Wine with Leslie: Don't delay sampling wines from Rhône, especially when they're on sale
Heard it on the grapevine: Rhone wines are full of character and flavour
As I write there are three Irish lads (one honorary) down in the Southern Rhône making wine for the ‘Les Deux Cols’ range of wines which I’ve often featured on this page. I tasted another of their wines this week for the first time along with a gorgeous white from the Northern Rhône, and these two wines that sent me into the samples pile looking for similar treats from this most intriguing of regions.
The Northern Rhône begins just south of Lyon where the river flows rather fast and furiously and has created steep banks and hills perfect for growing Syrah with a few pockets suited to white grapes: Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. The Mistral wind blows fiercely here and vines are sometimes hidden behind rocks and bluffs to protect young shoots — the climate is Continental and cooler than you might expect for Syrah.
The North makes up a very small percentage of the region’s wines despite the fame of Hermitage, Condrieu and Côte-Rotie and that scarcity means there are few bargains. By the time the river has reached the Southern Rhône villages of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas it has slowed considerably, the climate is warmer and Mediterranean in character, and you are edging towards Provençe. The mix of limestone, alluvial and sandy soils here is rich with pebbles and stones and is more suited to Grenache.
The fun of the Southern Rhône however is that you can find producers making gorgeous wines that fit no particular mould. They might make a single varietal Cinsault or Carignan from gnarly old vines that belie the less than stellar reputation of those grapes; they might go pure Grenache or mix in some Syrah and Mourvèdre which ripens easier these days thanks to climate change. Sure, why not add some Viognier into that Syrah-Grenache blend to add a bit of lustre and fragrance?
Back to the wines that inspired this column. Yves Cuilleron was at the forefront of a new generation of producers in the Rhône in the 1980s that helped raise the bar for the region, particularly for Viognier — there is a fine example here. The Irish lads meanwhile have a wine I have not mentioned before called 'Les Traversée' which means The Crossing as they had to cross the river into the Drôme-Provençale Dept to find a vineyard of 60-year-old organic Carignan vines — old Carignan is plummy and complex in contrast to its rather herbaceous younger cousins. Enjoy.
Stockist: Dunnes Stores (in 35 stores nationwide)
One non-Rhône wine this week but made from Rhône grapes Grenache Blanc and Marsanne plus some Vermentino to temper the to the typical floral-honey notes of the other grapes. Light honey, apricot and lemon verbena aromas, creamy and fruity but with a solid amount of zing on the finish. Suited to creamy pasta dishes or perhaps some fresh mussels.
Stockists: Bridge St. Kenmare, Ardkeen, Connemara Hampers Clifden, Grainey Scarriff, Little Green Grocer.
From an organic and biodynamic estate to the north-west of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Gard Départment — and a bit of a find as I’ve not mentioned it before. A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah, floral and berry aromas, bright juicy and supple with dark cherry and blackcurrant fruits and fine concentration and warm fruits perfect for Autumn days.
Stockist: Whelehan’s Wines, whelehanswines.ie
Exclusive to Whelehan’s Wines, this is reduced by €2 in their September sale and is a blend of 30% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 23% Mourvèdre, plus Marselan and Carignan. Vibrant red in colour with a purple centre; pleasing ripe red and black fruit aromas with a hint of violets, spice and dark chocolate. On the palate, this is fruity and juicy with mouth-filling berry fruits and good length — fine quality for the price.
Stockist: O’Briens
This is currently €21 but will come down to €19 on September 27. Vacqueyras is just to the south of Gigondas and gained its Cru status in 1990 and is almost always great value. Dark fruits with a garrigue, herbal edge and some dark chocolate-tinged black cherry fruits — supple and concentrated with good weight and texture and a pleasing silky freshness perfect for slow-cooked lamb.
Stockists: Bradleys, Le Caveau.ie, Green Man, Clontarf Wines, Blackrock Cellar, Lilith Wines, Redmonds, Stanfield House Louth.
Cuilleron is as famous for his viognier as for his Côte Rôtie — this cuvée is from a single Viognier plot just beside (à coté) the AOP area so a bit of a bargain (Cuilleron’s Condrieu costs around €55). This is gorgeous, richly perfumed with floral, peach and tropical aromas, heady and luscious but with a stony fresh streak for balance.
Stockists: 1601, Bradleys, Searsons.com, 64 Wines, Blackrock Cellar, Clontarf Wines, Drink Store, Deveneys, Fallon & Byrne, siyps.com
Made by the same Irish trio behind Les Deux Cols — 60-40 Carignan-Grenache. Soft, plumy, ripe berry aromas, supple and juicy with lovely weight and creamy voluptuous fruits and far more complexity and elegance than you would expect from a standard Côtes-du-Rhône. The 2019 is due to replace the 2017 but should be equally tasty.
Stockists: Celtic Whiskey Shop, Master Of Malt, Teeling Distillery, Teelingwhiskey.com
This is interesting. We forget that most blended whiskey has a huge maize content so why not make maize the focus? This is triple-distilled, predominantly maize-based, and matured in ex-Bourbon barrels with a further four years in ex-Bordeaux Red Wine casks and bottled at 50% ABV, and it is utterly delicious.
Floral red fruit aromas with a hint of cassia bark, sweet apple, and caramel flavours on the front palate followed by honey and apple pie. There’s a peppery, spicy edge to the finish but what lingers longest are the honey and caramel notes — try pouring some on caramel ice-cream to see what I mean.
