Everyone who knows I’m “into” wine likes to talk to me about certain varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère. If we ever meet (and I really hope that we do) and should the opportunity arise (and if you’re a wine drinker…I like coffee as well by the way, so no need to imbibe) I would savor, with you, a glass of the aforementioned varietals.
But as much as I love (slobber over) Bordeaux
Cotes due Rhone (aka Banks of the Rhone ) is an “Appellation d’Origine Controlee” (AOC) wine region established in 1650. It’s a subset of the Rhone wine region (note to all who will drink wine with me: I AM A RHONE FREAK, thank you). This is an area in the Southern Mediterranean that dates back to the Roman occupation (as my family is half Italian, I’ve got a healthy appreciation for the area).
Ever hear for Saint Valentine? The guy was an actual “Saint” of the Church of which I am affiliated (Roman Catholic) and his relics (bones) were brought to this region in 1868 in hopes that it would protect the vines from the Phylloxera of 1866 (French wine freaks like me lament over this period of wine history).
Saint Valentine appeared to help Cotes du Rhone, as tonight’s tasting clearly demonstrates.
This is a 2007 Jean-Luc Colombo Cotes du Rhone Les Abelilles, being tasted in honor of the fact that at 3:50 AM seventeen years ago I was in a baby delivery room in Worcester, Massachusetts watching my wriggling little boy be born (one of the most momentous moments of my life by the way).
So let’s get sipping (and much to my wife’s chagrin: SLURPING)
Color (8/10)
This wine is translucently purplish in color with berry tones. This is a Cote du Rhone for summer afternoons where the sun will shine through the glass illuminating your hand with a bright violet glow. I score this an 8 because it deserves it. This is just a shade darker than a Pinot.
Nose (26/30)
Chocolate cherry, strawberry goodness. I’m getting light notes of Hershey’s dark chocolate, but it’s not overpowering the fruit. I’m giving this a 26.
Palate (38/40)
Light body, Pepper finish; this isn’t a complex wine. I decanted it for 20 minutes, then 40, then an hour…and it remained the same. The grapes came from 25 year old vines. The tasting notes talk of leather, but I didn’t get any of that. I did, however, get the spices they talked about: nothing too rich, but definitely sweet with a bite. I went back and forth with the scoring on this; but in the end the balance won me over. This is very well balanced: not too tart, not too sweet, not too sharp, not too dry. Goldilocks would approve. This was worthy of a 38 score.
Overall (17/20)
I’m scoring this low overall, relatively speaking. Blame the nose, it should have been bursting with fruit; but it just kinda lay there in the glass (and I was drinking out of a Riedel). I spent a looooong time rating the overall score, and I have to give it a 17. Still, this wine is a keeper. I think if I let it age it might be worthy of a much higher score in about 3 to 4 years; but what do I know? I could see sticking this in a fridge for about 10 minutes before serving on a warm summer day.
Total = 89
8+26+38+17= 89
This is a great wine, scored 89 points. As someone who usually dabbles in Parker scores of 80ish, I’d highly recommend this one. The price point was $12 US and well worth it.
Look for Wine the 2007 Jean-Luc Colombo Les Abeilles Cotes du Rhone. You’ll like this one.
Salute!
