Category: Rhône

When temperatures plunge and frigid winds whip around our house, we like to fill our glasses with something rich and mouthfilling. For us that means wines made from Grenache, Syrah, and others from the Rhône Valley. These are cozy wines from the sunbaked climes of France’s south -- reds with depth and intensity, though carefully balanced to avoid heaviness.

With the turning of the calendar this weekend, sparkling wines abound. Indeed, if you’re in need of French, small-batch, grower bubbles, we can help. But with winter weather officially here, we thought we’d make the final post of 2016 something rich we can all enjoy.

The Southern Rhône is full of rich, smooth red wines, perfect for a wintery afternoon meal. At one end there’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape, among the finest appellations in France; at the other there’s simple Côtes du Rhône, at its best an uncomplicated and inexpensive. Today’s wine is towards the more affordable end, but it’s as full and velvety as any wine we’ve…

As vines age, the fruit they yield changes — quality improves and quantity declines. Vines rarely make it past the century mark, and most winemakers will pull and replant somewhere between 50 and 80 years. All of which makes today’s wine so unusual.

Côtes-du-Rhônes are a dime a dozen these days. From bistro chalkboards in Paris, to Costco’s “Kirkland Signature” labels, it’s one of the most recognizable brands in the wine world. And as you might expect, the quality varies as much as the colorful labels. Among our very favorites is the Domaine Malmont’s version in Séguret.

A dusting of snow this morning reminds us that winter is not far off. In the colder months our palates turn towards richer wines, particularly those from the Southern Rhône valley, where the warm summer sun is baked into every grape. And the undisputed king of the Southern Rhône Valley is Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

With a chill settled firmly into the air these days, we’re turning towards reds with a bit more substance. The rich wines of the Southern Rhône valley spend the summer soaking in the warmth of the clear Provençal sun -- they’re a perfect matches for cold weather. Châteauneuf-du-Pape gets most of the attention in the Rhône, but if you know…

In France, vineyard location is paramount. Syrah grown at different latitudes tastes vastly different; in Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s character changes within the distance of a few feet. Viognier is aromatic and floral wherever it’s grown, but the complexity and elegance depends entirely on its origin. And nowhere else in the world does Viognier reach such expression as in Condrieu.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the perfect wine for cooler weather. Made famous by French popes in the 14th century, and then again by Robert Parker in the 1980s, the area is rich with winemaking history. Today the appellation, which covers only about 12 square miles, produces some of the most sought after wine in the world.

We’ve often written about the value of Gigondas. Located 20 minutes east of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas produces wines of a similar intensity as its more famous neighbor, but usually at far more affordable prices. Our longtime source in Gigondas is the Domaine les Goubert, cited as a reference point in the region by Jancis Robinson and Robert Parker.

White Châteauneuf-du-Pape is rare. Nearly 95% of the appellation’s wines are red, and because of the warm climate and abundant sunshine, it’s difficult to make wines with good balance. But in the hands of a careful winemaker, the unusual white grapes can produce beautiful and astonishing wines.

The Northern Rhône is best known for its all-syrah reds from Côte Rôtie and Hermitage. These spiced, inky wines are precise expressions of a unique marriage of grape and land -- nowhere else does syrah taste quite like this. Most bottles from Hermitage and Côte Rôtie, however, require diligent cellaring, and start north of $50 a bottle.

During our trips to France, we like to eat at restaurants with good local wine lists. It’s a great way to broaden our regional palates, and sometimes we even discover a new wine for our portfolio. At dinner on a Séguret terrace this June we had the nicest surprise discovery in red Rhône wine that we’ve had in years.

The organic wine movement is alive and well in France. Every year we see more producers transitioning to organic winemaking, or at least making steps toward in that direction. Some have been at it longer than others, but no one boasts a longer history than our newest source in Châteauneuf-du-Pape: the domaine Pierre André -- organic for 35 years, and…

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is one of the world’s great wines. Made famous by French Popes over seven centuries ago, the area is rich in winemaking history. Today the appellation (which covers only about 12 square miles), makes some of the most sought-after wine in the world.