$10 Tuesday: Perrin Côtes du Rhône

Perrin Reserve
Red Côtes du Rhône

Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13%
Grapes: Grenache (60%), Syrah (20%), Mourvedre & Cinsault (10%)
Price: ~$9

Aromas: Bramble, wet stone, garrigue, violet, pepper, raspberry
Flavors: Cherry, orange, coffee, pepper
Acidity: moderate
Mouthfeel: suede


Summary: This is great everyday table wine with plenty of CdR character. The great thing about a cheap Côtes du Rhône is it has so much more interest than a similarly priced mass produced new world wine. It is not as plush and may take some getting used to if you are accustomed to something more homogenized but, I really recommend getting out of your comfort zone and trying something like this with a meal. Personally, I find a lot of the mass produced wines give me heartburn, whereas, a wine like this has the opposite effect. Overall, this is a pleasant, not overly complex or bold wine with a velvety peppery finish.
You can read more about the 2006 harvest over at Beaucastel Blog.

Burgers and Côtes du Rhône Red

Burgers are a rare treat in our house, but tonight we indulged in a couple of big juicy burgers with caramelized onions on St. Joseph's rolls--and yes, they were rare, and all the better for being made from local grass-fed beef. Of course, we could have had them with beer but, as I said, this was a special meal and called for a little more thoughtful pairing. Definitely a red, but nothing too heavy. A Côtes du Rhône Grenache/Syrah blend fit the bill.

Louis Bernard 2006
Côtes du Rhône
Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $11.99
Color: Plum
Intensity: Dark
Aromas: Blackberry, smoked meat, anise, coffee, garrigue
Flavors: Black currant, chokecherry, prune, anise, allspice, tobacco
Body: Full
Acidity: Moderate
Finish: Long

Wine Spectator usually rates this producer in the 86-87 range but don't let that deter you from trying it. Wines under 90 points are inexpensive and are often a steal compared to their higher-priced >90 point counterparts.

This wine benefits from at least 45 minutes of decanting to let the aromas open up (just don't let it get too warm). The flavor is fruity on the front-end, and quickly progresses to a dusty tobacco/spice/blackberry finish. It was a good pairing with our meal: Enough panache to complement our flavorful burgers but, casual enough to drink with burgers and fries. Gretchen over at Everyday Wine found this wine also pairs well with bleu cheese. This wine is a solid value at $11.99.

Read more about why grass-fed beef is better.

A Real Crowd Pleaser

I don't throw backyard parties but, if I did, I'd probably buy a case of this wine to serve to my guests. For one thing, it's too hot right now to be drinking red wine, and at seven bucks a bottle, this wine is very budget friendly. It's pleasant for sipping with it's apricot and nutmeg aromas and citrus/cranberry flavors, and is easy-pairing for a wide variety of foods.
Our first meal with this Côtes du Rhône Le Pas de la Beaume Rosé 2005 was a delicious pasta primavera. Our Rosé performed beautifully; at the same time sturdy (like a red) and refreshing (like a white). The next night, we had it again with a Phở-inspired rice noodle bowl with fresh veggies, basil, and Clay Pot Pork--another nice pairing. This Rosé isn't just a great party wine, it's a great summer 'red.'

Garnacha-cha-cha

I picked up this little number for my love of Grenache. I think we paid seven or eight bucks for the bottle. This is the bottle from whence the featured cork of Thursday last came. The wine is 2006 Almira Los Dos.

2006 Almira LosDos "Old Vines"

Grenache 85% Syrah 15%
Campo de Borja
Alcohol: 14%

Aromas: Pomegranate, fig/apricot, vanilla, black currant, wet stone
Flavors: Pomegranate, fig, bread

Summary: Medium-bodied with great color, this easy-drinking wine offers a delightful change of pace from the everyday while still being an everyday wine. Deliciously fruity on the nose, with bright pomegranate and golden fig-to-apricot aromas (figricot). Refreshing and dry on the palate--a great summer red.

