I mentioned before that for a while I was “off” Cotes Du Rhône, well that was a while ago and now I am quite keen on the stuff. I was wandering around the wine aisles at Sainsbury recently when I came across this one; I have bought one or more bottles of it before, so I knew that it would be a “winner” but I had never bought it with a review in mind – until now:-

La Châsse Côtes du Rhône Reserve.

Producer: Gabriel Meffre

Winemaker:  Veronique Torcolacci

Vintage: 2014

Grapes: Mixture of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Cinsault in varied amounts.

Origin: Southern Rhône – Gigondas, north-east of Avignon, (Vaucluse), France.

Alcohol content%: 13 (abv)

Price: £5.50/ bottle (special offer – usual price £7.00)

Colour: Deep red (touch of purple)

Bouquet/smell/nose: Strawberry, Blackcurrants, Cherries

Taste/palate: Noticable tannins with Blackcurrants and spice.

Remarks: Whilst Sainsbury state that it is ready now but will keep (up to five years), I think that it would benefit from keeping a bit longer to soften those tannins – either that or decant an hour or more before drinking. We felt that it needed food in it’s current state and it did soften after a while. After saying that, it was an enjoyable wine and would accompany Mediterranean food, mature cheese, grilled meats or a Sunday roast. You could drink it on its own but I would let it breath a bit first 😉 I thought that I got good value at £5.50 but if I saw it on for £7.00 I would be tempted to choose a bottle of something else until the price came down again. I will have more of this wine though, and hopefully at £5.00 to £6.00 per bottle.