Cotes Du Rhone - Grenache Anyone?

Tonight was the 2009 Louis Bernard Cotes Du Rhone.  A nice little French wine that is all cherries and liquorice.  For anyone who is unfamiliar with the Cote Du Rhone.  It is a French Appellation (Region) in the Rhone Valley in the South of France.  According to the Producer/Importer, the wine and Rhone region can be described as follows (and we quote):

“Archeological evidence shows that the first vines planted in the Rhône Valley date back to 2,500 years ago. The Rhône did not become a significant producer of wine until the latter part of the 20th century. This appellation accounts for 60% of wine produced in the Rhône region, an area whose production is second in volume only to Bordeaux generic. It extends over 125 miles from Vienna to Avignon.

The varietal that dominates the southern Cotes-du-Rhône is Grenache. Although all wines from this region are blends, it is this particular grape that distinguishes them from wines of other parts of the world. Grenache is a grape with a high level of sugar, and therefore the wine never has trouble attaining a sufficient level of alcohol. It can sometimes be difficult to grow, as it needs eight straight days of nice weather when it is in flower to be properly pollinated. Wines made with the Grenache grape increase in quality when lighter and more aromatic wines from other grapes like Syrah, Cinsault or Mourvèdre are blended with it. Yields are limited to 3.5 tons per acre.

The spectrum of wines created in the Côtes-du-Rhône is broad due to the variation in soils and microclimates within the appelation. Light, fragrant and fruity wines in the Beaujolais style are made here. So are more traditional, powerful wines that are meant to be aged several years before the true harmony of their elements is revealed.”

All that to say this wine was dominated by Maraschino cherries and anise flavours, with a hint of oak.  We really liked it, though it was a little thin overall.  Currently on sale for $12.49, it is certainly a value wine. 

In our internet wine journey thus far (and we did not plan this), the value wines we have tasted have not sucked.  They certainly could have sucked, but they just haven't. 

Our criticism of the wines does not stand on any pretense so if it does not taste great, it certainly does not automatically mean it tastes bad.  In fact, our stance on wine is fairly transparent, which is to say that very few wines truly suck.  We may prefer certain regions or varietals and some wines are definitely better than others and some are really, really great.  But, if you are sitting a friend's place and they pour you a glass of anything, you really need to think long and hard about whether or not a free glass of wine, in the company of friends sucks, no matter who made it.  Our goal is not to necessarily be all sunshine and lollypops with the wines we taste, but when it comes to wine we are certainly glass half full reviewers (some pun intended).

Keep on drinking!

Chris & Shannon