Category: Rhône

At the start of every tasting, Rhône winemaker Denis Basset gives us small taste of white. “Just to set the palate,” he explains, before continuing on to his rich, syrah-based reds. The white is always lovely — floral and fresh, beautifully expressive, and a perfect way to start a tasting. And every year, when we ask how much we can…

If enjoying life were an olympic sport, the French would certainly be on the medal stand. (Italy might well win the gold, but it’d be a photo finish.) Particularly in the south, things seem to move just a bit more leisurely. With warm sun and a cool dry breeze at your back, the bustle of Paris up north seems futile…

Most wine with dark, inky color is heavy and rich; and most light colored wines are also light in body. But these rules don’t always apply. In the Northern Rhône Valley winemakers grow Syrah at its northern limit, producing reds with intense, dark flavor, but balanced lively mouth feel.

From a distance, it’s easy to forget that our winemakers are farmers before anything else. Viticultural matters occupy the majority of their days, and it’s impressive to step back and remember that the delicate, polished creations in a bottle spring from capricious plants on hillsides of dirt.

Other than the rock-covered fields of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the vertiginous hillsides of the Côte Rôtie might seem the last place in the world to grow vines. With slopes reaching 60 degrees in places, all field work -- planting, pruning, treating, harvesting -- must be done entirely by hand. As we walked through the vines yesterday we again wondered aloud what could…

This weekend we’ve been pouring wines at the Nantucket Wine Festival. Besides some favorite Burgundies from the Domaine Michel Gros, our table featured two reds and a rosé from the Domaine les Goubert in Gigondas. If the clear Provençal sun didn’t quite last the weekend on the island, the Nantucket breezes did their best impression of the blustery mistral.

As this weekend’s April showers spill into the month of May, we’re reminded that the arrival of warm weather is rarely dry or smooth. If the sweltering days of July and August require a well-chilled rosé, this transition time between spring and summer calls for a refreshing, mid-weight red. For this we usually direct readers to the Pinot Noirs of…

Warm weather has arrived on the east coast at last. Baseball is back, the marathon is tomorrow, and we’re dusting off those patio chairs to soak in some sun. And in the glass, it’s finally rosé season again. We’re usually not too beholden to seasonal drinking patterns, but there’s nothing quite like a glass of cool rosé with the warm…

At the start of every tasting, Rhône winemaker Denis Basset gives us small taste of white. “Just to set the palate,” he explains, before continuing on to his rich, syrah-based reds. The white is always lovely -- floral and fresh, beautifully expressive, and a perfect way to start a tasting. And every year, when we ask how much we can…

We’ve often written about the value of Gigondas. Located 20 minutes east of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas produces wines of a similarly rich 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.

The Northern Rhône valley is a dramatic landscape. From a look up the dizzying slopes it seems last place in the world suited for viticulture. So steep are the hillsides that all fieldwork -- planting, pruning, treating, harvesting, etc -- must be done by hand. But winemaking here dates to Greek colonies in the 6th century BCE, several hundred years…

Vine age is important in determining the taste of wine. As a vines ages it yields fewer grapes: the quality of the fruit improves, but the quantity decreases. Winemakers face an important and difficult decision of when replant, sacrificing quality for quantity.

Some wines we import are meant for grand occasions. These are the famous wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne -- bottles to pull from the back of the cellar when the moment is significant. We think there’s no better accompaniment to a special moment than a special bottle of wine.

The Northern Rhône is best known for its classic all-syrah reds from Côte Rôtie and Hermitage. These spiced, inky wines age well for decades, and 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 come with a starting…

For a universally crowd-pleasing red, it’s hard to beat Côtes du Rhône. Guests with New World leanings will appreciate the richness and full flavor. Those with Old World inclinations will appreciate the balance and traditional style. (Your great aunt who likes drugstore merlot might turn up her nose, but you weren’t going to please her anyway.)