I've seen mixed reviews of past vintages of Almira Grenache blends but I think 2006 is worth a look. It's certainly quaffable and would do fine with burgers, but this figgy wine would also shine with more thoughtful pairings such as lamb and grilled vegetables. We paired it with what we'll call tapas in keeping with the Spanish theme (aka: antipasti) including olive tapenade, marinated artichoke hearts and cheeses.

Côtes du Rhône Rocks

Who's with me? I love this stuff. Tonight we opened a bottle of Côtes du Rhône Rubis 2005 which we picked up after a Rhone Tasting at Gordon's in Waltham, Mass.

I was reading a post on Tom Wark's blog today where he was comparing wine evaluation to music preferences; in essence making the point that wine appreciation, like art appreciation, is subjective. I would go a step further and say that beyond just being subjective from one individual to the next, our personal reaction is volatile too. Just as a song may send chills up your spine the first time you listen to it, but not the second time, wine can come at you in a lot of different ways as this wine did.

So, here are the official 'objectively' written tasting notes:

Aromas: Cherry, cassis, blackberry, rosemary, violet, mint
Flavors: Cassis, cherry, rosemary, cedar, olive

Summary: Nice supple fruit on the nose is rounded out with garrigue garnish. Fruit hits the tip of your tongue and turns to chewy herbal flavors on the mid-palate with medium body. Medium long finish with hints of cedar and tobacco.

...and here is the review I twittered earlier this evening which is more or less an impressionistic snapshot of an aesthetic moment which occurred in the midst of an hour long interaction with this wine (IOW, how I would paint this wine with words):

Smells like grape jelly on baked red earth from Taos, w/ orange zest & granulated garlic. Tastes like thorny rose & BBQd lavendar. BAM!

Either way, great wine and spectacular value at $12.99.

Elegant Barossa Valley Shiraz Blend

Hey, guess what? Not all the wine from the Barossa Valley in South Australia is "big and brash." We tasted the Langmeil Three Gardens 2006 Shiraz blend yesterday at Salem Wine Imports. The wine retails for between $15-$20 and is a blend of 43% Shiraz, 37% Grenache, and 20% Mourvèdre creating a much more supple and moderately extracted wine. With blackberry and vanilla aromas giving way to subtle fruit and violet on the palate, and echoes of chocolate covered cherries on the finish, this Australian blend was a pleasant surprise. After googling it, I discovered that this wine was rated a "91" by Wine Spectator which means you better get some while the getting is good!

Liking the Cheap French Wine '05

It felt like it was time to take the plunge last weekend and buy a bottle of French wine we knew nothing about. Well, not nothing: I new 2005 was a good vintage. So, we picked up a bottle of $9 Cotes du Rhone. Turns out this AOC is known for turning out good quality inexpensive wines so, we did okay. There was also a bit of serendipity involved: Taster A was standing right next to the display when the merchandising message for the 2005 Cotes du Rhone came over the loud-speaker. I mean, that kind of thing just doesn't happen every day.


I wasn't expecting such a fruity wine. The aromas and flavors both smack of cherry, raspberry, and blueberry which is another nice surprise: The nose and flavors are actually very well aligned. I also get random whiffs ranging from molasses to licorice in this wine.
Floating on top of the fruit like a thin film is a light earthy/chalky aroma. The pores of the wine give off spice--cumin to black pepper (reminds me of an old roommate of mine). The spice and toast kind of meld into a moist cigar kind of thing.

This is a dry wine (which is to be expected) and with the cigar aroma, I actually got the physical sensation of smoke in my lungs.

Now for some of my wonderful made-up bogus food pairings: Beef Wellington comes to mind. Also spanakopita.

Overall, a well-balanced wine. Not overly complex but fine for $9 I should think.

Domaine Le Pigeonnier 2005
Côtes du Rhône
Alcohol: 13%
Price: $9.29
Color: Deep Ruby-Purple
Grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre

Addendum: Former enthusiasm notwithstanding, this puppy went flat within 5 days of being opened...