Terres de Galets Cotes du Rhone 2009

It's been far too long since I've posted here - about a month and a half. My apologies. I bought a case of wine from Majestic for Christmas, as did my brother-in-law, whose family was spending the holidays with us. All in all none of the wine impressed. I was so disappointed in their ordinariness that I couldn't even bother to post about them.

We're also trying to save money. We've just bought a new house that needs renovating, so every pound saved is valuable. My wine consumption has plummeted, and most of the wines we do drink are favourites that I've blogged about before.

However, it's time to get back in the saddle. I picked up this Cotes du Rhone from Sainsbury's because it was cheap, and had a sticker from the International Wine Challenge on it. The sticker was gold coloured but it didn't say "Gold" on it. I was pretty sure it was meaningless but I bought the wine anyway because I think the 2009 Rhone vintage was supposed to be pretty good.

The wine isn't bad really - you could do much worse for the price. It had obvious spicy Rhone character and quite an impressive nose. Palate-wise it decent..it could use a bit more body and length but it did the trick on the night. Nothing wrong with it really (except if you paid £9.99 for it).

FYI the winemaker seems to be Gabriel Meffre in Gigondas.

Terres de Galets

Cotes du Rhone 2009

Cotes du Rhone AOC, France

Sainsbury's

£4.99 (£9.99)

3/5

Naked Wines Domaine Cristia Grenache Syrah 2009

Surely you've heard of Naked Wines? You know the company set up by ex-Virgin Wines employees whose marketing vouchers fall out of everything you buy?

The idea behind the company is simple - they invest in new winemakers in return for preferential prices, and pass the savings on to the customer. If you become a 'Naked Angel', you can pay a chosen amount into your Naked Wines account on a monthly basis, and then redeem it anytime you wish (or take it out). When you do make a purchase, you get 33% cash back.

Several months ago I received one of their vouchers (something like £40 off), and decided to have a look - they were new and their concept sounded interesting. I created an account, but after looking at their website and checking out the wines and the prices, I was unconvinced. There were several mistakes in the website (i.e. Argentine wines showing up in the Australia section) and the general lack of information about the wines an winemakers put me off. This gives the impression that this whole business is a family-like affair, where the customer, winemaker and the business are this one big close-knit group. If that were the case, surely this information would be readily available?

Either way, I left it alone for awhile until yesterday when I received an email with an offer to buy a taster pack of six wines and only paying for the tax and the delivery. It amounted to about £18, at which price I don't really care if the wines are any good. Also, it gives me a chance to try them out and see what this place is all about.

The first wine I tried is this Grenache/Syrah blend from what is I think the Southern Rhone. First of all, it tastes like it, and after some digging on the Naked Wines website it turns out that the same winemaker also makes Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Why is this information not there with the wine? Here is what appears when you click the wine, and then the link labelled 'The Facts':

Style: Easy drinking reds
Grape: Shiraz, Grenache & Other Spicy Reds
Country: France
Alcohol: 13.00%
Vintage: 2009
Size: 75cl

You only find out where the winemaker is from when you click the 'Meet the Winemaker' link. Of course, this wine still could be from anywhere according to the label on the bottle, which just says 'Vin de France'. No appellation, nothing. One can only assume it's a Vin de Pays, which is fine but why not tell us the region and classification?

So how is the wine? It tastes like an entry-level Cotes du Rhone. It's not too bad - it has quite good fruit but it also has some roughness to it. Better with food. Someone left a comment on the Naked Wines website saying it needed to breathe for an hour, and I'd say there were right - it takes the edge off this young wine, and opens up the fruit.

I'd say the price is too expensive as well. It goes for £7.99. I'm not saying it's overpriced for a VdP, after all it could just be a VdP because they used too much of some grape variety, or the vines aren't in the right location for an AOC wine. I'm saying it's too much for what the wine is. Considering you could get a Guigal CdR for £6 on offer in Waitrose, why would you buy this for £8, and pay delivery on top?

