Oct. 29--A two-part look at the Rhone Valley: This week, the south.
Rhone wines, 80 percent of which are red, have long been known for their strength and color. Their dramatic power is little equaled in French red wine.
Winemakers and vineyards have been in the Rhone Valley, from the town of Vienne 125 miles straight south to Avignon, for more than 2,000 years. Some believe that the ancient Romans denuded the river's banks of forest, planting vineyards there, to remove hiding places for marauders along Rome's key north-south Gallic artery.
At least 23 wine grape varieties now grow along the river's banks, although you need note only six. For white wines, they are viognier, marsanne and roussanne; for reds, syrah, mourvedre and grenache.
One of the crowning achievements in French wine is the system of appellation d'origine controlee (AOC), which governs grape growing and wine production for the country. In the 1930s, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, one of the Rhone's best-known appellations, gave rise to that system by being the first appellation in France to set up its own production rules.
The valley of the Rhone is of two parts: the north, small and celebrated, and the south, large and familiar. In this column, a look at the south; next week, a nod to the north.
The northern and southern Rhone have little in common except for the river that names them. Climate, aspect, soils, major grape varieties and market all differ. The south also produces rose and sweet wines, neither seen from the north in any significant quantity.
And, of the two areas, the south is the workhorse. Ninety percent of Rhone wines come from the southern districts of the Rhone Valley.
Though Cotes du Rhone is by far the most popular wine made in the southern Rhone, the undisputed king is Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a red wine made by blending from more than a dozen grape varieties (with grenache, mourvedre and syrah being the three used most often). The name dates from the 14th century, when Pope Clement V quit Rome and set up residence in his native France, at Avignon.
More wine comes from Chateauneuf's 8,000 acres alone than the entire northern Rhone can produce. Three factors make it delicious: a basis of grenache, heady, in your face and juicy; some of the lowest grape yields in the French AOC system (one-half that of Bordeaux, for example); and the fact that winemakers forgo the wholesale use of new oak. What you get with Chateauneuf-du-Pape is fruit that mediates its soil and terroir.
The two appellations of Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone Villages are mammoth in both size and output, labeling bottles of a full 75 percent of all wines made in the entire valley.
Eighteen of the dozens of wine towns in the district are allowed to append their name to the Villages designation, as in Cotes du Rhone Villages Rasteau (which, along with Cairanne, Sablet, Seguret and Beaumes de Venise, make up the tastiest top five).
The two villages of Gigondas and Vacqueyras produce such outstanding examples of red wine that they shed the "Villages" designation in 1971 and 1990 respectively and are now labeled under their single names. Gigondas is weighted with grenache and Vacqueyras with syrah. They are the sturdiest, most robust examples of red wines from these grape varieties in the southern Rhone.
The appellation of Tavel means "rose wine" for most Americans, especially those who have vacationed in the south of France. By and large made of grenache, it is as dry as a lick on a stone, with intense berry flavors. It is, hands down, one of the better wines to wash down most Provencal cooking.
And while people hold the sturdy reds of Beaumes de Venise in high regard, they remember the village for its very aromatic, medium-sweet, fortified wines made from the muscat grape. In the town center, they sip it as an aperitif, not for dessert.
Recommended
Here are some recommended wines from the southern Rhone, with short notes.
2013 Chateau de Trinquevedel Tavel Cuvee Traditionelle Rose: Gorgeous copper-pink, heady with red fruits; spicy finish; $20
2013 Chateau Mont-Redon Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc: A rare white, aromatic of nasturtium; $43
2011 Tardieu-Laurent Cotes du Rhone Guy Louis: One-third syrah, which makes for deep, brooding color and character; $32
2010 Montirius Vacqueyras Le Clos: Round and robust but also very fresh and lively; note of licorice; $27
2011 Domaine Les Aphillanthes Rasteau 1921: Extremely ripe fruit, almost compote-like; hint of vanilla; warming; $30
2011 Domaine Catherine Le Goeuil, Cotes du Rhone Villages, Cairanne: Frais de bois-like fruit character; unctuous texture with leather note to finish; $23
2011 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues: Fantastic grenache with 20 percent mourvedre for forthright aroma of dark cherry and earth; $79
2011 Perrin Fils Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Sinards: From younger vines; supple, soft, very perfumed; $45
2011 Tardieu-Laurent Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Speciale: All-grenache; an enormous wine -- brawny and meaty -- that carries its power gracefully; big but vivacious; $80
If your wine store does not carry these wines, ask for one similar in style and price.
Bill St John has been writing and teaching about wine for more than 40 years. bsjtrib@gmail.com
