Guigal Cotes Du Rhone (2007) - 18/20

Having finished a tasty bottle of (unreviewed) Cotes du Rhone on Tuesday night, I had an urge to find a suitable replacement and after a bit of internet searching came up with the 2007 Guigal Cotes du Rhone available for $20 per bottle locally.

I've had the 2005 Guigal Cotes Du Rhone at Bella's Cafe in Palmerston North a couple of times and always found it a good match for warm meaty meals, and a consistantly good example of a low end Rhone red delivering a great taste at a good price.

A big thumbs up to the superb Winesearcher.com website, that was able to help me track down the 2007 vintage of Guigal's Cotes du Rhone at a discounted price within New Zealand at Glengarry's, and thanks to the miracle that is the internet I was able to order a case online within 10 minutes - and have it arrive out at my "estate in the country" within two days for a mere $2.50 delivery charge!

2007 GUIGAL COTES DU RHONE
50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre
Alcohol : 14.5%
My Rating : 18/20 - four stars

Guigal is a huge name is Rhone and a vast producer, but the top end of the range is always pricey with Chateauneuf du Pape, Condrieu, Hermitage and Cote-Rotie, while their Cotes Du Rhone can suffer a little bit from year to year as it has a huge vintage (3,500,000 bottles in 2007) and much of the juice is purchased.

But the 2007 blend looked to have a balance that would suit my palete, and having popped and poured the first bottle tonight I can confirm that the 2007 vintage is everything that you hope a Cotes Du Rhone will be.

The first thing that strikes you during the pour is the deep purple colour, and the wonderful complex nose that seems to contain cassis, raspberries, pepper and even a hint of bracken.

The initial taste is dark cherries and raspberries, with a touch of spice and a little bit of that earthy funk and tarry licorice that goes with the complexity of the concoction that is the hallmark of a great Rhone blend.

This is a complex wine, and to me it's amazing that I can source a bottle of CdR with 5 years age halfway around the world at such a great price.

Guigal's notes suggest that the wine will last a wee while yet, perhaps out to 2014, but I can tell you now that with ONLY 11 bottles left in the case there is little chance that this wine will last past the end of June - in my cellar anyway.
:-)

Clos du Mont-Olivet - Montueil la Levade (2007) - 18.5/20

I'm a big Rhone fan - and of course Chateauneuf-du-pape is a wonderful appellation, but the prices on CNdP are rocketing up, and I'm always on the lookout for a more budget concious alternative that still delivers the taste.

This Cotes du Rhone wine may be it. 

80% old vines Grenache, 5% Syrah, 15% Carignan
Alcohol : 14.0%
My Rating : 18.5/20 - Four and a half stars.

This wine has a rich, licorice, fruity, spicy flavour, and wonderful deep purple hue, and a very complex nose offering hints of citrus, lavender and of course wonderful rich red fruit.

It's 80% grenache, but all "Vieilles Vignes" giving a depth and complexity that only comes from advancing ages, with the grenache planting having an average of 40 years in the terroir.

Surprisingly this wine is 100% tank aged and fermented and to have all this spice without foudre wood barrel aging says volumes about the quality of the fruit from 2007 - a fantastic vintage for Southern Rhone.

Produced by Clos Du Mont-Olivet and obviously a second tier wine behind their CNdP range, this Cotes du Rhone is imported into New Zealand by John of Truffle Imports of Wellington (he does mail order), and it is retailing for around NZ$35 a bottle.

Frankly it has a taste and intensity that puts many weaker CNdP producers to shame and this wine is a fantastically priced alternative to Chateauneuf du Pape. Get it while it lasts.