I have 5 more bottles to try - hopefully I get the time to blog them all. To be honest they all look like potential plonk - an Aussie Shiraz (from the ubiquitous South Eastern Australia region), a Chilean Merlot, an Argentine Sauvignon Blanc, a South African Chenin Blanc, and a Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc. However I'll try to be objective with all of them. After all, I think the only thing wrong with the Domaine Cristia is the price.

Naked Wines
Domaine Cristia
Grenache Syrah 2009
VdP Rhone (I think), France
2.5/5

Sainsbury's House Côtes Du Rhône

Here's another wine from Sainsbury's house range. I actually bought the boxed version of this to make mulled wine with for our Hallowe'en party, with an intent to evaluate it on its merits as a table wine. Again, this seems to be a non-vintage wine.

Well, it tastes like a Côtes Du Rhône at least, with typical spiciness and Ribena-ish flavours. It has some earthiness but is still light, not too bad really. If you're partial to this region this might be a winner.

Sainsbury's

House Côtes Du Rhône

Rhone Valley, France

£14.49 (3L box)

2.5/5

Cave de Tain Les Hauts de Pavieres Crozes-Hermitage 2007

Cave de Tain Crozes-Hermitage used to be a bit of a favourite around here a few years ago, and then for whatever reason fell off the radar. Sainsbury's offers a Cave de Tain bottling, and we used to pick it up whenever it was on offer. I think the last time I had it didn't really enjoy it for whatever reason, perhaps my tastes have moved on.

Come to think of it, I can't really remember the last time I really enjoyed a red from the Northern Rhone. I find the wines quite lean, which in itself is fine, but they also seem to lack fruit. This example is no different. The peppery Syrah notes are there (it's made from 100% Syrah), and it has good acidity and some minerally, gravelly notes. It's a fine food wine actually, but I wouldn't say it's one of my favourite regions. Good if this is your thing.

Cave de Tain

Les Hauts de Pavieres Crozes-Hermitage 2007

Rhone Valley, France

Waitrose

£7.99 (£9.99)

3/5

M. Chapoutier 'Belleruche' Cotes du Rhone 2007

I ordered a couple of bottle of this (among others) a couple of weeks ago from Majestic, and it looks like it's already sold out, or it's sold out enough to not be offered nationally.

2007 was a good vintage for the Rhone. Actually I can say from my own experience the South is good, haven't tried any Northern Rhone wines yet from 2007. Cotes du Rhone can be hit or miss with me, but this is a good producer and a good vintage.

The wine is good. Dark, almost burnt red fruit and some good tannin. High alcohol (14.5% - par for the course really) but good complexity and finish. For a generic appellation wine this is pretty good. Not my favourite of the Rhone reds I've been drinking recently but I'd buy it again, especially at this price (£5.99 on offer).

M. Chapoutier

'Belleruche' Cotes du Rhone 2007

Rhone, France

Majestic

£5.99 (£7.49)

3/5

Gabriel Meffre 'Les Grands Cypres' Vacqueyras 2007

I've been enjoying a lot of Rhone wines recently. I think between the high quality of the 2007 Rhone vintage (especially the south) and the poor quality of the 2007 Bordeaux vintage I'm seeing more of the former that I'd find worth buying on store shelves these days and less of the latter.

Vacqueyras is an appellation in the Southern Rhone, neighbouring Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas. The primary grape used here Grenache, followed by Syrah, and other typical Rhone varieties such Mouvedre, Cinsault, etc.

This wine is on an introductory offer at Waitrose for £7.59 until December 1st when it will sell for is regular price of £12.34. I was expecting a lot from it, being the 2007 vintage and also the product of Waitrose's excellent buying team.

It's a fairly robust wine. I found it very 'soft and round', also with some tannin to it. It seemed to be lacking something though - perhaps some mid-palate character. It also had a bit of a short finish I thought. Overall I was slightly disappointed, but perhaps I'm being harsh - I was mentally comparing it to another Southern Rhone Waitrose wine which is a favourite of mine and hard to beat at this price point.

