when: friday 1/29 @ 6pm est or 3pm pacific
what: if the northern rhone is defined by notes and flavors that tend toward the savory, the southern rhone is best known for wines that offer an abundance of fruit. while the terroir of each region is totally different, so are the grapes, and for this tasting, we’ll be focusing on wines dominated by grenache.
chateauneuf-du-pape is the pride and joy of the southern rhone. here you’ll primarily find blends that can be composed of up to 13 different grapes. sunshine dominates this land, so ripeness is always a key attribute when describing wines this far south. thus, it is up to the winemaker to tame this ripeness, in an effort to craft a balanced and harmonious wine.
gigondas is a lesser known, nearby village, again focusing on grenache, but blended with less grapes--generally, mourvedre and syrah. when we talk about garrigue as it pertains to wine, gigondas is often exactly what we mean. as a whole, these wines are consistently surprising when it comes to quality and value.
wines (shipping not included):
olivier & lafont chateauneuf-du-pape ombres et lumieres $34
domaine du cayron gigondas 2018 $30