Well, we have just returned from a jam-packed weekend in Burgundy. Leaving Paris at 8am on Saturday morning, we were at the first tasting in Pernand-Vergelesses by 11am. Pernand is a tiny village, pinched between Aloxe-Corton and Savigny, at the base of the Mont Corton. While there is nothing quite like a well-aged Corton Charlemagne from a good millesime, we smile like a 4 year-old on December 24th with a glass of white Pernand-Vergelesses.
It's a wine not often seen in the US, existing in red and white and in village and Premier Cru. While very approachable, in the hands of a good producer in a good year, it is dynamite! And that is who we were visiting, a producer we think is better than good; Domaine Pierre Marey & Fils is great.
Located in a cave under their modest house down the street from the eglise romain this family domain produces some of the most amazing white wines we have drunk, a fact of which they are well aware. Contrary to established traditions, a degustation chez Marey begins with their red wines and moves 'up' to their whites.
We are known at this domain so the tasting does not begin with the most basic of their production. Our first glass is Pernand-Vergelesses, Les Belles Filles, 2008. This is a village appellation from a lieu dit, as the French say, or a 'named place.' Another words, the vineyard has a name like a Premier Cru vineyard but is not granted that qualification. At the same time, wine bearing Les Belles Filles on its label is made only from grapes grown in that vineyard.
The first note was something we saw regularly during the weekend - the color. It was intense, brilliant and jewel-like. The nose was explosive - expressing fresh fruit and more fruit. In the mouth it was agreeably approachable, fresh, and only lightly tannic with a good expression of red fruit that lingered slightly. A very drinkable wine now for about $25.
Next was the Premier Cru, Les Fichots. Similarly to the Belles Filles, the color and the nose here were beautiful. With a taste, there were significantly more tannins and the mouth felt slightly dried out after swallowing. The flavor, still of red fruit but underlined with a refreshing minerality, lingered longer than it had after the previous glass. This is a wine that needs some time in the cellar, perhaps 3 to 5 years.
Our final glass of red wine was THE GRAND CRU of the cote de Beaune - Corton. Unlike many of the neighboring domains, Marey does not bottle a particular Corton - Bressandes, Hautes Mourottes, etc. - but instead bottles one particularly approachable Corton for a very fair price. The 2008 is $66.
Again, it shows beautiful color and the nose is extraordinary. In the mouth, the tannins are strong and there is good matiere as the French call it, 'material' would be the translation, but we feel it is the body of the wine that makes the drinker stop at that first sip, smile and think about what is in his or her glass. The first sip lingers for several moments, but the red fruits and minerality are supported by a light smokiness not found in the Premier Cru.
For the price, comparatively to other Cortons, this is an excellent value for someone with limited patience. Unlike most Grand Cru, this wine would benefit from only 5 to 7 years of cellaring. However, we were on this weekend with our family restaurateur, Le Cousin, and he felt that it could be served almost immediately if it was carafed prior to drinking.
Worthy of the early morning drive, the wines of Marey deserve to be better known. Next we will highlight their whites. Hold firmly to your glass...
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Degustation Dinner - le fin!
So we left you hanging, on hooks and nails, devoted readers, after yesterday's posting. However, we've been warned it is important to provide you with bite-sized postings rather than the lengthy missives we so easily fall into. So, to continue the description of our great tasting dinner and without further ado...
We paired the cheese course with a 1988 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru from Maison Joseph Drouhin. A far cry, age wise, from the previous wines, but '88 in Burgundy was particular. Described as year with a decent harvest of clean grapes with thick skins that rendered little juice, 1988 produced, because of these thick skins (that is where the tannins are), red wines with a significant expression of acid and high levels of tannin. While difficult when the wines are young, the acid and tannins also offered great support for a long maturity.
Clos de la Roche is a Grand Cru from the Côtes de Nuits, produced cheek-to-jowl with its better known neighbors - the various Chambertin Grand Crus, Mazis and Charmes, as well as Clos de Vougeot. All of these wines have dark red color and traditionally, regardless of the year, are very tannic when young. The Roche is closer characteristically to the Chambertin and is a somber wine, not very expressive at first with heavy notes of herbaceous matter and truffle that with age begin to mellow and allow notes of very ripe red fruits.
