Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, y’all! Of course, given how late I’ve gotten this thing out today, this day that is Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving Thursday, and given the fact that everyone has gone home for the day, I bet when most of you read this it will be Happy Post-Thanksgiving and Beginning of the “Holiday” Season Friday! So, given that, welcome to the Happy Post-Thanksgiving and Beginning of the “Holiday” Season Friday Tasting Announcement and Newsletter to Which it Corresponds! On the schedule for the tasting this Friday is the wines of the French Rhone! I figured, hey . . . after all that cooking and gorging on whatever food suited your celebratory table, a day with the wines of the French Rhone would make a fitting end to the hectic week. Or a fitting beginning to a hectic month-and-a-week ahead of us!

The French Rhone! It’s one of my favorites in the world, and a region I find I can always turn to, whether bored or jaded on certain wine varieties or regions. Or if the wine list at a restaurant just reads: Cab, Merlot, Cab/Merlot, Etc., Etc., Cotes du Rhone, you know it’s a pretty safe bet the Rhone wine will work with whatever you’re having. It’s versatile like that. There also seems to be spells where I forget about the region, caught up in the rest of the world of wine, (which is so easy to do, given that the world is . . . well, huge). But ocne I rediscover the wines, it’s like going home, with the realization of “Oh, yeah . . . Oh yeah!”

So anyone unfamiliar with the Rhone wines, the region is situated in the Southeasterncentral part of France, just above the warm Mediterranean region of Languedoc, and just South of the cooler Burgundy and Beaujolais. The grapes grown in the region vary from North to South with the North being dominated by Syrah and the South bespeckled by a plethora of different varieties including, but not necessarily excluded to: Grenache, Mourvedre, Cairanne, Cinsault, and so on. There are some 30-odd varietals included in some blends, so the list could go on. And does.

The regions within the region, the specific villages that have their own magnificent productions include the exquisite Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueras and Lirac among others in the South, and Cote-Rotie, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermiatage, and Staint-Joseph among others in the North. These areas have proven themselves to be making extraordinary wine for hundreds of years, and they have the price tag to show it. In fact, now that the price of the Euro has soared, and the price of the dollar has sank, and the price of fuel has also soared, so then, the price of these wines has so totally not sank. In a long time. Plus newfound interest in these regions have the “reputation surtax” on these wines also increasing. Given that, the best and most affordable way to taste your way around the region is to go with the Cotes du Rhones. The designation encompasses the whole region, but the price is a great deal less.

So here we have a wondrous selection of Cotes du Rhones, either from the 2004 or the 2005 vintages, both known for spectacular wines after a few sketchy vintages. (The vintage of 2002 was a washout from too much rain, and 2003 was a blowout from too much sun). Included in the premium pours are wines from the regions of Gigondas and Chateauneuf du Pape, both slowly rising to the out-of-my-price-range category, so this might be a “last hurrah” for some of these. But still . . .a “last hurrah” is still a “hurrah”. Not that anyone really says “hurrah” in this country. But that’s another conversation, altogether.

So Friday, November 23rd, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Rhone!!!
Domaine Saint Gayan 2005 Cotes du Rhone
Domaine du Trepadis 2004 Cotes du Rhone
Domaine les Grande Bois 2005 Cotes du Rhone
Domaine Grand Veneur 2005 Cotes du Rhone
Domaine de Cros de Romet 2005 Cotes de Rhone Villages Cairanne

Gigondas and Chateauneuf!!!
Domaine Brusset 2005 Gigondas “Grand Montmirail”
Clos Saint Jean 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape

And Just Another Little White Wine on the Side!
M. Chapoutier 2006 Belleruche Cotes du Rhone Blanc

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours. $2 for that extra white wine.

Hope to see you here!

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Spain’s Old Castille!

M