Wine Tasting: Southern Rhone

 

In the south of France, right near Avignon, is the wine region known as the Southern Rhone, famous for reds made mostly from Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre (aka "GSM" wines), and also for whites made up of lots of less common white varietals, including Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, and Viognier. The Southern Rhone accounts for 95% of the wine made in the Rhone, which is another way of saying that it should not be confused with the Northern Rhone, which is a very different beast, famous mostly for more exclusive and expensive Syrah-driven wines (we tasted some of these back in 2015).

I've not been a fan of Southern Rhone wines in the past, but I have to admit, this tasting may have turned me around. Especially in the value-priced segment and the white wines, I thought these outclassed most California competitors. Among the more "serious" entrants, I thought they needed more aging to really show at their best, but I'm going to buy more of the last one and wait.

Generally speaking, the more narrowly specified the region on the label, the more exclusive the wine. Here's how it works, from least exclusive to most exclusive:

• "Côtes du Rhône": more than two-thirds of the wine made in the Rhone is labeled this way. Usually the least expensive, with grapes drawn from 83,000 hectares across the region.
• "Côtes du Rhône-Villages": grapes drawn from 3,000 hectares from 95 specific communes, required to be 50%+ Grenache. 
• "Côtes du Rhône Villages [named village]": 18 specific appellations covering 6,500 hectares can include their village name on the label. 
• "Cru" without "Côtes du Rhône": 17 of the best areas are permitted to label their wines without including "Côtes du Rhône" on the label. The most famous of these areas is Chateauneuf-du-Pape. 

Here's what we had, my faves in bold: 

1. 2018 Baron de Montfaucon Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc ($17): A blend of 70% Clairette, 20% Viognier and 10% Grenache Blanc. Very nice, simple, light white. Good value. 
2. 2019 Domaine des Sénéchaux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc ($40): A mix of Grenache Blanc and Roussanne, Clairette, and Bourboulenc, from an estate dating back to the 14th century, making it one of the oldest estates in Châteauneuf. A little pricey, but I really liked this, a richer white wine style that is still balanced (i.e., not a CA Chardonnay). Great nose. 
3. 2018 Yves Cuilleron "La Petite Côte" Condrieu ($40): OK, so this was a mistake, because Condrieu is actually a Northern Rhone region, where the whites are all 100% Viognier. But delightful, regardless! Gorgeous floral aroma, rich on the palate without anything cloying or out of place. Can't think of any CA white that competes at this price point (OK, maybe Paix Sur Terre). 
4. 2018 Cellier des Dauphins "Réserve" Côtes-du-Rhône ($13): 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah. The big surprise of the evening, and crowd favorite. A big producer, the Union des Vignerons des Côtes-du-Rhône is a coop of 2,300 growers covering some of the best Village and Cru appellations in the southern Rhône. A great everyday value wine, clearly made to be drunk ASAP. And yes, K&L Wines still has plenty in stock. 
5. 2018 Château Saint-Roch Lirac Rouge ($15): 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, and 20% Syrah, co-fermented. Very nice, but outpaced by the cheaper #4, I thought. 
6. 2017 Château Pesquié "Silica" Ventoux ($26): primarily Grenache, with 10% Cinsault. Destemmed and aged in 30% concrete and 70% larger barrels. The first of the reds that I would mark as "serious," this showed a lot of drying tannins, suggesting that maybe it could use a few more years of aging. Would have been better with food, like braised lamb shanks!
7. 2016 Domaine des Sénéchaux Châteauneuf-du-Pape ($45): 47% Grenache, 32% Syrah, 19% Mourvèdre, and a mix of 2% Cinsault and Vaccarèse. I thought this was very nice, but outclassed at the same price by #8. 
8. 2017 Tardieu-Laurent Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes Rouge ($40): This producer is basically a father-son team that sources small parcels of quality fruit from various vineyards, and seems to have done very well in a difficult vintage with this bottle. 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, done without fining and filtration. This one is cheating a little, because while it's $40 at Costco, it's really a $60 bottle of wine. And it showed -- this had much finer tannins than #7, with lots of deep fruit showing through. I'm going to buy more and put it away for 5 years. Good value, for sure.