Maison Joseph Drouhin is one of the oldest in Burgundy, founded in 1880, and is promoted as having their cellars where once were the Kings’ of France and the Dukes’ of Burgundy. With an enormous production from numerous appellations in Burgundy, their wines are readily available in the United States over various price points. It is with the higher level of wines they produce – the Premier and Grand Crus – that one can find the finest examples of their production.
Our Clos de la Roche was a superb example of the convergence of a Grand Cru appellation in a year with great potential for maturity and a dependable producer. It was a ‘reflective’ wine, not screaming from the glass. The color was deep red, with age the usual ruby and purple tones had faded. The nose was subtle, more musky than fruity. In the mouth the subtly continued, traditional Pinot Noir expressions of fruit or purple flowers were absent. It took a moment to identify the musky flavor of truffles and ‘forest floor,’ over the subtle taste of very ripe fruit. And the end was the most surprising – a long and lingering expression of the wine’s flavors buoyed by its acid. The latter was something we had never experienced in wine of this age.
Drink deeply and with thought!
We paired the cheese course with a 1988 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru from Maison Joseph Drouhin. A far cry, age wise, from the previous wines, but '88 in Burgundy was particular. Described as year with a decent harvest of clean grapes with thick skins that rendered little juice, 1988 produced, because of these thick skins (that is where the tannins are), red wines with a significant expression of acid and high levels of tannin. While difficult when the wines are young, the acid and tannins also offered great support for a long maturity.
Clos de la Roche is a Grand Cru from the Côtes de Nuits, produced cheek-to-jowl with its better known neighbors - the various Chambertin Grand Crus, Mazis and Charmes, as well as Clos de Vougeot. All of these wines have dark red color and traditionally, regardless of the year, are very tannic when young. The Roche is closer characteristically to the Chambertin and is a somber wine, not very expressive at first with heavy notes of herbaceous matter and truffle that with age begin to mellow and allow notes of very ripe red fruits.
Maison Joseph Drouhin is one of the oldest in Burgundy, founded in 1880, and is promoted as having their cellars where once were the Kings’ of France and the Dukes’ of Burgundy. With an enormous production from numerous appellations in Burgundy, their wines are readily available in the United States over various price points. It is with the higher level of wines they produce – the Premier and Grand Crus – that one can find the finest examples of their production.
Our Clos de la Roche was a superb example of the convergence of a Grand Cru appellation in a year with great potential for maturity and a dependable producer. It was a ‘reflective’ wine, not screaming from the glass. The color was deep red, with age the usual ruby and purple tones had faded. The nose was subtle, more musky than fruity. In the mouth the subtly continued, traditional Pinot Noir expressions of fruit or purple flowers were absent. It took a moment to identify the musky flavor of truffles and ‘forest floor,’ over the subtle taste of very ripe fruit. And the end was the most surprising – a long and lingering expression of the wine’s flavors buoyed by its acid. The latter was something we had never experienced in wine of this age.
Drink deeply and with thought!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Degustation Dinner
No rest for the weary; Saturday night proved out that statement. Dinner at home chez nous with friends who are as obsessive about wines, and particularly Burgundies, as we are. Even better, they own a restaurant and on Saturday night arrived with the main course and dessert as well as several wines.
Our appertif was a 1999 Meursault from François Mikulski, who despite his un-Burgundian name descends from a long line of vintners in the region. While '99 is a year we appreciate in white Burgundies, Mikulski's Meursaults are not high on our list. One of the strongest characteristics of Meursaults, and one we most appreciate, is its, well, strong character, and we find that Mikulski seems to vinify that character away. Imagine loving a certain type of smoked fish particularly for the flavor of its smokiness and suddenly being served the same fish but without its distinctive flavor. It is okay, even fine, but it is not what you appreciate most from that dish. It is the same for us with Mikulski's Meursaults; they are lovely, floral, expressing some minerality, but we rather have another domain's wine from that wonderful appellation.
The first course was served with a Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Domaine Pierre Marey et Fils from 1999. With the potential to be enormous and powerful, such a white wine could have been overkill with a starter. Devoted readers will remember that we like our Grand Crus aged more than ten years and that includes the whites. On this night, our starter was a melon soup with a mousse of smoked ham, and the acidity and minerality that the relative youth of this wine expressed was a nice counterpoint to the salty sweetness of the soup. At the same time, the Charlemagne expressed it usual floral qualities, sharper and greener than with a bit of age, and in the mouth there was more minerality than the buttered toast we revere in this extraordinary Chardonnay.
