, pure fruit and refreshing acidity. Alcohol flares a little on the finish. The best of the bunch, which is not saying much. (Buy again? Probably not.)

Bandol 2010, Mas de la Rouvière ($23.10, 11657403)
The estate has been converting to organic farming since 2006. Mourvèdre (40%), Grenache (30%) and Cinsault (30%). Fermented at controlled temperatures for around 30 days.
Intriguing nose of nectarine with herbal (celery, green pepper) notes. Ripe but not heavy fruit. Some minerality. Fair acidity. Falls flat on the finish. Drinkable is about the best you can say for it. (Buy again? No.)

To go by these four Cellier picks, the SAQ is maintaining its dismal track record with rosés. It doesn’t have to be this way. There are fine pink wines being made in France, Spain and even California, but the only way Quebecers can buy them is on a private import basis. Speaking of which…

Corse Calvi 2011, Fiumeseccu rosé, Domaine Alzipratu ($22.05, 12 btls/case, oenopole)
A blend of saignée and directly pressed juice, mostly Sciacarello though a little Nielluccio may also have made its way into the mix.
Tried this at the April Pork Futures event and immediately knew it would be one of the best rosés – if not the best – that I’ll taste this year. It’s true to the house style: light, refreshing, food- and terrace-friendly, with notes of pink grapefruit and nectarine, a whiff of garrigue and vibrant acidity. The 2011 also struck me as the most minerally Fiumeseccu to date.

Written by carswell

May 19, 2012 at 11:51

MWG May 11th tasting: report (2/5)

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Aconcagua 2010, Signos de Origen, Casablanca Valley, Emiliana Organic Vineyards ($22.25, 11639037)
A blend of organically farmed Chardonnay (65%), Viognier (20%), Marsanne (11%) and Roussanne (4%) aged in French oak barrels for 10 months.
Mango and pineapple custard. Clean, sweet fruit with a round-bordering-on-heavy texture only partly relieved by the underlying acidity. Long but not hot, despite the high alcohol (14.9%). Not much else going on. Unobjectionable but a bit blowsy and cloying. (Buy again? No.)

Chardonnay 2008, Red Claw, Mornington Peninsula, Yabby Lake ($35.25, 11640492)
Whole bunch-pressed Chardonnay fermented in French oak and aged on its lees for ten months. Mornington Peninsula is a cool-climate region about 50 km southwest of Melbourne in Australia’s Victoria state. The Yabby Lake winery is moving toward organic farming methods.
Faint tropical fruit cocktail with some minerals and a sour note. Clean and relatively complex, the flavours tending to lemon and minerals. Winey and a tad alcoholic (14%) but with a freshening acidity. Long, tangy finish. (Buy again? Not when I can get a 1er cru Chablis for the same price.)

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2009, Prestige, Simon Alexandre ($30.50, 11600888)
A recent arrival not from the Cellier release. Made by Domaine de la Présidente, not that you’ll find any mention of it on their website. A blend of Grenache Blanc (50%), Clairette (20%), Roussanne (20%) and Bourboulenc (10%) from 25-year-old vines. Destemmed and cold macerated before being given a long, cool fermentation. I’d originally sampled this from a bottle that had been open for several hours and found it a tasty and even classy southern Rhône white that delivered good QPR, hence my decision to include it in a tasting.
Perfumy, spicy nose with cut apple, sour mash and even medicinal scents. On the palate, heavy, alcoholic (14%), chalky and not very flavourful, the shy fruit candied. “A wine that even its mother couldn’t love.” And yet after a half-hour in the glass, it had transformed into what I remembered: white flowers, yellow fruit and minerals on the elegant nose; supple, if unctuous, and nicely balanced on the palate with a long, elegant finish. The taster who took the tail end home with him reports that the wine was even better the next day. (Buy again? Yes.)

Written by carswell

May 18, 2012 at 09:02

Two new arrivals…

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…at the SAQ.

Costières de Nîmes 2005, Lou Coucardié, Michel Gassier ($24.95, 11399766)
A white blend dominated by Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Viognier. Fermented in 500-litre French oak barrels. Golden yellow. Wafting nose of sweet lemon, peach and spice with a floral note and a hint of alcohol (14% abv). Off-dry and rich yet surprisingly delicate. Savoury flavours reminiscent of dried herbs co-mingle with the expected white and yellow fruit. The undercurrent of acid surfaces on the finish. Lingering impression of dryness. A delight.

I first heard of this wine in a Chowhound post by the MWG’s namesake moh, whom it wowed as a pairing for the late Bouchonné’s gratin of Yukon Golds, boudin and tripe. Formerly available as a private import, it has just been listed – for the first time, I believe – by the SAQ.

Central Coast 2007, Le Cigare Volant, Bonny Doon ($46.75, 10253386)
Organically – and in some cases biodynamically – farmed Grenache (60%), Syrah (31%), Mourvèdre (5%) and Cinsault (4%).  Medium maroon with very slight fading at the rim. Scents of bramble, garrigue, pepper and wood. Medium-bodied and fluid. The ripe but not heavy fruit is brightened by good acidity, buttressed by fine tannins. The finish is tobacco-tinged, long and a bit drying. Tastes more Old Worldish than Californian. Not profound but pure, tasty and enjoyable. Clocks in at a reasonable 13.5% ABV, too.

In 2006, Randall Grahm sold or spun off Bonny Doon’s everyday labels (most notably Big House Red) to focus on his higher-end bottlings. This is the first red Cigare Volant I’ve tasted since the change and it seems a return to form after the disappointments of the late ’90s and early naughts.  Nominally an homage to Châteauneuf-du-Pape (which in the ’50s actually banned cigares volants – flying saucers – from landing in local vineyards), I’ve never found it to be a CDP ringer but rather a fine Rhône-inspired blend with its own personality.

Written by carswell

December 11, 2011 at 23:54

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It’s back!

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The SAQ has just received a second shipment of the 2009 Côtes du Rhône-Villages Signargues, Domaine La Montagnette ($16.15, 11095949), which is bottled by the small Vignerons d’Estézargues cooperative. Cooperatives have an often deserved reputation for churning out unremarkable wines, but this is one of the exceptions. Practices in the vineyard are semi-organic – lutte raisonnée, as the French say – with chemicals being used only as a last resort. Practices in the cellar are even more natural: native yeasts; no acidification or chaptalization; reds are fermented at low temperature and given long maceration; sulphur is avoided until just before bottling, when a small amount is added to stabilize the wines.

Like most Côtes du Rhônes, it’s a blend: 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% each Mourvèdre and Carignan. Fermented and matured in stainless steel. Unfiltered, so less than perfectly limpid. An earthy if supple mouthful of dark fruit (think black cherry, black raspberry, plum) and spice, structured by bright acidity and light, tarry/slatey tannins. Exceedingly dry. Finishes on a peppery, kirschy note, with a lingering rhubarb-like astringency. A little heftier (thanks to the vintage and the 14.5% ABV) and thus less charming than the 2008 and $1 more expensive than last fall’s initial shipment. Still, if the SAQ sells a better red – let alone one with such an attractive label – at this price point, I’d love to know about it.

The fall shipment sold out fast. This will too. And if you need an excuse to seize the day, you’ve got one: this Saturday and Sunday, when you buy $100 or more worth of products at the monopoly, you’ll get a gift card worth 15% of the total.

Written by carswell

June 10, 2011 at 00:59

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