Côtes du Rhône Challenge
FEBRUARY 2024
Okay, so this is a fun idea. We got our hands on a co-op Côtes du Rhône Rouge at a discount and a family-owned Châteauneuf-du-Pape property with a Côtes du Rhône vineyard (also at a discount), allowing us to put the two head-to-head in this wine club. Which do you prefer? Is the family estate $5 premium worth it? You decide.
Côtes du Rhône AOC
This appellation produces the basic, entry-level wines in France's Southern Rhône Valley. The red & rosé wines are a Grenache-based blend regularly including Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Carignan & Counoise. The region also produces a luscious, white blend using (often) Grenache blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, and (sometimes) Bourboulenc, Clairette blanche, Piquepoul blanc & Ugni blanc.
This region has a Mediterranean climate, meaning hot, dry summers and mild, moist winters. And it has the Mistral, a famous wind pattern that can be destructive but also brings value to vineyards. (See the post below!)
A $15 Côtes du Rhône is a beautiful thing, not to be underestimated. If you are ever in a grocery store in a town you don't know and you need a reliable wine that everyone at your party will enjoy.... this is a great wine to have in your back pocket!
About 'Le Mistral'
From a Domaine des Pères de l'Eglise Instagram video post> on November 2023:
Do you know the Mistral? Our famous wind that drives you crazy?
This morning, I was looking for a post idea and I wondered: what are winegrowers talking about at the moment? Breeding? Malos? Vineyards? NO! We're all talking about the Mistral which has been raging since yesterday and promises to be stormy all week! The first episode of the season (and certainly not the last!).
Do you know the Mistral? He is strong, he is violent, he is legendary, he is as much feared as adored by winegrowers.
💨 It is one of the essential components of our terroir and our climate in the Rhône valley: it clears the sky, dries the air and its frequency partly explains the exceptional sunshine and the clarity of the air in Provence.
💨we also call him: the hat remover, the mud dryer and the sweeper!
💨 a saying: if the sunset is red at dusk, it's Mistral the next day.
💨 it is also said that he is there for 3, 6 or 9 days.
💨 his record is 320km/h at Ventoux on November 19, 1967.
Winegrowers fear it as much as they love it: it freezes the blood in winter and penetrates every possible corner during the cold pruning days but it can also save crops from frost, protect against mildew and rot and helped with the concentration of sugars.
The Gradassi Family
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Pictured above is Serge Gradassi (fifth generation grower) with his wife and sons working the 2020 harvest. He has been the head of his family's estate – Domaine des Pères de l'Eglise – since 2002. His niece, Laetitia Gradassi (in the video explaining Le Mistral & in the vineyards with her dog at the top), took over her father's half of the estate about 10 years ago when he died unexpectedly. Their property covers a little over 19 hectares of which 15 hectares are in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Other vineyards include: Lirac, Côtes du Rhône & vineyards outside of the Rhône Valley proper. I think these guys are super-talented winemakers.
Domaine des Pères de L'Eglise 2021 Côtes du Rhône Rouge
Southern Rhône, France // Reg $19.99 | WINE CLUB $17.99 | Mixed Case $14.39
65% Grenache, 20% old-vine Carignan, 10% Syrah, 5% Cinsault. Aged in concrete tanks. Nose of garrigue. Raspberries, wild strawberries. So inviting. This wine over-delivers! Seriously out of this world. Flavors of black raspberries, blackberries on the medium+ body. Super acidity. Finish is dry. Just goes on and on.... Drink now to 2 years. Pairing options abound: roasted chicken, burgers, pizza, grilled meats & more.
Vignerons Propriétés Associés
Located south of the town of Nîmes, VPA is a big Rhône co-op that provides several services:
They contract with local wine growers and then have winemakers on staff that produce Rhône wines in large quantities, gaining economies of scale that the growers would not have on their own. They produce wines using 31 varietals from 9 appellations: including Côtes du Rhône Villages, Laudun, Côtes du Rhône, Costières de Nîmes, Vacqueyras, Gigondas as well as some small quantities from Languedoc & Northern Rhône. Their wines are excellent as are their prices.
The co-op also offers international sales and marketing services to small family estates who grow and make their own wines. Currently they represent 20 chateaux & domaines.
Ozilhan 2020 Côtes du Rhône Rouge
Southern Rhône, France // Reg $16.99 | WINE CLUB $11.99
*no further case discount on this wine
70% Grenache, 30% Syrah. Dark fruit on the nose (so fun, you'd expect red) with a touch of garrigue. Lots of black raspberries, blackberries on the medium-bodied palate. Great acidity. Well-balanced. Note of licorice on the finish. Terrific value. Drink now.
And we're curious... let us know if the Gradassi family's version is worth the premium? (I think both wines are great, but my opinion is clear!)
Cheers,
Jens Strecker, Owner
Portalis Wine Shop