Southern Rhône Reds
SEPTEMBER 2023
This month's club wines are two back-pocket reds from France's Southern Rhône Valley. They are great selections year round, but they are particularly good end-of-summer, first-signs-of-fall reds. Easy drinking, good with foods across the board, not heavy, not light. Just delicious crowd-pleasers! Hope you enjoy.
Côtes-du-Rhône Villages
The Rhône Valley appellation has a pyramid ranking system with entry level wines designated as Côtes-du-Rhône AOC. The next level up (which generally indicates more complexity in the wine from specific soils & microclimates) is Côtes-du-Rhône Villages. Third level in the pyramid is Côtes-du-Rhône Villages + [the name of the village], an additional honor. The pinnacle of the pyramid are Rhône Crus, where only the name of village is on the label. These are the most famous and expensive wines from the Rhône: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras & more.
Your club wines are a Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Laudun, so vineyards around the village of Laudun and a Vin de France from vineyards just outside of the Côtes-du-Rhône AOC which belong to Domaine des Pères de L'Eglise, a family-operated estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Domaine Allégret
Didier Allégret (pictured above) is the third generation to run this family farm. They grow a large assortment of fruits and vegetables (pictured below) with 7 hectares of vines as a part of the operation. Your club wine is an estate wine in the sense that all of the grapes are from Didier's estate, but he subcontracts with the local co-op to produce his wine at their facility.
Domaine Allégret 2019 Laudun Côtes du Rhône Villages Rouge
Southern Rhône, France // Reg $17.99 | Wine Club $14.99 | Mixed Case $11.99
Blend: 52% Grenache & 48% Syrah. Lots of dark fruits. Blackberries, dark plums. Nice complexity. Note of spice. Good body. A little drier than the last vintage. Delicious wine. Drink now to 2 years. Enjoy with a lamb chop with rice pilaf, a homemade burger off the grill, or a thin-crust pizza with brussels sprouts, caramelized onions & gruyère.
Domaine des Pères de L'Eglise
The Gradassi family owns and operates this estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Serge & his niece Laetitia (pictured above with Serge’s sons) are the 6th & 7th generation of their family to run the estate. Note the hilltop village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with the ruin of the residence of the pope in the background (below).
In addition to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Gradassi family has vineyards in Lirac, Côtes-du-Rhône & a new property in Le Gissac, Saint-Laurent-des-Arbres (Vin de France) which they purchased in 2017. Interestingly, it's 10 minutes southeast of Laudun on your way to Châteauneuf, another 15 kms southwest from there!
L'Espirit des Peres de L'Eglise 2021 Rouge
Vin de France // Reg $15.99 | Wine Club $14.99 | Mixed Case $11.99
Blend of 80% Grenache & 20% Cinsault. Fruity with a hint of earth on the nose: fresh blueberry, mushroom, violet, dried blackberry. Lighter- to medium-bodied with fresh acidity. Bright finish. Bright purple in color. Fun wine! Drink now to 2 years.
Enjoy with grilled tuna or spicy tuna salad with crispy rice. Low in tannins, this wine would be great pairing with many spicy dishes. Just make sure the dish isn't so rich & heavy that it overpowers the lighter body of this wine.
Love these wines! Hope you do, too.
Cheers,
Jens Strecker, Owner
Portalis Wine Shop