Author: Thomas Wilcox

DAY FOUR  |  Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Tain l’Hermitage

Our final morning in the South greeted us with perfect azure skies and a stiff breeze. After coffee and emails in the courtyard, we departed the house for our first visit. The first domaine sits on a hill at the eastern edge of the appellation, and by the time we reached the chateau the wind had become noticeable and steady. The winemaker smiled as she greeted us; “a petit mistral this morning,” she said, crediting the wind with keeping their grapes healthy and mold-free all year long.

Our second tasting was in downtown Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a family winery with whom we’ve worked for over a decade. The new generation of winemaker has maintained her parents lofty reputation, and the wines are just as good as ever. A fresh, seductive, perfumed white 2015 CDP was a highlight.

We stopped for lunch and wifi in the town’s central Square, and then headed north to the northern border of the appellation. Our final tasting of the Southern Rhône was with a new producer making dark, rich, tannic CDPs and interesting Côtes du Rhônes aged for 2 years before release. We’ve struggled mightily to winnow down our favorite producers this trip so far, and today’s tastings made nothing simpler. A good problem to have, I suppose, but a tricky one nonetheless.

We drove an hour and a half north to Tain l’Hermitage, a city at the foot of the famous Hill of Hermitage. We tasted a sample of a wine we found our first night at dinner in Séguret — just as good as we remembered — and then headed off to dinner. Our restaurant, called Le Quai, was perched on a terrace overlooking the Rhône River and the suspension bridge linking Tournon-sur-Rhône to Tain l’Hermitage. The sun set around 9:15, and we enjoyed our meal thoroughly, watching as the light crept up the steep hillsides across the river.

Tomorrow the north — inky syrah, perfumy whites, and then a last long drive further north to Burgundy.

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DAY THREE  |  Pic-St-Loup, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Séguret, Gigondas

We started early this morning with a drive down into the Languedoc, about an hour and a half south. Once off the autoroute, the road begins to wind through rugged terrain. Scraggly green-gray bushes cover rocky outcroppings bleached by the brilliant sun; the two-lane road is shoulderless, but passing is never in question.

Our domaine here in Pic-St-Loup is biodynamic and organic, and their fields and vineyards are as beautiful as their vines. Bees buzz everywhere, as birds sing and small woodland animals dart between rows of vines. The wines here are perhaps better than ever — pure, inky, seductive reds of syrah, grenache, and carignan. We tasted all wines outside, taking in the warm air and bucolic setting around us. Toward the end of our tasting, our host led us down the hill to their wild pasture of brebis goats, which are let loose into the vines to trip the wild grasses. With the natural world bursting around us, and a fresh, vibrant glass of wine in hand, it seemed our own private Eden in the south of France.

Before hitting the road we stopped in town for a baguette, mustard, cornichons, paté, and local cheese, just making the noon deadline for food. Though the act of eating in the car is certainly not francais, we did our best to make the contents of the meal appropriate to our surroundings. Whatever the level of authenticity, the sandwiches hit the spot.

After lunch we visited a promising new winemaker in the town of Chateauneuf-du-Pape — just two wines (a white and a red), but beautifully made and welcomingly priced. Having ended early, we stopped by another Chateauneuf domaine based on an enthusiastic endorsement from our the morning’s visit in Pic-St-Loup. These too proved exceptional — just two wines again (white and red) of the highest and purest quality. An embarrassment of riches in wine where once there lived an embarrassingly rich series of popes.

Our final tasting of the day was in Séguret, at a new domaine run by old friends. We began with a fascinating visit to the terraced vines in the hills behind Séguret — a hidden spot with a favored exposition and a charming collection of wildflowers and herbs. Back at the domaine we tasted through an exceptional lineup of white, rosé, and red. Exciting to see a young winemaker really hit his stride.

A dinner back in Gigondas — risotto with local wild mushrooms and finely roasted pork tenderloin, with lovely six-year-old Rasteau. More CDP tomorrow, then north to the Northern Rhône.

DAY TWO  |  Courthezon, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Séguret

We weren’t sure what the coffee arrangement would be in our AirBnB, so we brought along an Aeropress and a bag of Stumptown coffee. Thus the morning began with a bit of email catchup, and a warm taste of home. We supplemented with some croissants and a baguette from the Boulangerie around the corner.

Our first appointment of the trip was just a few minutes from the house, and we got our first look at the excellent 2015 vintage — ripe, soft, rich, and extremely drinkable. They may not all have the tannin to survive the long haul, but if they continue to drink like this won’t last long anyway.

