VINTNER ’ S TALES
By Richard Household
Happy Tasting !
Irecently enjoyed a ‘ work ’ trip to the southern Rhône Valley . It was a wonderful excuse to escape the miserable British weather and fly into the beautiful early spring warmth of the south of France . It proved to be a successful visit , recharging my batteries and reinvigorating my love of Rhône wines .
I started travelling to this part of France more than 25 years ago and it never fails to leave a huge impression on me , from the steep slopes and impossible vineyards of the northern Rhône to the wide expanses and heat of the southern Rhône . The stunning wines reflect the garrigue ( that unmistakable smell of wild herbs and spices ), some tapenade and sweet warmth in the fruit . Sweet and savoury wines at their very best – what ’ s not to love !
I flew into Marseilles and drove a little over an hour to reach the majestic and historic village of Gigondas . For any wine lovers out there , this has to be on your list of ‘ must do ’ places to visit . I mean it … you have to tick that box . The views are spectacular , with the striking Dentelles de Montmirails behind you and the valley plain in front of you . The vista across the valley is just about the best
way to see the hills of Rasteau and Cairanne to the south as the panoramic view expands out ahead . It helps to understand why topography is so important to the wines produced . With increasing global temperatures and the resulting really hot Mediterranean summers , the wines can sometimes struggle with alcohol and balance . Here you have to choose your wines with great care . With a little homework , however , and plenty of tasting , comes great reward .
The Rhône Valley produces wines at all levels from easy drinking Côtes du Rhône ( mostly Grenache ) through to the great Châteauneuf-du- Pape . More on that in a moment . The southern Rhône produces 95 % of all Rhône wines and most of that is at the cheaper end . Here , the use of Syrah is a problem . In the heat of the valley floor Syrah becomes very jammy and ripe and will overpower the wine with high alcohol and huge tannins . Most of the wines are made from the blousy , sweet and generous Grenache grapes . The view from Gigondas will help you understand why the Villages wines of Rasteau and Cairanne are a clear level up in quality . The altitude , terroir ( less clay and more limestone ) make the resulting wines fresher , more elegant and more balanced . They are superb value as well . My personal favourites are wines produced by the Perrin family and a small domaine in Rasteau called Domaine Martin . Look out for their Sommets de Rasteau !
A huge excitement in my wine obsessed world was visiting a small vineyard in Gigondas called L ’ Argnée . Why you ask ? Well , I ’ ll tell you … the vines on this plot are classed as vieilles vignes . Nothing odd in that term except that these vines are over 125 years old ! They pre-date the viticultural catastrophe that was Phylloxera – the devastating aphid that wiped out the vineyards in Europe in the late 20th Century . It is impossible to exaggerate how bad this plague was to wine ( and Cognac ) producers . There is still no cure apart from grafting the European grape varieties ( like Chardonnay , Cabernet , Syrah and so on ) onto American rootstocks that are resistant to the curse . The larvae of the aphid are not fond of really sandy soil . As a result there are pockets in the south of France , Australia and so on where they can do no harm . These vineyards are extremely rare . This small vineyard in Gigondas is one such place . Standing in the vineyard , surrounded by the old vines and enjoying a glass of the 2012 vintage was a real treat !
Before moving on to Châteauneuf-du-Pape , I can ’ t leave Gigondas without mentioning a wonderful restaurant in the village called L ’ Oustalet . A day in the vineyards is followed by a wonderful meal and you can even stay in the guesthouse behind . There ’ s no excuse …
The most famous appellation in the southern Rhone is Châteauneuf-du-Pape . It is a fairly small area of 3,500 hectares with around 80 producers , the most famous of whom are Vieux Télégraphe , Château Rayas and Château de Beaucastel . The appellation system was invented here in the 1920s and the soil is full the famous galets – those pudding bowl stones . Here you will find some of my favourite wines ! Very few of the producers use all 13 permitted grapes for the red wines but Château de Beaucastel does and I love their wines . They use a higher proportion of Mourvèdre in their blend and the result is a wine that ages magnificently and for a very , very long time . I tasted vintages going back to 1990 – WOW ! It is a region to explore in depth from the blended reds to the extraordinary whites . I tasted old vine Roussanne that was magnificent , one of the best
Richard Household .
This small vineyard in Gigondas is one such place . Standing in the vineyard , surrounded by the old vines and enjoying a glass of the 2012 vintage was a real treat !
white wines I have tasted … ever .
As I hope you can tell , it is a region that I get very excited about and it is well worth exploring . There is also a financial reason for re-visiting these wines . With prices rocketing in Bordeaux and Burgundy , the Rhone Valley offers very good value to quality . Yes , wines like Château de Beaucastel are on the pricey side but not when you compare to the Crus of Bordeaux and Burgundy . Lower down the price tree , the wines are excellent value . Look out for wines from Cairanne and Rasteau and especially from Vinsobres , given its own Cru status in 2005 . Vinsobres is to the north of the southern Rhone – a bridge between the northern and southern Rhone Vallies and the wines and fresher from higher slopes .
I haven ’ t even mentioned the delights of Vacqueyras , Beaumes de Venise and Tavel – so many delights here and just shows you that the southern Rhone will look after all tastes and almost every style
Happy tasting !
Visit : www . bromptonwine . co . uk E-mail : richard @ bromptonwine . co . uk Tel : 07801 579616
14 THE LONDON & UK DATEBOOK