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Pyrenees & Southern Rhone
imported by Chateau St. Martin
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Pyrenees & Southern Rhone |
Come join us this Saturday and try some great wine from the south of France. We’ll be pouring two wines from the Pyrenees and three from Rhone valley from the portfolio of local direct importer Chateau St. Martin. Jeremy Minor will be on hand to show off the wines. |
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2004 Domaine de La Serre Cailloux Blanc, Cotes Catalanes $10.50 |
| Grenache Blanc, Muscat, and Macebeo. From the Pyrenees Orientales, on the Spanish border, the Côtes Catalanes offers many value wines built on a base of French and Spanish varieties. The Cailloux Blanc is a beautiful, bright straw-gold hue. The nose is at first, very driven by the grapey perfumed spice of muscat. However, as the wine opens up, aromas of green apple and lemon cake emerge. In the mouth it has a richness balanced by the right amount of juicy acid. Easy to quaff and full of sunshine. |
| 2005 Domaine de Pignan Blanc, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, $33 |
| 40% Grenache Blanc, 20% Clairette, 20% Roussane, 10% Bouroulenc, 5% Picpoul, and 5% Picardan. This is a very rare wine with less than 5,000 bottles produced each year. The wine is a field blend from 60 year old vines. Half of the wine is aged in French oak for 6 months. Not overly aromatic, decanting or aerating really helps release the crushed pineapple, yellow plum, and toasted coconut aromas. In the mouth it is creamy in texture, with a zingy citrus note on the finish. |
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2004 Domaine de la Serre Cailloux Rouge, Côtes Catalanes, $15 |
| 90% Grenache, 10% Carignan Côtes Catalanes soils are generally old schist and granite formations with the occasional limestone and clay deposits. Given the soil mixture and the warm, dry climate, Grenache and Carignan find themselves right at home. From vines averaging 40 years of age, the Cailloux is generally very extracted and full-bodied. The tannins are substantial, as is the alcohol. Yet the wine carries all of this with grace. Primary flavors include strawberry preserves, blackberry fruit and black pepper, along with a leathery streak. Decanter gave the wine four stars. |
| 2004 Château des Roques, Vacqueyras , $19 |
| 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre If you are a Châteauneuf-du-Pape fan, but want a value under $20, then Vacqueyras is for you. The 2004 bares more than just a slight resemblance to its more famous Southern Rhone brother. Not a heavy wine, it features refined tannins and a delicate acid balance that gives a long finish. On the nose, Mediterranean spices mingle with the raw strawberry and black pepper of Grenache. This wine should drink nicely for the next five years or so. The des Roques got 90 pts from Stephen Tanzer. |
| 2004 Domaine de Pignan Rouge, Chateauneuf-du-Pape $33 |
| 64% Grenache, 12% Syrah, 12% Mourvedre, 6% Cinsault, 2% Counoise, 2% Muscardin. 1% Vaccarese and 1% Terret Noir Domaine de Pignan has been in the same family hands since 1855. The vines average 60 years, with a section over 100 years old. While not deep in color, the Pignan Rouge is deep in flavor, featuring an extremely aromatic profile of fresh strawberries, black berries, a touch of lavender, and some leather. In the mouth it has plenty of refined tannin and just the right amount of tart acid. The finish is lengthy, with a note of freshly ground black pepper. This is a very complex wine, with flavors and aromas in constant flux as the wine opens over time. |