UNDERSTANDING THE RHÔNE VALLEY The Rhône Valley is a historic wine region, grapes were grown in the northern part of the valley in the first cen- tury AD. In the 14th Century the papacy moved from Rome to Avignon, with their holiday residence in Châteauneuf- du-Pape; today the bottles of Châteauneuf-du-Pape still wear the papal signature in various ways. The Pope’s were great lovers of wines and planted vineyards around the city. Situated in south eastern France, just south of Burgundy, the Rhône wine region is 250km long, with 250 communes, starting around Avignon in the south and finishing at Lyon – France’s second largest city. Whilst often lumped together, the appellations of the Rhône are spread out over this vast wine growing region and produce a wide variety of styles from numerous grape varieties. Climatically it is a hot region, with abundant sunshine hours suiting grape varieties that like the warmth. There are four different types of rock that make up the unique soils of the Rhône Valley; granite, sandy silica, limestone and clay. The rocks significantly retain the intense summer heat during both day and night, perfect for ripening. The Rhône wine growing region is broken into two distinct parts, the North and the South; the majority of wines produced across both are red, with small percentages of white and Rosé. In 1933 Châteauneuf-du-Pape was the first of the Rhône regions to be awarded the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée status; today there are 19 AOC in the Rhône, including some relative new comers: in 2010 the still red wines from Rasteau were granted an AOC, and in 2006 Vinsobres was awarded the AOC status. The quality levels in the Rhône Valley are a little easier to understand than some of the neighbouring French regions; wine produced in one of the AOC villages areas is labelled under that village, outside that wines are either generic table wine, or Côtes du Rhône and then a step up to Côtes du Rhône Villages. THE APPELLATIONS IN THE NORTHERN RHÔNE: CONDRIEU: Home to the opulent variety Viognier (the only variety permitted here under the AOC), where the white wines produced are rich and luscious with aromas of apricot kernel and stoned fruit. The best examples are exceptional, one of the top producers in the region is Yves Cuilleron. CORNAS: The only variety permitted here is Syrah; this is an appellation that offers some of the top fine wines in the world, for considerably less than their comparable counterparts elsewhere. The wines are densely structured powerful wines; black fruits, leather and an incredible will to just keep on giving. CÔTE-RÔTIE: The fragrant beautiful reds of the northern Rhône; the varieties permitted here are Syrah and Viognier (which can make up to 20% of the blend), although in recent vintages the amount used is declining with many producers now making 100% Syrah. Fragrant, forward, fruit driven wines that are deceptively powerful. CROZES-HERMITAGE: The majority of Crozes-Hermitage are red wines made from Syrah; there are small amounts of white produced from Marsanne and Roussanne. Geographically the Crozes-Hermitage AOC is diverse; when found, the best examples are excellent value and mature earlier than the other appellations of the northern Rhône. HERMITAGE: Based around the Hermitage hill, there’s Syrah, Marsanne and some Roussanne planted in this appellation. Characteristically the red wines are big, bold styles, full of ripe fruit characters, strong tannin structure, black pepper and spice. SAINT-JOSEPH: The early drinking appellation in the northern Rhône; the whites are in the minority and are generally made from Marsanne and Roussanne, the reds from Syrah. Both red and white Saint-Joseph are fruit driven, fragrant, more gentle styles best to drink in the short term. SAINT-PERAY: One of the smallest appellations in the northern Rhône, Saint-Peray is a white wine appellation producing both still and sparkling white wines. CHÂTEAU-GRILLET: A tiny appellation consisting of 3.5ha on the right side of the Rhône river; there’s only Viognier produced here and only by one producer. A very unique appellation, grapes have been grown here since Roman times and from 1936 it was an AOC. PRICES VALID UNTIL 31/07/2013 UNDERSTANDING THE RHÔNE VALLEY RECENT VINTAGE RATINGS EXCEPTIONAL VINTAGES North: 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 South: 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010 GOOD VINTAGES North: 1996, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012 South: 1999, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012 THE APPELLATIONS IN THE SOUTHERN RHÔNE: CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE: The charming superstar of the southern Rhône; here there are 13 permitted varieties although only three producers, including Beaucastel and Mont-Redon, that grow all 13 varieties. Of all of the appellations, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is very hard to make gen- eralisations about, the styles produced are wide ranging and there are 8100 hectares currently under vine. There are Châteauneuf-du-Papes that are excellent young and serious long lived wines produced here; in this