Category Archives: France – Rhône Valley

E. Guigal, Côte Rôtie (Rhône Valley, France) “Brune et Blonde de Guigal” 2019

($91, Vintus):  Côte Rôtie, or “roasted slope” transliterated into English, is composed of two major subdivisions, the Côte Brune and the Côte Blonde.  Typically, the former imparts more power to the Syrah grown there because of the iron rich soil, while the latter is home to Syrah with more finesse, reflecting its limestone soil. Read more

Object Lesson in Excellence: E. Guigal’s Côte-Rôtie “Château d’Ampuis” 2019

The Guigal family, the elder Marcel and his wife Bernadette, and their son Philippe and his wife Eve, have always focused on site specificity in the great Northern Rhône appellation of Côte-Rôtie. It started in 1966 when they bottled wine separately from La Mouline, a 2.5-acre vineyard planted with both Syrah and Viognier, in an amphitheater on the Côte Blonde slope of the appellation. Read more

Domaine Pélaquié, Laudun Côtes du Rhône Villages Blanc (Rhône Valley, France) 2021

($15, Bowler):  I am reviewing this bargain-priced beauty again for emphasis since I just tasted it again.  This seductive white shows the potential of white wines from the southern Rhône.  A subtle peach-like character merges with a firm minerality.  The combination delights the palate and invigorating acidity in the finish magnifies it charms. Read more

Vignerons Laudun Chusclan, Laudun Côtes du Rhône Villages Blanc (Rhône Valley, France) “Éléments Luna” 2022

($15):  Laudun is an unusual Côte du Rhône Village because it produces a hefty amount of appealing white wines, like this one from the local co-operative.  A versatile wine, this lively mid-weight beauty delivers a hint of white peaches without any heaviness so it would work well as a stand-alone aperitif. Read more

Domaine de la Mordorée, Lirac (Rhône Valley, France) “La Dame Rousse” 2020

($35, Kysela Pere et Fils):  Lirac, a lesser-known appellation across the Rhône River from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is, like that more well-known neighbor, also a cru of the Rhône, a distinction given to a village and its surroundings that makes distinctive wines.  So, looking at the Rhône quality pyramid, Lirac sits with Gigondas, Vacqueryas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and other crus, at the top. Read more

Château de Montfaucon, Lirac (Rhône Valley, France) “Comtesse Madeleine” 2021

($30):  Lirac, an often-overlooked appellation of the southern Rhône just to the west of Châteauneuf du Pape, is one of two Rhône appellations that makes all three colors, reds, whites, and rosés.  (Vacqueyras is the other.)  From what I heard from many during my recent trip to the area, Château de Montfaucon is one of the leading producers there. Read more

E. Guigal, Côtes du Rhône (Rhône Valley, France) 2019

($16, Vintus Wines):  To me, the mark of a great producer lies in their least expensive wine.  Of course, Guigal is rightly known for their mind-boggling La La’s, small single-vineyard wines, La Mouline, La Landonne, and La Turque, from the Côte Rôtie, whose approximate 20,000-bottle combined annual production is highly allocated and sells for hundreds of dollars a bottle. Read more

Domaine Bernard Burgaud, Côte Rôtie (Rhône Valley, France) 2020

($73):  Côte Rôtie, a small appellation in the Northern Rhône that is home to spectacular red wines, allows the inclusion of up to 20 percent Viognier.  Burgaud included some Viognier in their Côte Rôtie in the past, but Pierre Burgaud, who is currently in charge, told me that with climate change and better ripening of Syrah, they no longer feel the need to add Viognier to bolster the alcohol. Read more

Domaine de la Mordorée, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhône Valley, France) “La Reine des Bois” 2018

($101, Kysela Père et Fils):  Domaine de la Mordorée, founded only in 1986 by the Delorme family, makes a wonderful range of wines from several southern Rhône appellations.  La Reine des Bois is, for all practical purposes, their top Châteauneuf-du-Pape (They do make a special cuvée occasionally, once or twice a decade, labeled Plume du Peintre, which is practically impossible to find and priced for the one-percenters of the world.) Read more