Dinner continued with chicken breasts in a very spicy marinade and a risotto served with a Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, Les Lavrottes 2005, Domaine Felettig. Now, since you all read yesterday's column, you know how much we adore the Felettigs - such excellent wine makers and in good years, explosive. Although this Premier Cru was young, its youth balanced extremely well with the spice of the chicken. The color was a deep purple, and the nose was filled with ripe fruits. In the mouth, however, the wine showed its true potential. In tandem with the fresh fruit and acidity of young Pinot Noir and a minerality typical of this parcelle (Les Lavrottes, the 1er Cru vineyard), there was a long and lingering expression of what the French call matière, or matter. A vague term, nicer than "something to chew on" but descriptive of a wine's potential for improvement with age and development of increased complexity with time.
We would have to say that the Chambolle was superb with extraordinary potential, even up to seven years in a proper cellar; however, while 2005 was an excellent year in Burgundy, the reds are significantly more drinkable young than the whites. We believe that the white wines from 2005 will ultimately prove to be finer and more capable of reaching significant maturity. One reason for our belief is that these whites have entered into that odd period in Burgundies when bottled, they have 'gone to sleep' making them unexpressive and oddly uninteresting. With time, they will 'awaken' and be some of the most exciting white wines of our lives!
In our next post, we'll regale you with the closing bottle from dinner.
Drink deeply!
Our appertif was a 1999 Meursault from François Mikulski, who despite his un-Burgundian name descends from a long line of vintners in the region. While '99 is a year we appreciate in white Burgundies, Mikulski's Meursaults are not high on our list. One of the strongest characteristics of Meursaults, and one we most appreciate, is its, well, strong character, and we find that Mikulski seems to vinify that character away. Imagine loving a certain type of smoked fish particularly for the flavor of its smokiness and suddenly being served the same fish but without its distinctive flavor. It is okay, even fine, but it is not what you appreciate most from that dish. It is the same for us with Mikulski's Meursaults; they are lovely, floral, expressing some minerality, but we rather have another domain's wine from that wonderful appellation.
The first course was served with a Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Domaine Pierre Marey et Fils from 1999. With the potential to be enormous and powerful, such a white wine could have been overkill with a starter. Devoted readers will remember that we like our Grand Crus aged more than ten years and that includes the whites. On this night, our starter was a melon soup with a mousse of smoked ham, and the acidity and minerality that the relative youth of this wine expressed was a nice counterpoint to the salty sweetness of the soup. At the same time, the Charlemagne expressed it usual floral qualities, sharper and greener than with a bit of age, and in the mouth there was more minerality than the buttered toast we revere in this extraordinary Chardonnay.
Dinner continued with chicken breasts in a very spicy marinade and a risotto served with a Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, Les Lavrottes 2005, Domaine Felettig. Now, since you all read yesterday's column, you know how much we adore the Felettigs - such excellent wine makers and in good years, explosive. Although this Premier Cru was young, its youth balanced extremely well with the spice of the chicken. The color was a deep purple, and the nose was filled with ripe fruits. In the mouth, however, the wine showed its true potential. In tandem with the fresh fruit and acidity of young Pinot Noir and a minerality typical of this parcelle (Les Lavrottes, the 1er Cru vineyard), there was a long and lingering expression of what the French call matière, or matter. A vague term, nicer than "something to chew on" but descriptive of a wine's potential for improvement with age and development of increased complexity with time.
We would have to say that the Chambolle was superb with extraordinary potential, even up to seven years in a proper cellar; however, while 2005 was an excellent year in Burgundy, the reds are significantly more drinkable young than the whites. We believe that the white wines from 2005 will ultimately prove to be finer and more capable of reaching significant maturity. One reason for our belief is that these whites have entered into that odd period in Burgundies when bottled, they have 'gone to sleep' making them unexpressive and oddly uninteresting. With time, they will 'awaken' and be some of the most exciting white wines of our lives!
In our next post, we'll regale you with the closing bottle from dinner.
