Quick Sips :: 9 Côtes du Rhône Style Wines

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending another great wine tasting this time at Windham Wines in Brattleboro, VT. Sheila McGovern of Vineyard Brands presented 9 Côtes du Rhône style wines produced by Perrin & Fils including La Ville Feme, Tablas Creek, and Chateau de Beaucastle.

From my readings, Côtes du Rhône style reds are primarily Grenache and Syrah with smaller amounts of other varietals blended in. There are no required percentages for Rhône style wines, just that all the grapes are grown in the Rhône Valley. Rhône whites use Grenache Blanc, perhaps Viognier and other grapes.

Over the course of the 2 hours Sheila verbally guided us through the different Rhône style wines of France and also of California where the Perrin family’s Tablas Creek is located. I don’t have scores for these so enjoy the notes:

2009 Perrin Reserve, Côtes du Rhône, Blanc – a musty, floral nose. Very, very light but not watery. Moderate acidity accompanies the mineral-ness. A slight bitter note on a modest finish. A bit too light for my taste but nice.
2007 Tablas Creek Vineyard, Esprit de Beaucastle, Blanc, Paso Robles – Vanilla notes on the nose. Nearly Chardonnay like in its buttery taste. Not syrupy sweet like a Chard and not oaked. Interesting wine.
2009 La Vielle Ferme, Ventoux, Rosé – pale red. Floral and delicate on the nose, the palate got light strawberry sweetness. Nice balance of sweetness and acidity. A pleasant wine, however rosé isn’t my style.
2009 Perrin Reserve, Côtes du Rhône, Rosé – floral smells with a deeper body and less acidity than the 2009 La Vielle Ferme Rosé. Still not a rosé person.
2007 Perrin Reserve, Côtes du Rhône, Rouge – Inky red in color with a very nice cherry/berry nose!! Peppery and spicy with fine modest tannins.
2007 Perrin & Fils, Gigondas, “La Gille” – Strong alcohol nearly over powered the black cherry and berry nose. Rich body, peppery with the same fine tannins.
2007 Perrin & Fils, Chateauneuf du Pape, “Les Sinards” – Darker than the Côtes du Rhône. Leather and pepper with a smoky tint. Stronger fine tannins.
2008 Tablas Creek Vineyards, Esprit de Beaucastle, Rouge, Paso Robles – Sweet cherry/berry and herbage nose. Fruity with more pronounced tannins.
2007 Chateau de Beaucastle, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rouge – deep dark fruit – currents, raisins, figs. Very, very smooth with ultra fine tannins. There is great balance right away. No wonder this is $109.

I’ve really liked the Chateau de Beaucastle, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rouge but purchased the Perrin Reserve, Côtes du Rhône since it was within my modest wine budget. While I wasn’t much on the Rhône white or rosé wines, the reds I can see myself drinking with hardier fare – steaks and other meats with hardy sauces come to mind.

The event was definitely worth the $25 price of admission which included some really excellent food pairings. If you are in the Brattleboro, VT area, the Windham Wine store is definitely worth your time even if they are not having a tasting event.