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 […]
Before I get into this review, I have a quick announcement to bring to your attention. I, along with Michelle Lentz from My Wine Education, been invited to present the wine tastings this weekend at both Liquor Direct locations in Northern Kentucky. On Friday, September 26, I will be at the Fort Thomas location from […]
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. […]
Last fall, a friend of mine and fellow Cincinnati area wine blogger Michelle Lentz lost her sister, Krystal Pepper, due to a congenital heart defect. In an effort to honor Krystal’s memory, her friends and family have established a memorial scholarship in her name and are working to raise $25,000 in the next three years to […]