Drink deeply!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Burgundy at Dinner
Friday night we were off to a dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Paris, La Cordonnerie (no website, but read this review on Trip Advisor ). It was a celebration of sorts, and we were a small group; therefore, the menu was predetermined, but we had a hand in choosing the wines.
With an amuse-bouche of an airy cauliflower mousse with a truffled balsamic sauce, a sparkling wine from the Loire Valley was served. It was methode champenoise, from chenin blanc and pinot blanc grapes, 2004, made only in certain years and actually not again since that year. A lovely alternative to Champagne.
A first course of sauted scallops in a light citrus sauce was served with an Hautes-Cotes-des-Beaune 2007 by Maison Felettig. What a miracle of wine making! A simple wine by birth but in the hands of Felettig, this white is raised to a complex balance of acidity and fruit with a slight minerality that lingers in the mouth.
Our main plate was a slow-cooked filet of beef in a fragrant red wine sauce served with a 2003 Chateau Muret, Haut-Medoc which was expressing all of the typical ripeness and roundness of the vintage with a lovely lingering finish.
Cheese was presented with a bottle from our cave - a magnum of 1990 Corton-Les-Bressandes Grand Cru from Domaine E. Cornu. What a revelation! The double size bottle had allowed this wine to age slowly into the Burgundy fever dream of all pinot noir collectors. The nose expressed a mix of musk, herbacous matter and violets. The color was a dull red with bronze reflections and in the mouth it exploded with the flavors of red fruits, particularly blackberries, followed by a light minerality supporting flavors of licorice, leather and musk. As a fellow diner said, "it triggered taste receptors on my tongue that I did not know existed."
Drink them old and enjoy!
With an amuse-bouche of an airy cauliflower mousse with a truffled balsamic sauce, a sparkling wine from the Loire Valley was served. It was methode champenoise, from chenin blanc and pinot blanc grapes, 2004, made only in certain years and actually not again since that year. A lovely alternative to Champagne.
A first course of sauted scallops in a light citrus sauce was served with an Hautes-Cotes-des-Beaune 2007 by Maison Felettig. What a miracle of wine making! A simple wine by birth but in the hands of Felettig, this white is raised to a complex balance of acidity and fruit with a slight minerality that lingers in the mouth.
Our main plate was a slow-cooked filet of beef in a fragrant red wine sauce served with a 2003 Chateau Muret, Haut-Medoc which was expressing all of the typical ripeness and roundness of the vintage with a lovely lingering finish.
Cheese was presented with a bottle from our cave - a magnum of 1990 Corton-Les-Bressandes Grand Cru from Domaine E. Cornu. What a revelation! The double size bottle had allowed this wine to age slowly into the Burgundy fever dream of all pinot noir collectors. The nose expressed a mix of musk, herbacous matter and violets. The color was a dull red with bronze reflections and in the mouth it exploded with the flavors of red fruits, particularly blackberries, followed by a light minerality supporting flavors of licorice, leather and musk. As a fellow diner said, "it triggered taste receptors on my tongue that I did not know existed."
Drink them old and enjoy!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Auction Fever
Wine auctions seem seem to be everywhere in Paris this late spring. Are collectors selling their caves to pay for summer vacation? Unlikely, but savy sellers know wine has a shelf life and with the cash crunch coming in France, prices will only go lower this year.
Luckily, with few exceptions, we've avoided the fever although how we did today is unknown. At a sale titled 2000 Petrus, Les 2000 de Monsieur J.S. (delicious title, no?), we watched the collected bottles of Grand Cru Bordeaux 2000, and a few others, sell for equally 'delicious' prices. The closing lots were mixed cases of 12 bottles described as "Prestige Bordeaux Primeurs" from 2000 in their original wood cases - 3 Chateau Latour 1er Grand Cru Classe Pauillac, 3 Chateau Margaux 1er Grand Cru Classe Margaux, 3 Chateau Haut-Brion 1er Grand Cru Classe Graves and 3 Petrus Pomerol which sold for over 11,000 euros; at todays exchange $13,750 plus the auction premium!
Yummy!
Altough we left this evening empty-handed, we did succumb to a few oldies but goodies last week. We picked up 12 bottles of Chateau La Croix Ferrandat, St-Emilion 1998; 4 bottles of Chateau du Maine, Graves 1988; and 8 bottles of Chateau Grand Baril, Montagne St-Emilion 1988. Admittedly, these sound old to the many American drinkers but Bordeaux with its mix of 3 cepages has the ability to age into a lovely wine if well stored. They should be experienced. We would enjoy to share these with friends. Contact us if you've interest!