E. Guigal, Crozes-Hermitage (Rhône Valley, France) Blanc 2018

($28):  Guigal, an undisputed leader in the Rhône, shows his considerable talents with this white wine from what is best known for its reds.  White wine from Crozes-Hermitage comprises less than ten percent of the appellation’s total production.  This one, a blend of mostly (90+ percent) of Marsanne with Roussanne providing the remainder, delivers delicate and refined stone fruit flavors with wonderful acidity, a characteristic often lacking in Rhône whites. Read more

Costières de Nîmes: Overlooked Southern Rhône Gem

Even those who know little about wine recognize the name Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  Wine enthusiasts can name other important appellations in France’s southern Rhône Valley, such as Gigondas, maybe even Vacqueryas.  Really savvy consumers know that Vinsorbres, Rasteau and Cairanne, previously included under the Côtes du Rhône-Villages umbrella, have achieved their own appellations, and that Sablet and Seguret are two of the 21 named villages that remain under that umbrella. … Read more

Laudun Chusclan Vignerons, Côtes du Rhône (Rhône Valley, France) “Esprit du Rhône” 2015

($17, Quintessential):  Laudun and Chusclan are two villages, practically adjacent to one another, on the right bank of the Rhône, across the river from Orange and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  Although both villages are included in the umbrella appellation of Côte du Rhône-Villages, the members of the very good co-operative there, Laudun Chusclan Vignerons, also make straight Côtes du Rhône from vineyards that lie outside the strict borders of the two villages. Read more

Les Vignerons d’Estézargues, Côtes du Rhône-Villages (Rhône Valley, France) “Domaine Grès St. Vincent” 2015

($15, Jenny & François Selections):  This fine co-op, Les Vignerons d’Estézargues, bottles wine from individual members by using a domaine label, such as this one, Domaine Grès St. Vincent.  The usual Mediterranean blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan, produces an unusually fine wine. Read more

Les Vignerons d’Estézargues, Côtes du Rhône-Villages (Rhône Valley, France) “Domaine Les Genestas” 2016

($15, Jenny & François Selections):  This single grower wine, Domaine Les Genestas, from the top-notch co-op on the “other” (western) side of the Rhone delivers power without sacrificing refinement.  Made entirely from Syrah, it combines pepper-like spike with plum-like flavors wrapped in smooth tannins. Read more

Pierre Gonon, St. Joseph (Rhône Valley, France) 2012

($53, Kermit Lynch): Wow.  You don’t normally expect this kind of power and finesse from a wine from St. Joseph.  But some producers are now demonstrating that St. Joseph can be a locale for great wines.  Though it’s a long narrow appellation on the west bank of the Rhône, a portion of it at its southern end sits directly across from Hermitage and indeed, the granite rock in which the vines are planted is identical to the soil across the river.  Read more

Château de Saint Cosme, Gigondas (Rhône Valley, France) 2012

($42): Gigondas, another one of the nine “cru” in the southern Rhône Valley whose wines are distinctive enough to warrant identification by only the name of the village, is capable of producing powerful, yet stylish wines.  This is one them.  Using the usual blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cinsault, the team at Saint Cosme have fashioned a delightfully unusual combination of black fruit flavors, mineral-like nuances and herbal notes, all of which are wrapped in suave tannins.Read more

Guigal, Crozes-Hermitage (Rhône Valley, France) 2011

($24, Vintus): Crozes-Hermitage, an appellation on flatter ground surrounding the prestigious and sloped Hermitage appellation, is a sleeper site for attractively priced Syrah-based Rhône wines.  In distinction to its more famous neighbor, wines from Crozes, as they’re sometimes known, need less aging and are far less expensive, but can provide enormous value, especially when produced by a top firm, such as Guigal. Read more

Guigal, Côtes du Rhône (Rhône Valley, France) 2011

($14, Vintus): Guigal, more than anyone, is responsible for catapulting Rhône wines from a cult following in the 1980s to their now extraordinary widespread popularity.  Guigal is, of course, famous for their single vineyard bottlings of Côte Rôtie wines, La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque, which now are highly allocated and sell for hundreds of dollars a bottle upon release. Read more