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Wines
for a chilly night from Cotes du
Rhone
Rick's Picks - November
2009
by Rick
VanSickle
There
is a chill in the air as Old Man
Winter nudges ever closer. And that
can only mean one thing — it's
time to put away those wimpy summer
wines for the season and reach for
something with a little more meat
on the bones.
The
French have an answer for meaty,
robust comfort wines. It's Cotes
du Rhone, a huge region in France
with a myriad grapes planted to
provide the ultimate in flavourful
red wines (and a few whites) that
are bold and hearty, the perfect
match for a chilly night with a
bowl of stew or a hot meat pie.
Wines
from the Cotes du Rhone are blended
with up to 21 different wine varietals
including the powerful grenache,
syrah and mourvedre for the reds
and marsanne, roussanne and viognier
for the whites.
The
wines made in Cotes du Rhone are
full-bodied, rich and earthy with
big fruit flavours. There is nothing
subtle about these wines and they
tend to match with big winter dishes
such as lamb stew, venison, veal,
duck and some semi-hard cheeses.
The white wines, with their floral
overtones, pair well with lobster,
poultry in cream sauces, rabbit
and a wide array of cheeses.
Even
on their own, the wines of Cotes
du Rhone are lovely to sip the night
away. The Cotes du Rhone region
is gigantic with most of the vineyards
in the southern portion of the Rhone
Valley. About 91% of the production
is red wine with the rest split
between white and rose.
Here
are some great Cotes du Rhone wines
to enjoy. All are widely available.
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E.
Guigal Cotes du Rhone
Red 2005
($14)
Guigal
is one of the great
names in the Rhone Valley
so it's no surprise
this is such a fantastic
wine for the money.
Loaded with berries,
pepper, licorice and
spice. It's highly extracted
on the palate with ripe,
dark berries, tar and
savoury notes.
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Paul
Jaboulet Aine
Cotes du Rhone Parallele
45 2006
($14)
Another
popular brand, and another
beauty. Plums, jammy
raspberry/strawberry
and spice aromas. Plenty
of fruit power in the
mouth with earth and
spice intensity on the
finish.
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Le
Gravillas Sablet Cotes
du Rhone Villages 2007
($18)
A
rich nose with ripe
red fruits and laced
with funky spice notes.
A delight on the palate
with elegant fruits,
herbs, spice and an
underlying savoury note.
Could even put in the
cellar for a couple
of years.
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Domaine
de la Bastide Visan
Cotes du Rhones Villages
2007
($14)
Currants,
red fruits, black pipe
licorice and spice on
the nose. The syrah
fruit shines through
on the palate with cherry/raspberry
flavours to go with
tar and pronounced spices.
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Domaine
Alary Cotes du Rhone
Blanc "Chevre d'Or"
2007
($18)
We
don't see a lot of white
Rhones in Canada. Such
a shame. This is gorgeous
with citrus, apple,
peach, mineral notes
and wonderful vanilla
on the nose. It's fresh
and vibrant on the palate
with peach and pear
fruit. Perfect with
fresh water fish.
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La
Vieille Ferme Cotes
du Luberon 2008
($20 for 1,500 mL)
A
whole lot of white wine
for the price. Melon,
pear, peach in a crisp,
refreshing style. Very
fruity and pleasant
on the palate with seamless
fruits and a nice finish.
The best selling white
Rhone in Ontario.
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