Sept 10th 2010: Reds from France's Rhone Valley

After tasting quite a few Rhone reds over the past few weeks trying to select the best in the market for this tasting I am convinced that these are some of the finest wine values around. At all price ranges you get wines that are true to the character of the region, that “somewhereness” that wine fanatics are looking for. They taste like they are from the south of France. From the first sniff of the better examples there’s that “yep, that’s the South of France I’m smelling”. It’s the absolute first thing I’m looking for when I taste ANY wine. Does it taste like someplace? For me the most boring wines taste fruit jammy with that vanillin woody thing and could be from anywhere, yet nowhere…………special! This is what people mean when they say that too many wines have become “Parkerized”. These people aren’t making authentic wines from the terroir where they grow their wine. They’re trying to please the BIG critic! Too bad but there you go. Like everything else in life everything is driven by greed and profit. Somebody reel me in.

Anyway, back to the pleasantness of somewhereness and that’s what we’re offering  this Friday and here’s what’s on tap.

THE LINEUP

2007 Domaine De La Guicharde, Cotes Du Rhone Villages “Cuvee Genest”   $14

2009 Saint Cosme, Cotes Du Rhone (100% Syrah!)    $16

2007 Domaine De La Mavette, Gigondas     $22

2005 La Bouquetiere, Chateauneuf-Du-Pape    $30

2007 Les Pallieres, Gigondas “Terrasse du Diable   $34

PREMIUM POUR ($4)

07 Domaine Berthet-Rayne, Chateauneuf-Du-Pape “Fut De Chene”   $35

See you tomorrow,
Sandy