Gabriel Meffre

'Les Grands Cypres' Vacqueyras 2007

Vacqueyras AC, Rhone, France

Waitrose Wine Direct

£7.59 (£12.34)

3/5

Waitrose Cotes du Rhone Villages 2008, Bag-in-Box

Anyone who thinks there is anything inherently wrong with shipping wine in a vacuum packed bag is either a snob or an ignoramus. However, usually the quality of the wine itself isn't terribly high. It can be OK, but boring. Plonk, if you will.

I tried this wine at a friend's house last year, and I thought it was above-average, even better then the bottle of CdR Villages that I had brought (by coincidence - think it was M. Chapoutier actually). Anyway, it's handy to have a boxed wine around for loads of reasons. This particular one isn't carried by my local Waitrose, and to get it online you have to buy a pack of 4, which is too much even for me, so I had the aforementioned friend pick up a box for me at his local branch.

This is the 2008 vintage, and I think the one I had sampled before was a different one, perhaps the 2007 which was an outstanding Rhone vintage. The 2008 is fruity and easy-drinking but not spectacular. At £20 it's not the cheapest bag-in-box out there, but it will be one of the better ones.

Waitrose

Cotes du Rhone Villages 2008 Bag-in-Box

Cotes du Rhone Villages AOC, Rhone, France

£20

3/5

Domaine du Joncier 'Le Classique' Lirac 2007

Most of what I have to say about this wine I've already said in my post about the 2006 vintage. The 2007 is now available and it's on offer at Waitrose for just over £7 per bottle. 2007 is being touted as an outstanding vintage for southern Rhone, and because I was so impressed with the 2006 I ordered an entire case of 12 of the 2007.

I opened a bottle a couple of days ago just to try it. Unfortunately, it was right after a wine tasting, so my palate was a bit dulled. I picked up where I left off the following day however, and the wine didn't disappoint. This is one of the things that Waitrose excels at - wines for under £10 that punch well above their weight. Highly recommended.

Domaine du Joncier

'Le Classique' Lirac 2007

Lirac, Rhone, France

Waitrose

£7.11 (with 25% off)

4/5

Chartreuse de Bonpase Reserve Cotes du Rhone 2007

This is a pretty decent Cotes du Rhone from Louis Bernard. It is from their Chartreuse de Bonpase range, which I think is supposed to be a bit more high-end than their generic appellation wines.

It has a good red-fruit nose and a nice chalky, minerally palate with good grip. A nice wine, and good value at £5.99 (from £8.99). I'm always moaning about the lack of decent, well-priced Rhone wines. Well, here's one. Recommended.

Louis Bernard

Chartreuse de Bonpase Reserve Cotes du Rhone 2007

Cotes du Rhone AOC, Rhone, France

Sainsbury's

£5.99 (£8.99)

3/5

Cellier des Dauphins Vinsobres 2007

This is a "Cru" level wine from the village of Vinsobres in the southern Rhone (further explanation of Rhone crus here).  

I didn't find this wine as exciting as the one mentioned in the link above, however it was still pretty good.  While the Lirac was all about meaty Syrah, this seemed more about sweet, ripe Grenache character, with a bit of oak as well.

Decent complexity, acidity and high (although not out of balance) alcohol sums this up.  I'd say it's a pretty good bargain at £5.99 (on offer).

Cellier des Dauphines

Vinsobres 2007

Waitrose

£5.99 (£8.99)

3/5

Domaine du Joncier "Le Classique" Lirac 2006

Finally, a Rhone wine under £10 that I found to be really enjoyable.  This red comes from the appellation of Lirac in the southern Rhone.  On the label, the producer refers to it as a "Cru des Cotes du Rhone".  This doesn't mean that it belongs to the "Cotes du Rhone" appellation, but rather that it's an appellation in its own right, and resides in the Rhone region.  It's the same sort of deal as with Chateauneuf-du-Pape, among others.

