Grenache in the Southern Rhone
Written: Feb 17 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: This is most definitely, a quality price performer.
Cons: At this price, nothing worth fretting about.
The Bottom Line: A wine I would buy again at the right price.
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| alex39's Full Review: M. Chapoutier 'Belleruche' Cotes du Rhone Red 2007 |
The Negociant, M.Chapoutier has a broad array of wines in his inventory; some are priced near the $300.00 range and others drop drastically into what can best be called the 'affordable' range.
The 2007 Belleruche Cotes du Rhone Red (there is also a white with this designation) falls into the latter category...at under $15.00 in most shops and on-line merchants.
But, don't let that lower price fool you; this is a very well made bottle of wine, rated quite higly by both Parker and Wine Spectator folks, at 89 and 88pts.
I would gladly drink the wine if you served it to me, and I'd not be ashamed in the least to serve it to guests at dinner in my home.
Were I to pour it for you, I lwould like to be serving something simple, a comfort food beef stew for example, or a meat-loaf with garlic mashed and a zesty gravey.
The wine, while not complex and displaying intense fruit qualities, is a hearty red with sufficient tannins to handle a mild tomatoe sauce and even a Ketchup on your burger or meat-loaf.
The Composition: 80 % Grenache, 20 % Syrah.
Aromas: mostly black fruits and plums but there also is a little of the pepper one should expect in a Southern Rhone blend.
Flavors: Once again, not complex, not layered, but very pleasant on the palate with sturdy texture enough to classify as a medium bodied red.
Finish: Hmmmmmmm...this part was interesting for me; I felt the strongest quality of the wine was its staying power. Swallow, and the flavors remain long seconds afterward...pleasant fruit flavors, not intense enough for me to identify which fruits exactly, but fruity in a mixed berry jam sort of way.
All in all, I rate the wine a solid performer and worth your taking the time to try if you run across it.
Recommended:
Yes
Year: Earlier
Winery Name: C. Chaptoutier, negociante
Varietal: Other
Designation: Southern Rhone Blend
Country: France
County or Appellation: Cotes-du-Rhone
Price: 15.00
Wine Rating Scale: Drinkable
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Epinions.com ID:
alex39
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Member: alex saliby
Reviews written: 70
Trusted by: 49 members
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