Let Your Heart Rhone — The Sud (that’s French for South).

Okay, I know the French have been the brunt of millions of jokes about all the battles they’ve lost. But when it comes to wine, one French wine region has put together a winning streak that would make Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant jealous. I’m talking about the Rhone Valley. Now, the first thing you gotta know about the Rhone Valley is that there are two parts to it, The North and The South. And they both make outstanding wines. This post is about The Southern Rhone, where the red wines are mainly blends of Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre, but can also contain up to ten others — including a few white grapes! I know, that’s crazy. Trust me, it works.

So, what did I mean by “winning streak?” Well, Wine Spectator magazine has given the vintages of the Southern Rhone at least 90 points or higher (out of 100, of course) going back to 1998. Only 2002 (dismal 76 pts) and 2008 (a quite decent 88 pts) failed to hit at least 90 pts. This is a very general rating, but it means it can be pretty hard to go too far wrong with a red from the Sothern Rhone.

The BIG wine of the South is the famous Chateauneuf du Pape. There are several wineries that make amazing Chateauneuf, including La Nerth, Pegau, Vieux Telegraph, La Gardine, Beautcastel, E. Guigal and Pierre Usseglio (I have the La Gardine, E. Guigal & Beaucastel in my cellar). But they’re not cheap! Chateauneufs start in the mid $20 range, and go up to $100+ a bottle. I know, I know! However, there is a second (or little) red wine of the South called Cotes du Rhone, and they’re much more affordable. Those are the wines I’m really gonna talk about. (They make a Cotes du Rhone white blend, too. But that’s for later.)

Cotes du Rhones generally are blends of two or three red grapes, Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre. Many of these wines are made up of grapes that didn’t quite make the grade for the winery’s Chateauneuf. Others are simply from vineyards on the wrong side of borders of Chateauneuf, so by law, they can’t be called Chateauneufs. Chateau de Beaucastel’s Cotes du Rhone is the best example. It’s called Coudelet de Beaucastel, and it embarrasses some Chateauneufs, but the vineyard it comes from is on the wrong side of a gravel road.

Anyway, Cotes du Rhones are a deep purple/red in color, smells like black cherries, red plums, cassis, ginger, soy sauce, cracked black pepper and sometimes lavender. Here’s the best part, it pretty much tastes like all that, too! If the Syrah content is really high, you might also get blueberries & some bacon. It’s a great wine with everything from pizza & burgers, to roasted chicken, grilled lamb and game. Way yummy stuff! And get this, they start at like $5.99 at Trader Joe’s, and run up to $30 something (Coudelet de Beaucastel). Names to look for include, E. Guigal (my fave), Perrin Reserve (the family that owns Beaucastel), Delas, Sata Duc, Chapoutier, Vidal Fluery and Rasteau. But there are tons more. And with the prices and long run of killer vintages you can take a chance on almost anything you find. Be adventurous. Taste a few. That’s what wine’s about!

Cheers.