It's a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan and Cinsault.  It's also mentioned on the label that the wine was made with "minimum filtration" and is unfined (although I didn't notice any sediment).

Just lifting the glass to your nose gives you an indication of what's to come.  The intense alcohol and fruit aromas are almost skull-piercing, and the concentration (and alcohol) levels are reflected in its thick, syrupy legs.

Flavour-wise, it's classic Rhone, although much more intense than the some of the dreck I have previously had the misfortune to try.  Savoury notes of dark fruit, herbs, and grilled meat are all present.  These are cliché tasting notes for Rhone wines (and Syrah in particular), but they are all indeed there.   This is all then followed by a long, gravelly, smoky finish.  Good stuff.  I'm going to buy more.

I'm giving this 4 out of 5.  I think I'm being a bit stingy with the ratings actually.  Because most of the stuff I buy is under £10, I'm used to stuff just being "good" rather than great, hence I give out a lot of 3's and recently, 3.5's.  However I don't think I give out enough 4's.  I'm kind of starting to realize that a 4 out of 5 (or even a 4.5) doesn't have to be a world beater.  A 5 though, should be.

Domaine du Joncier

"Le Classique" Lirac 2006

Lirac, Rhone, France

Waitrose

£6.99 (on offer)

4/5

E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2005

An enjoyable Cotes du Rhone is a bit of a result for me. I usually have better results with the more selective appellation Cotes du Rhone Villages. Either way, here exists a CdR that is pretty decent indeed.

The Guigal estate is one of the most famous of the Rhone, and it's easy to see why with this delightful offering. Rich, complex and savoury, it's nothing like the raspberry-water of some of the other, inferior CdR wines I've had recently. Made mostly of Syrah and Grenache, it apparently has an aging potential of 8 years, according to Guigal's website.

This is simply miles better than anything else from the Rhone that I've tried at this price, especially at the current offer price of £5.99.

E. Guigal
AC Cotes du Rhone 2005
Rhone Valley, France
Waitrose
£5.99 (£8.99)
3.5/5

La Chasse du Pape Reserve Cotes du Rhone 2007

I thought I'd try this Rhone wine, even though I don't normally like them, because 2007 was supposed to be a superb vintage in the Rhone.  Yes, this is an entry-level wine and may not be the best expression of Rhone valley grapes.  However, the quality of the vintage should shine through, shouldn't it?

For me, nothings really changed.  It still tastes like a cheap Cotes du Rhone.  With enough swirling and sniffing a reasonably decent cherry fruit character can be detected in the nose, and it is drinkable.  There is a slightly bitter aftertaste however.

I can't say it's not decent value for money though, and obviously there are people that enjoy this style of wine.

Gabriel Meffre

La Chasse du Pape Reserve Cotes de Rhone

AC Cotes du Rhone, Rhone Valley, France

Tesco

£4.76 (£5.96)

2.5/5

Domaine Belle Hermitage Blanc 2001

(as part of a fine wine tasting)

The Hermitage appellation in the northern Rhone valley is probably more well known for its red wines than it's white, but the whites are no less coveted.

Produced from a blend of Marsanne and Roussane (the exact proportions are unknown) and with 8 years of bottle age, this wine had a deep yellow colour and a nutty, almost sherry-ish aroma, along with notes of honey, caramel and vanilla.

This wine was part of a "fine wine" tasting we participated in with a group of friends. Admittedly I did a poor job of taking notes, and I see that I didn't actually note anything down to do with how this wine actually tasted. What I do remember though is how well it went with the suggested Beaufort cheese, combining to make a really nice, caramel/honey flavour.

Recommended with fish, seafood and things with butter sauce.