We grabbed lunch in Courthezon — frites, salad, sandwich — and then crossed back over to Chateauneuf-du-Pape. A bit early for our 2pm (you’ll remember the world halts between noon and two here), we stopped along the plateau at the northern edge of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation.

Though we’ve seen and photographed them many times, the smooth, round, large orange stones that fill the fields are still impressionant, as they say. Our after-lunch tasting took place on a beautiful veranda overlooking hundred year old vines, and produced several exciting new potential additions to the portfolio.

Our last tasting of the day was in Gigondas, with old friends whose wines we know as well as any. Their whole gamme was delicious as usual, and their 2015s as rich and exciting as those from the morning. Good laughs and family updates.

Back at the house we worked for a bit on the video blog, and then zipped up to Séguret for dinner again, this time at a different restaurant. Highlights included, house-smoked salmon, pork sous-vide, and a view of sun settling into layers of haze across the valley. We’ve managed to eat every meal outdoors so far.

A morning trip to the Languedoc tomorrow.

DAY ONE  |  Boston, Paris, Avignon, Courthezon

A delayed flight produced an exciting connection this morning between tarmac and TGV. With one in two SNCF trains cancelled by striking rail workers, the margin for error was nil, and with heavy fog and teeming terminals we feared the worst. But the luggage belts were in our favor, and we even managed to grab two double espressos before boarding the packed train.

The three hour ride from Paris to Avignon runs nearly due South, and slices through dense green fields speckled with charolais and windmills, and past unnumbered ancient towns with varyingly decrepit stone steeples. The gently rocking traincar and mid-day warmth are catalysts for jetlag, and require all manor of resistance available — coffee, chocolate, conversation, podcasts, etc. Some work better than others; all exhaust themselves in time.

The Avignon train station welcomed us with dry sunny weather and piercing blue skies. Though we’ve made the trip several times, the temporal and cultural transition is still arresting — depart Boston in the evening, and you’re sitting in a café in Avignon by lunch the next day. Today’s café produced salads and steak, with cold rosé and colder beer to match; we finished with more coffees, and set off to the north.

A half hour later we arrived in Courthezon, where we’ve rented an AirBnB for the next few days. It’s a lovely spot, with a classically Provençal courtyard, tiny bathrooms, and quick internet. We nipped up to Séguret for dinner — foie gras salad and steak au poivre vert, with a cool refreshing Séguret red for wine — and enjoyed a sleepy but pleasant evening on an outdoor terrace. Three tastings tomorrow in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas.

We’re experimenting with video this trip — we’re still learning the ropes, so you’ll have to forgive us the audio levels and odd cuts — but we hope it provides an enhanced look at our trip for the next few weeks.

Experimentation. France is an old place — many domaines we work with have been in the business for centuries. But others are newer: winemaker Olivier Leriche left Burgundy’s prestigious Domaine de l’Arlot in 2011, and founded a new winery on old vines in the Ardèche. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed following Olivier over the last five years as he has experimented with grape varietals, styles, and blends.

Today we’re releasing one of his most recent successes, one that we’re particularly excited about. Domaine des Accoles “Chapelle” is a blend of eight grapes: Grenache (69%), Cabernet Sauvignon (14%), Carignan (10%), Syrah (3%), Couston, Aubun, Cinsault, and Aramon (all 1%). In Olivier’s skilled hands, this seemingly odd combination of grapes becomes a juicy, balanced wine that is both complex and utterly delicious.

Juicy.  Part of the appeal of the Accoles wines is their exceptional balance, no doubt a result of Olivier’s Burgundian background. Chapelle clocks in at 12.5% alcohol — an unusually low number considering the grapes involved — a feature that allows the beautiful earthy fruit to shine through. The nose is an exuberant blend of plums and blackberries; the mouth shows black pepper, violets, softened ripe tannins, and refreshing finish.

This is a perfect summer picnic red — with the humidity’s early arrival, this will match a plate of grilled chicken or lamb shish kabobs in style. Serve it at cellar temperature (15 min in the fridge before you bring it outside does the trick), and let it open up in large glasses — it won’t even matter that you haven’t heard of at least three of those grapes. (We had to look them up too.)

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ACCOLES Chapelle 2014
Ansonia Retail: $25
case, half-case: $19.95/bot

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AVAILABLE IN    6-   AND  12-   BOTTLE LOTS

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Email Tom to place an order.

or call Tom: (617) 249-3657

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Terms of sale. Ansonia Wines MA sells wine to individual consumers who are 21 or more years of age, for personal consumption and not for resale.  All sales are completed and title passes to purchasers in Massachusetts.  Ansonia Wines MA arranges for shipping on behalf of its customers upon request and where applicable laws permit.