Wine with Leslie: Rhône favourites to make you feel you're on a wine trip
With time to think during the latest lockdown, I have been reminiscing about some of the best wine trips I’ve been on over the years. One of my very first trips was in 2004 at exactly this time of year as a guest of Inter-Rhône which promotes the region. I remember the date as the trip coincided with the Bush-Kerry Presidential Election — I stayed up to watch the results on French TV and discovered to my surprise that one of my fellow wine writers was a big fan of George W Bush.
It was a hugely useful trip with the chance to visit iconic villages in the region such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Tain l'Hermitage and Gigondas; and meet such legendary producers as Alain Voge from Cornas who sadly died in September this year at the age of 81. Voge's wines were not imported here as they were much in demand in markets with more money to spend. He was quite taciturn on the day but the wines stood out — exotic, complex and intense. It was thanks to Voge and just a small handful of others that Cornas has such respect and commands such high prices these days.
In Voge’s cellar that day were three other Irish people on a similar trip: Simon Tyrrell (then an importer), Charles Derain of Nomad Wines (then a Sommelier in Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud) and Gerard Maguire of 64 Wines in Glasthule — a gorgeous shop and wine bar that is a must-visit if you find yourself in that part of South Dublin near the Joyce Tower in Sandycove.
These three amigos are now partners in Les Deux Cols — a wine range that I have mentioned here in the past — and are recently returned from the 2020 harvest. This was a very dry year in the Rhône with very uneven ripening that was causing serious worries in August. Then at the end of August it rained heavily which was all the vines needed. Within a day the vines had unblocked themselves and the bunches ripened almost overnight.
What followed was an intense period of picking that ran daily until Sept 27 with some Grenache vines ripening before the Syrah (it should be the other way around), and while the skins were thinner this should be a good vintage for early drinking with fine fruit flavours. While we wait for the 2020s here are some other Rhône favourites of mine, the O’Briens’ suggestions are on sale for November-December.
This is made in one of the Rhône’s oldest cooperatives in the village of Rasteau which has lots of gnarly 120-year-old Grenache vines dating from the late 19th century. Rasteau is a 30-minute drive to the north of Châteauneuf-du-Pape but the wines are lighter with a wilder, earthier edge. This has ripe soft black fruits with spice notes and a pleasing juicy easy-drinking style.
This is from a tiny cooperative to the west of Avignon with around a dozen growers — most producers bottle their own wine but I think this is a general blend from the co-op. Made from 50% Grenache with 30% Syrah and 20% Carignan this has spicy red fruit aromas with darker plum fruits on the palate with black cherries, blackberries and pepper and liquorice notes.
Chapoutier is one of the largest organic/biodynamic producers (in their own vineyards) in France and is always reliable. This is from bought-in grapes and great value at this price (for November-December), bright, juicy and soft, packed with spice-tinged red and black fruits with lots of character and texture.
Cairanne was promoted to Cru status in 2016 having previously been listed as a Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages but with the privilege of having its village name on the label. This has ripe smoky, spicy aromas of blackberry and cherry with lots of soft ripe fruits on the palate with good structure and complexity and lingering spicy red currant flavours.
Mainly Roussanne plus some Ugni Blanc from 18-year-old vines — barrel fermented in old oak for both the alcoholic and malo-lactic and rested on its lees for six months to add texture and flavour. Lemon oil and honeyed aromas with more honey on the palate but with that classic tense Roussanne acidity mingling with the supple lemon-honey fruits. The reds are also recommended.
Owned by the Cazes family of Château Lynch-Bages which has spent serious money improving the wines and restoring this old estate. The blanc version is one of my favourites with lots of nervy Rousanne and a peaches and cream character. The red is exactly what you want from Châteauneuf — silky and ripe with layers of sweet, spicy red and black fruits that linger and linger.
An important new whiskey release this week — this is the first Cask Strength Single Malt Whiskey to be released by Bushmills in more than 15 years. The 1995 Malaga Cask at 53.5% (€400) has rich woody black coffee aromas and lingering spiced dark chocolate flavours.
The 2008 Causeway Moscatel Cask is perhaps the more accessible — this was eight years in Bourbon and Oloroso cask and then four in Moscatel. Gorgeous caramel floral and apple notes on the nose, heat on the first sip developing into toffee and treacle notes, and some fine complex dark toffee and spice on the finish — just 1,454 bottles are available.