My usual rating system will be difficult to apply to the wines that we had during this tasting. Usually a 3 and above means "I'd buy it again", but at these prices that's not going to happen anytime soon, so for now I'll pretend I can actually afford to drink them.

Domaine Albert Belle
Hermitage Blanc 2001
Rhone Valley, France
Oddbins Fine Wine Store (41a Farringdon Street , London)
~£37
3.5/5

Tesco Finest St. Joseph 2006

This purchase was a gamble. One reason that it's a gamble is that I rarely pay more than £7 for a bottle. The other reason is that I'm trying to find a Rhone red wine that I actually like.

It was a gamble and I lost. I know that St. Joseph doesn't produce the most stunning wines of the Rhone valley, but at this price I expected more. Where are all these big, powerful wines that I'm always hearing about? This isn't powerful, it's limp and tastes like raspberry juice. It could easily be mistaken for a Beaujolais. Maybe that appeals to some people, I don't know. If I had paid full price for this (there's no way I would have), I would have returned it.

I don't know who produced it, and I don't care.

Yes, I know I'm not going to get the Rhone's finest example of Syrah for nine quid, but surely I don't have to shell out £80 for a "proper" Hermitage or Cote-Rotie? I've said if before, maybe I just don't like Rhone wines, but I'm still not convinced I've had a really, really good one.

Tesco
Tesco Finest St. Joseph 2006
St. Joseph, Rhone Valley, France
£8.99 (£14.99)
2/5

Sainsbury's Limited Release Cotes Du Rhone Villages 2007

This is an OK-ish CdRV from Sainsbury's "Limited Release" label. I've seen these Limited Release wines around Sainsburys for a while now, and this is the second one I've tried. The first one, a new world Chardonnay, was unimpressive. This is a little better though. It's a very ripe, juicy red that is acceptable for the half-price cost of £4.49. It paled considerably in comparison to a couple of other reds we had that evening however, and I wouldn't go near it for the full price of £8.99.

Sainsbury's
Limited Release Cotes du Rhone Villages
Rhone, France
Sainsbury's
£4.49 (£8.99)
3/5

Perrin et Fils, Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne 2007

This wine is another example of a named-village Côtes du Rhône Villages. Cairanne is the village this time.

2007 is supposed to be an excellent vintage for the Rhône. This wine is 14.5% alcohol, so if that's anything to go by, grape ripeness was not a problem. It's a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah. We got a lot of different scents out of this one, not all of them good. I think "toilet duck" was one of them. I found it has the sort of herby, raspberry type flavour of southern Rhône wines that I don't generally like.

I have to reserve judgement on this one a little. Reds from the south of France aren't my favourite (Rhône or not). Mind you, it's mostly the lower end, fruit-forward style that I end up trying, and I just don't like the flavour that much. I'm sure there are some great ones, and I'm going to make an effort to seek some out. Either way, everyone else seemed to like this wine, and Perrin is a good producer, so if you're a fan of this style of wine you should give it a try.

Perrin et Fils
Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne 2007
Côtes du Rhône Villages AC, France
Waitrose
£6.66 (£9.99)
3/5

Domaine de la Grande Bellane Organic Côtes du Rhône Villages Valréas 2006

I find wines from the Cotes du Rhône a bit of a mixed bag, at least at the lower end of the spectrum, which, to be honest, is all I can afford. I find there is a marked increase in quality in the Cotes du Rhône-Villages appellation, so that's what I usually go for. This wine is from the next classification in the hierarchy: Cotes du Rhône Villages (named village). In this case the named village is Valréas.

This particular wine I found interesting. Not because it's organic (I couldn't care less about that), but because at such a low price it exhibits all the characteristics of a "fine wine". It's got nice, fruity flavours, good acidity, and even tannins. OK, it's a bit high in alcohol (14.5%) and probably couldn't be described as "fine", but at this price it'll do for me.


Domaine de la Grande Bellane
Côtes du Rhône Villages Valréas 2006
Valréas, France
Tesco
£6-7
3/5