At first glance, the name “Louis Bernard” has a very regal appeal to it. It conjures up images of an old world wine producing family that has passed down the estate and wine-making knowledge for several generations. Ah, but how a name can be deceiving. Louis Bernard was actually established in 1976 as a cooperative […]
As we continue our tour of wines from the Côtes du Rhône region, we try this one produced by Jean and Michel Gonnet. Gonnet is most well known for producing Chateauneuf du Pape from the Font de Michelle estate, which was established in 1950. In 2002 the family purchased additional vineyards in the Gard region, […]
The Guigal family has owned vineyards in Côtes du Rhône since 1946, primarily focused in Northern Rhone appellations such as Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie. The blend in this wine is 55% Syrah, 35% Mourvedre, 8% Grenache and 2% others varieties. With Syrah as the dominant variety, it is characteristic of a Northern Rhone blend. It has […]
There are a few things about Layer Cake Côtes du Rhône that you’ll notice are different from other Côtes du Rhône wines. The first thing you’ll notice is that the brand is more Americanized than others. The name “Layer Cake” is much more contemporary than the names on most Côtes du Rhône wines and the […]
It’s been a few days since I’ve posted, in fact it’s been a few days since I’ve been online. Last weekend we had the remnants of hurricane Ike come through Cincinnati and brought 70 mph winds for several hours. That left me and hundreds of thousands of other folks without power all week. What do […]
Montirius is a wonderful example of the values you can find from Côtes du Rhône wines. They have been a family-owned estate for five generations, and as such have a lot of experience producing quality wine that reflects the traditions of the region. While they’ve been producing wine for generations and used the knowledge passed […]
Made of 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah, this wine comes from the southern part of the Côtes du Rhône region near Orange, Vaucluse in France, and more specifically just outside the village of Camaret. This is not far from the famous Chateauneuf du Pape appellation. Domaine du Vieux Chene produces a number of wines from […]
I avoided the French aisles of wine shops for ages, mostly because I was intimidated by names like this one: Château Beauchêne Vignoble De La Vialle Côtes du Rhône Villages. And in addition to being a fairly hefty name, many of the French producers use the fanciest scripted fonts they can find, making it totally […]
The price on this bottle of wine can’t be beat for a decent Côtes du Rhône. Before I opened this bottle I was worried that it might be flabby, but that wasn’t an issue. The nose is a little tight, but much more intense and interesting than I was expecting from such a bargain wine. […]
It’s time to begin our next series of reviews, and as promised it’s red blends from the Côtes du Rhône region, and I’ll highlight a couple wines from the Côtes du Rhône-Villages appellation. First let’s explore what this appellation is. Côtes literally means, “hills.” So, think of these wines as from the hills of Rhone. […]
