I’m just three days away from running my twenty first marathon (and ninth Boston
Or two.
At least.
I’ve got a fire blazing here in the fireplace, my puppy at my side, the Red Sox playing at Fenway on the HDTV and a glass of Cote du Roussillon waiting for a taste.
There are two regions of the wine world that I’m still trying to understand: France and Italy New England , and as I ask many questions about wine regions, varietals and vintages; I have found the following to be true:
Anyone who tells me that they understand to a great extent all that there is to know about French and Italian wine are either LIARS or BAD LIARS. Consequently, I find myself purchasing wine only from those store owners and wine purchasers who admit that they too are still working to understand such French wine as Cotes du Roussillon.
Here’s what I can tell you about this stuff: Cotes du Roussillon is a controlled designation of origin in France , referring to wine from Roussillon: a county of the Eastern Pyrenees located on the south most tip of France
Cote du Roussillon mostly produces red wine, with Grenache being the major varietal. Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) rules call for the wines to be made with at least three different varietals. The traditional grapes used are Grenache Noir, Grenache Blanc, Carignan, Lladoner Pelut, Cinsault, Macabeau (same as Viura, or the Spanish Macabeo), and Malvoisie. Newer varietals include Syrah, Mourvedre, Roussanne, and Marsanne (these last four from Cote du Rhone) and also Vermentino (from Italy
So, tonight I’m pouring a 2008 Syrah, Grenache blend Cotes du Roussillon which I’ve allowed to decant for thirty minutes. I don’t know much about the 2008 vintage (I understand the 2005 and 2007 vintages are just as spectacular as those in Bordeaux
Color
So, first let’s give it a look. It’s a light bodied color, almost like a slightly darker Pinot but it’s got a ruby glow to it under the incandescent light I’ve got here. I’m not sure what to expect from this region of France
Nose
I gave this thirty (that’s a three followed by a zero with nary a decimal point or comma) minutes to decant. You’d think that with that kind of oxidation something might happen where it would open up and reveal itself a little.
I mean, if it’s corked it’s either going to smell of cardboard or wet dog: and Indiana
I do smell some cherry notes, but I have to inhale deeply to get that, even after repeated swirls. I do get some sugary scents, nothing major just a hint of goodness. What I can pull into my olfactory sensory neurons is good, it’s just very subtle. It’s pleasant, but not a bomb, which is good, just not great. So, I’m scoring this a twenty-two. I thought hard about this score, and you’re going to just have to trust me on this one: of a possible thirty points, this isn’t a twenty-five and it’s not a twenty. It’s a solid twenty-two. (Either that, or my sense of smell is starting to fade).
Palate
Ahhhhh, nice. Now a couple of things here; when I taste wine I always make a point to really slurp it up good: it drives my wife INSANE as I gurgle, slurp, snort and re-slurp (that’s a word, really; I just don’t have the dictionary from which it is included available at the moment, and don’t go looking for it now when we’re in the middle of a wine review, that would be rude!). So, I did plenty of that just now: slurp, inhale from my mouth, swish, gargle, slurp (I am so much fun to spend time with!).
Here’s what I’m getting:
Bacon. Mole Sauce. Buffalo Chicken Wings, leather, sour balls, and on the finish: chalky raisins.
I like this wine. I went into this bottle without expectations and was kinda setting myself up for disappointment with the weak (but nice) nose: but now I get it. Now I understand what the winemaker was trying to do here. This is a Syrah/Grenache blend, and there’s something else in there that I can’t quite figure out…but it’s good.
The marketing notes on the bottle says “325 days of sunshine a year, some of the lowest yields in France, and growers who are fully committed to quality have given this wine all the complexity of a great Cotes du Roussillon. It is an ideal accompaniment to red meat, game and cheese.”
In other words, they tell me NOTHING about the wine. Thanks Vignerons Catalans en Roussillon .
As for mouth feel, I like it. It’s not gummy or too watery, I’d say it’s just right. The finish was short, with a puckery little sour note at the very end, but not unpleasant.
I’m scoring this one a thirty-five out of forty. I really liked this wine and could see myself having this with a juicy burger with onions, or out on the deck (slightly chilled) on a hot summers day. It’s not a Pinot, but it’s a very nice flavorful expression of a Syrah/Grenache blend, with something else in there to make it light.
Overall
So, simply put I’m going to give this Cotes du Roussillon a seventeen for it’s overall score. I think the light nose is pleasant, but not “nose grabbing”, the color and palate are good to great and now that I figured out what the wine maker was trying to say with this I can honestly say that I’ll look for wines from this region again.
That means that the total score for this 2008 Cotes du Roussillon is (drum roll please? Can’t anyone provide me with a drum roll when I need it?)
9+22+35+17= 83
Eighty-three points! Not too shabby!
To everyone who is running the 114th Boston Marathon with me, here’s wishing you a great run.
To everyone who is stuck waiting for flights from Europe ; I’m praying for clear skies and hoping you can run with us. It won’t be nearly as much fun without you.
Salute!
- Steve
