The label of this wine has a lot of information that is almost meaningless to me – appellation Cotes Du Rhone controlee, and lots more French, that all those French language classes in school did not prepare me for. Well, you know me, my main interest is what is inside the bottle, not the outside!
I bought this wine because I noticed I have been drinking wine mostly from Australia & South America, and I promised to be diverse in my posts. How did I ever forget France? Ok, so yeah, it may have something to do with the fact that they insist on writing in French on their label, it makes it hard to understand what I’m buying. Thankfully, I often buy wine cause I like the label, and the font on this label is pretty darn cool. I know, not really scientific, or even something a sommelier would do, but it works for me.
Oh, and does it work for me – the wine is really, really good. The label on the back of the bottle offers a little more guidance, that I can understand, mostly cause it’s written in English (thank God!). It explains that this is a blend (most French wines are, it’s the appellation thing from the front of the label) of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre & Cinsault grapes. The result is an incredibly easy to drink wine, with exactly the peppery aromas & black cherry flavors the label promises.
I do want to mention that I got a great wine book for my birthday last year, and I took a look for Cotes du Rhone. Chateau de Beaucastel (the producer of this wine) is included, and the book says great things about the wines. Interestingly, the book mentions a Cotes du Rhone bottled by this producer that I have not yet written about, Coudoulet de Beaucastel, a wine we have drunk more than once (it’s really great), and I have two bottles laid up to see what they will be like in a year or two. I haven’t included it due to the price, it’s over the $15 limit (unless you find it on sale!). But, guess what, I think the Cotes du Rhone I am drinking right now is, in fact, the more expensive Coudoulet de Beaucastel, under a different label. Yeah, $9.99 for a great bottle of wine.
And the food, what did I serve? Mustard rubbed roast beef, medium rare. It was a good match.
Cheers!
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