Bottoms up!
Luckily, with few exceptions, we've avoided the fever although how we did today is unknown. At a sale titled 2000 Petrus, Les 2000 de Monsieur J.S. (delicious title, no?), we watched the collected bottles of Grand Cru Bordeaux 2000, and a few others, sell for equally 'delicious' prices. The closing lots were mixed cases of 12 bottles described as "Prestige Bordeaux Primeurs" from 2000 in their original wood cases - 3 Chateau Latour 1er Grand Cru Classe Pauillac, 3 Chateau Margaux 1er Grand Cru Classe Margaux, 3 Chateau Haut-Brion 1er Grand Cru Classe Graves and 3 Petrus Pomerol which sold for over 11,000 euros; at todays exchange $13,750 plus the auction premium!
Yummy!
Altough we left this evening empty-handed, we did succumb to a few oldies but goodies last week. We picked up 12 bottles of Chateau La Croix Ferrandat, St-Emilion 1998; 4 bottles of Chateau du Maine, Graves 1988; and 8 bottles of Chateau Grand Baril, Montagne St-Emilion 1988. Admittedly, these sound old to the many American drinkers but Bordeaux with its mix of 3 cepages has the ability to age into a lovely wine if well stored. They should be experienced. We would enjoy to share these with friends. Contact us if you've interest!
Bottoms up!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Harmony in Rosé
Some might say it's a bit late - past Valentines Day and way after end-of-year festivities - but we are always looking for a delicious pink bubbly that does not break the bank. Spending a soupçon of time in Paris as we do, we find it easier to achieve the latter there than in our beloved NYC, but finding a rosé bubbly that qualifies as "delicious" is never easy.
That is why we were pleased to open a bottle the other day of a Cremant d'Alsace, Harmonie de Rose Brut from Ruhlmann. Now cremants are generically French for 'bubbly' and as you can see from the name, this one issues from the Alsace region of France. The Harmonie de Rose derives its lovely pink color from Pinot Noir grapes. The nose is lightly floral and in the mouth, one finds citrus tones with red fruits, fruits des bois. It is full bodied and pleasantly long-lasting in the mouth.
Cremants are traditionally made in a similar method as Champagne (but not in that region, so therefore cannot be called by that name) and the French view them as a reasonable and festive alternative to Champagne. You can expect similar bottle presentation, bubbles and a lightness from all cremants. However, unlike Champagne, the bubbles in this Ruhlmann did not rise from the bottom of the glass the entire time with the same frequency as a Champagne.
The best news on this bottle is the price. Easily located stateside for under $20 a bottle, one can comfortably open a bottle of this cremant with almost anyone. Just don't make the mistake of calling it Champagne!
Cheers!
That is why we were pleased to open a bottle the other day of a Cremant d'Alsace, Harmonie de Rose Brut from Ruhlmann. Now cremants are generically French for 'bubbly' and as you can see from the name, this one issues from the Alsace region of France. The Harmonie de Rose derives its lovely pink color from Pinot Noir grapes. The nose is lightly floral and in the mouth, one finds citrus tones with red fruits, fruits des bois. It is full bodied and pleasantly long-lasting in the mouth.
Cremants are traditionally made in a similar method as Champagne (but not in that region, so therefore cannot be called by that name) and the French view them as a reasonable and festive alternative to Champagne. You can expect similar bottle presentation, bubbles and a lightness from all cremants. However, unlike Champagne, the bubbles in this Ruhlmann did not rise from the bottom of the glass the entire time with the same frequency as a Champagne.
The best news on this bottle is the price. Easily located stateside for under $20 a bottle, one can comfortably open a bottle of this cremant with almost anyone. Just don't make the mistake of calling it Champagne!
Cheers!
Friday, February 12, 2010
2007 Rhône Valley Wine
So, many of us have heard of, and some have even touted, wines of the 2007 vintage from the Rhône Valley here in France. More than a few critics are calling it the greatest millesime of the decade or more. Regardless of the superlatives, we think it is safe to say that if you can get your hands on a bottle of red from this region at a fair price, buy it!