appellation, perhaps more than the others, knowing the producers style and identifying the one that suits your taste is key. GIGONDAS: This is a predominantly red appellation, with the main varieties being Grenache, Syrah, Mourvè- dre and Cinsault. The wines produced here are strong, robust wines with chewy tannins and a rich fruity character; they are generous and rounded. LIRAC: Often referred to as the Rosé producing appellation in the south; whilst Rosé is produced there, the majority of production is red wine made from a mix of grape varieties. In New Zealand we generally only see Rosé Lirac. TAVEL: An appellation solely reserved for Rosé production; there are nine varieties that can be used to make Tavel including Grenache and Cinsault. VACQUEYRAS: A sleeping superstar that is starting to wake, this appellation in recent years has started to produce some wines of exceptional quality and nicely enough without the massive jumps in price. The majority of this appellation is red wine, with Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre dominating the landscape. The wines are fruity, forward wines, plenty of dried herbs and spice; generally there’s a strong acid backbone that adds lift to the wines. BEAUMES DE VENISE: Whilst Côtes du Rhône Villages in Beaumes de Venise are produced in an appellation in their own right, the highlight of this appellation is the fortified wines made from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains which is only permitted in this appellation in the southern Rhône and fall under the Muscat Beaumes de Venise AOC. VINSOBRES: The newest addition to the appellations in the Rhône, producing red wines from Grenache and Syrah that are distinctly fresh and fleshy. RASTEAU: This appellation has recently had its red wines recognised as an AOC, a classification that it already held for the fortified red wines produced here from Grenache. The still red wines, in the newest part of the appella- tion, are made predominantly from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. GADAGNE: An appellation on the outskirts of Châteauneuf-du-Pape where red wines are produced predomi- nantly from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. PRICES VALID UNTIL 31/07/2013 Château de Beaucastel This high-end, family-owned winery is one of the oldest and finest producers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The organically farmed Château Beaucastel wines possess the ability to age fabulously, and present with a distinctive character that is all their own (while renowned as one of the best, their blend is definitely atypical). Along with Mont-Redon and Domaine de Nalys, Beaucastel is one of only three producers within the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation to have all thirteen of the permitted grape varieties planted, and their individual red blend carries a greater than usual proportion of Mourvèdre. The property is today in the hands of brothers Jean-Pierre and François Perrin, who learnt their craft from their late father Jacques, and perpetuate his exacting standards as they engage in their own stylistic enhancements. PLU Brand Name Vintage Retail Now 40660 BEAUCASTEL CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE 2005 $168.00 $125.00 Robert Parker, 93/100: "Medium to deep garnet colour. Aromas of dark cherries, raspberry compote, cardamom, black truffles and a touch of star anise. The palate is full bodied, richly fruited with medium to high acidity and a medium+ level of grainy, slightly chewy tannins. Concentrated with a good compliment of structure to hold it up. Long peppery finish. Drink 2010 to 2025+. Tasted August 2009." 40662 BEAUCASTEL CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE 2007 $205.00 $145.00 Robert Parker, 96/100: "Beaucastel’s 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape has turned out even better out of bottle than I predicted. An inky/ruby/purple color is followed by a glorious nose of blue and black fruits, truffles, pen ink, licorice, and meat juices as well as glorious levels of acidity and sweet tannin, buttressing the fruit’s fabulous freshness and vibrancy. This full-bodied effort still displays considerable tannin, no doubt because of the relatively high Mourvedre content. It should resolve its tannins in 2-4 years, and last for 25 or more." 40665 BEAUCASTEL CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE 2008 $205.00 $125.00 Robert Parker, 90/100: "The 2008 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape is one of the few outstanding wines produced in this vintage. More evolved than Beaucastel’s wines tend to be, it reveals a healthy dark plum/ruby color, notes of licorice, meat juices, smoked game, black currants and garrigue, medium to full body, silky tannins, good freshness, surprising depth for the vintage and a long finish. Drink it over the next decade." 40667 BEAUCASTEL CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE 2010 $205.00 $144.00 Robert Parker, 95/100: “Interestingly enough, even though many of the 2010 Perrin et Fils selections from the southern Rhone were scheduled to be bottled right after my visit, the 2010 Beaucastel had already been put in bottle.