Category Archives: Cotes du Rhone

E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone and O. Redenbacher Pop Up Bowl

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E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone and O. Redenbacher Pop Up Bowl

So this happened…In another episode of “The Colonel is out for the night, what’s a Moby to do?” This is it friends, a bottle of Cotes du Rhone blanc and a bag of popcorn. Actually they’re not even bags anymore, they’re fancy bag-bowls that go nuclear when you try to open them. A rogue 4,000 degree kernel tried to murder me while tearing some sort of crime scene tape off the top. What happened to the old days, when all you had to worry about was a face full of piping hot steam? I don’t think we reviewed this wine yet, and while it was light and delightful with Orville Redenbacher’s light butter blend, it would certainly do well with a light fish dish or appetizers. I’m hoping it was reasonably priced and The Colonel will pick up another one so we can have it with a legitimate meal, but either way that’s what he gets for leaving me home alone!

2009 Domaine les Hautes Cances Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne

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2009 Cairanne Cotes du Rhone

 

colonelgrape: 91. This was bigger than expected. Spices, leather, dark fruit on the nose. Medium body with surprisingly complex structure. In fact I would recommend letting this decant for 30-60 minutes. The finish was smooth, slightly strong since we didn’t decant. This a great example of Southern Rhone wine at an affordable price. There are very few wine regions where you can enjoy this quality (Rhone, Piedmont) for $20 and under. CdR should be in every red wine drinkers arsenal…you simply cannot beat the value.

MobyGrape:  85. Smells nice and musty at first, with a strong, admittedly less pleasant boozy finish.  Tasted dirty enough to keep me happy, maybe a little grassy at the end, overall a solid wine for an everyday meal. Definitely a keeper.

 

2007 Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone

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Moby and I grilled up some steak tips the other night and felt like having something special so pulled out this bottle of 2007 Perrin Reserve I’ve been saving for a few years. I can’t stress enough how fantastic a bottle this is for the price…absolutely outstanding. It’s not going to compete with a $100 bottle of Chateau de Beaucastel but for $10 you get a lot of the same qualities of a good bottle at a fraction of the price. This bottle showcased the 2007 vintage showing off the bold and upfront ripe fruit flavors. This is the perfect bottle to bring to a party and wow the guests. There probably aren’t too many bottles of 2007 kicking around but I’d lock up some 2010’s and save them for a rainy day as those are great buys as well.

2008 Chateau Mont-Redon Cotes du Rhone

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2008 was a notoriously inconsistent year in the Rhone Valley. You’ll often fine this vintage at a much lower price than the famous 2007 or 2010 vintages. While the wines are inconsistent this gives the potential to find a great wine for a bargain price. The best bet is to stick with the more well known producers in these off vintages. Chateay Mont-Redon is one of our favorites in Rhone and I’m always willing to give them a try. While we were in Switzerland we had a 2008 Vieux Telegraph Chateauneuf that was out of this world.

colonelgrape: 80. This wasn’t the super rare amazing 2008 we were looking for but it wasn’t bad. Considering the $12 price I was happy with the quality but I’ve had better Cotes du Rhone at this price point from the 2007, 2009, and 2010 vintages. We absolutely love the 2007 Chateau Mont-Redon Chateauneuf du-Pape and next time I see their CdR from another vintage I’ll be sure to pounce on it. If you see a 2008 and you’re looking for a table wine for an every day dinner this wine works just fine. If you’re trying to impress someone, try the 07 or the 10.

MobyGrape: 80. I once again epically failed a blind wine taste test.  But since whether I get it right or wrong never changes the outcome, (meaning I still get to drink it all), I’m not terribly broken up about it.  It smelled a little like foot, and had a rustic, earthy quality to it.  I hope it wasn’t expensive, I’d consider it a perfectly fine wine to crack out for a non-special occasion.  It was such a non-special occasion I can’t even remember what we ate with it.

2010 M. Chapoutier Cotes du Rhone

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After we had the Beaujolais Nouveau debacle we still wanted wine of course so I went back downstairs and came up with this bottle. A simple $12 CdR that probably wouldn’t blow us away but also wouldn’t leave us wondering why us.

colonelgrape: 71. Like I said previously this bottle was meant to be a filler of sorts. Not gonna wow you but not going to hurt you either. After working through the bottle I’ll say I wasn’t too pleased with it but I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt after sampling such awfulness with the Beaujolais Nouveau…I’ll say it was barely average.

MobyGrape: 72. Definitely not my favorite Rhone, but I was told not to expect much from this one anyways.  I’m not sure how accurately I can assess this one, after drinking something I disliked so much, I wasn’t going to give anything a fair shake.