We have a small advantage over many of our Loyal Readers, understandably, for the fact that we are regularly in France, and that gave us the opportunity the other evening to hold a small degustation over dinner of two reds from this region and this great year. With a small group of friends (so you know you are getting an honest review and not just the raving of another drunk critic), we opened a 2007 Côtes du Rhône Réserve and a 2007 Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne, both from the Domaine Perrin & Fils.
This particular domain is major producer of quality wines in the region and is the owner of the celebrated Château de Beaucastel, know to lovers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape worldwide as one of the great names in that appellation. However, we were looking for something drinkable on a daily basis from this great year, and we think we’ve found it.
Both were excellent and quite drinkable, bouvable as the French would say, but there were some interesting differences. Both are made from an assemblage of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, the latter being the cepage that gives wines from this region the deep, dark and earthy characteristics, but it is there the similarities end. The Cairanne was a beautiful deep purple color with a fruity nose. In the mouth, it was round and satisfying but not terribly complex. There was a generally fruity flavor followed by light tannins but the flavor did not hold in the mouth after swallowing.
On the other hand, the Réserve, while equally deep purple in appearance, offered a more complex nose with fruit and some heavy floral notes with an underlying spiciness. In the mouth, it was complex with very ripe red fruits – almost jam like – and notes of raspberry. The tannins were so light as to be forgotten but the wine coated the mouth and the flavor hung long after swallowing. The sensation was rich and somewhat sweet.
Reading from the domain’s website later, I learned that the Réserve is made from grapes grown in two different vineyards combined with grapes bought from other growers in the area. It is produced in steel tanks and oak barrels (25%) where it spends one year. Although we loved it, they consider it to be less ‘valuable’ than the Cairanne and price it accordingly. The Cairanne is named for the village where the grapes are grown (hence, Côtes du Rhône Villages) and the wine is produced in concrete tanks and oak barrels (20%). It is then bottled and aged the bottles in their cellars for 6 months before being sold.
All in, both these wines were great value for their prices. The Réserve is modestly less expensive (a couple of dollars cheaper per bottle) and, we decided, delivered more on the night we drank it.
Drink wisely!
We have a small advantage over many of our Loyal Readers, understandably, for the fact that we are regularly in France, and that gave us the opportunity the other evening to hold a small degustation over dinner of two reds from this region and this great year. With a small group of friends (so you know you are getting an honest review and not just the raving of another drunk critic), we opened a 2007 Côtes du Rhône Réserve and a 2007 Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne, both from the Domaine Perrin & Fils.
This particular domain is major producer of quality wines in the region and is the owner of the celebrated Château de Beaucastel, know to lovers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape worldwide as one of the great names in that appellation. However, we were looking for something drinkable on a daily basis from this great year, and we think we’ve found it.
Both were excellent and quite drinkable, bouvable as the French would say, but there were some interesting differences. Both are made from an assemblage of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, the latter being the cepage that gives wines from this region the deep, dark and earthy characteristics, but it is there the similarities end. The Cairanne was a beautiful deep purple color with a fruity nose. In the mouth, it was round and satisfying but not terribly complex. There was a generally fruity flavor followed by light tannins but the flavor did not hold in the mouth after swallowing.
On the other hand, the Réserve, while equally deep purple in appearance, offered a more complex nose with fruit and some heavy floral notes with an underlying spiciness. In the mouth, it was complex with very ripe red fruits – almost jam like – and notes of raspberry. The tannins were so light as to be forgotten but the wine coated the mouth and the flavor hung long after swallowing. The sensation was rich and somewhat sweet.
Reading from the domain’s website later, I learned that the Réserve is made from grapes grown in two different vineyards combined with grapes bought from other growers in the area. It is produced in steel tanks and oak barrels (25%) where it spends one year. Although we loved it, they consider it to be less ‘valuable’ than the Cairanne and price it accordingly. The Cairanne is named for the village where the grapes are grown (hence, Côtes du Rhône Villages) and the wine is produced in concrete tanks and oak barrels (20%). It is then bottled and aged the bottles in their cellars for 6 months before being sold.
All in, both these wines were great value for their prices. The Réserve is modestly less expensive (a couple of dollars cheaper per bottle) and, we decided, delivered more on the night we drank it.
Drink wisely!
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