Côtes du Rhône - Red

The Robust Red Wines of Southern France

Since I recently reviewed a red Côtes du Rhône wine, I thought it would be helpful to do a post about this  southern French wine region because it offers such good value and the recent vintages of 2009 and 2010 have been absolutely spectacular. If you read this and find yourself wanting to go try some southern French wine, I highly recommend going out and buying 2009 or 2010 vintages.  I will cover white Rhône wines when I review a bottle. 

The Rhône (rone) Valley is in southeastern France, between the city of Lyon in the north and Avignon directly south. The growing season in the Rhône Valley is sunny and hot. The wines reflect the weather: The red wines are full, robust, and fairly high in alcohol. Even some of the white wines tend to be full and powerful. But the wines from the southern part of the Rhône are distinctly different from those in the northern Rhône Valley, and it is important to know the distinctions of the two different sub-regions.  

In my opinion, everyday Rhône Valley wines are some of the best bargains to be found. For a good, reliable dry red wine that cost under $20, look no further than Rhône wines with the AOC (French wine origin designation guarantee) designation of Côtes du Rhône, which comes mainly from the southern part of the region. The Rhône Valley makes more serious wines - mostly red- but Côtes du Rhône is one of the best inexpensive red wines in the world and are perfect for hearty meals. 

Wines of the Southern Rhône

Most Rhône wines come from the southern Rhône, where the wines are generally inexpensive and uncomplicated. They are mainly blends of several grape varieties. The dominant grape variety in the southern Rhône is Grenache, which makes easygoing wines that are high in alcohol and low in tannin - but some blends contain significant amounts of Syrah or other varieties, which makes for somewhat gutsier wines. Almost all Côtes du Rhône wines are red. 

Besides Côtes du Rhône itself, other southern Rhône wines to look for are:

• Côtes du Ventoux (vahn-too), which is similar to but a bit lighter than Côtes du Rhône. 
• Côtes du Rhône-Villages, from 95 villages, making fuller and a bit more expensive wines than Côtes du Rhône; 19 of these villages are entitled to use their names on the label, such as Cairanne - Côtes du Rhône-Villages. 

The next two wines are former Côtes dur Rhône-Villages wines that graduated into their own distinguishable wine appellations.

• Gigondas (jhee-gohn-dahs) is quite rich and robust and can live for ten years or more in good vintages. 
• Vacqueyras (Vah-keh-rahs) is less powerful and robust than Gigondas but also less expensive; Vacqueyras is a particular good buy and is personally one of my favorite wine regions.  

Vineyards is the Vacqueyras region.

Two interesting dry rosé wines of the southern Rhône are Tavel (tah-vel) and Lirac (lee-rahk); Lirac is less well known and, therefore, less expensive. In my opinion, Lirac is a very well prices wine and goes well with almost any food pairing. Lirac can also be white or red, but all Tavel wines are rosés. Both are made from the Grenache and Cinsault grapes. They can be delightful on hot, summer days, or at picnics. As with most rosé wines, they are best when they are young when fruit flavors are still fresh and vibrant. 

Many Châteauneuf-du-Pape bottles
have the Papal Crest shaped on them. 

But Châteauneuf-du-Pape (shah-toe-nuf-doo-pahp) is the king in the southern Rhône. Interestingly, its name recalls the 14th century, when nearby Avignon was the home of the Popes. Almost all Châteauneuf-du-Pape is red wine and a blend of grapes: as many as 13 different varieties can be used, but Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah predominate. At its best, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is full-bodied, rich, round, and ripe. In good vintages, it will age well for 15 to 20 years. Most Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines retail in the $30 to $60 price range, which is a very low price for highly collectible wine. 

The Grand Wines of the North

The two most highly respected red wines of the entire Rhône - Côte-Rôtie (coat-roe-tee) and Hermitage (er-mee-tahj) - hail from the northern Rhône Valley. Both are made from the noble Syrah grape. 

• Although both are rich, full-bodied wines, Côte-Rôtie is the smoother and polished of the two. It has wonderfully fragrant aromas - which reminds people of bacon, green olives, and raspberries - and soft, fruity flavors. In good vintages, Côte-Rôtie can age for 20 years or more. These are definitely in the more expensive range of Rhône wines. 
• Red Hermitage is definitely the most full-bodied, longest-lived Rhône wine. It is a complex, rich, tannic wine that needs several years of aging before it begins to develop, and it ages easily for 30 years or more in good vintages. They are also, in the higher price range among Rhône wines. 

Cornas, also made entirely from Syrah, is another fine northern Rhône red wine. Cornas resembles Hermitage in that it is a huge, tannic wine that needs 10 to 20 years of aging. It is also relatively expensive. 

Terraces of vineyards in Côte Rôtie.

Two relatively less-expensive red wines from the northern Rhône are Crozes-Hermitage, from an area surrounding the Hermitage zone, and St. Joseph - both made entirely from from Syrah. These wines are usually below $25 and worth checking out if you enjoy Syrah. 

Concluding Thoughts:

I hope everyone enjoyed this post about the red wines of southern France. They are definitely worth seeking out, enjoying with hearty meals, and collecting. This is absolutely one of the best value wine regions on the globe.