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.
