Liquid Love Letter: Rhône to Wrap Up Summer

Cathy

The Rhône Valley of southern France has always struck me as particularly… reasonable.

I know, I know. “Reasonable” does not sound like a terribly enthusiastic or romantic endorsement. But, believe me, I have nothing but enthusiasm for this region and I do in fact have romantic memories and images of it in my mind. Give me a dose of that Mistral wind — the cold, dry wind that blows hard and freely down through the Rhône Valley to the Mediterranean — and my imagination soars quickly up and into the skies to the “anything is possible” realms of the stratosphere.

As if in counterbalance, I’m also a hopeless pragmatist. In my book, reasonable IS romantic and, even better, it helps to ground those Mistral-aided flights of fancy.

On that front, the Rhône Valley leads the way.

What makes Rhône wines so “reasonable”?

In a nutshell, these are wines that are allowed to hedge their bets. Yes, the Rhône is home to some of the wine world’s best-recognized and delineated appellations like Châteauneuf du Pape and Côte Rotie. It’s also home to legal allowances for more than 20 (!!) grapes to be grown and blended into wines that are labeled “Rhône Valley.” If some of the grapes have an off year? Their deficiencies can be compensated by other grapes in the relatively long list of allowable alternatives.

It isn’t that simple, of course, but the Rhône has an über-long tradition of dealing with such contingencies in a pragmatic and perfectly reasonable way.

That brings us to romantic, and to enthusiasm. In my book, Rhône’s white and rosé wines are exactly what should be in our glasses here in the northern hemisphere, as we embrace the last of the hot days and poolside afternoons before it’s back-to-school and all of the logic and science of reason come to reign again.

Last week I was in exactly that situation with friends and a bottle of 2023 Domaine de la Janasse Côtes du Rhône Rosé in front of us. It’s produced from a blend of grapes (only three this time: Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault) in a 20-acre vineyard next their their Châteauneuf du Pape vineyards. It was crisp and peachy and cool, precisely what we were looking for on this hot day toward the end of summer 2024.

Matthew

I have an obsession with rivers.

Especially rivers that traditionally define borders and wine regions.

The first time I saw the Rhône River with mine own eyes, my jaw hit the floor of the car. You can drink all the wines, read all the books, see all the photos...nothing prepares you for the majesty and beauty. Nothing.

The scale is always off. Relativity is really hard to gain perspective on until you dig your feet in and see it for yourself.

I'm a self-admitted lover of the Rhône. I have a dang bottle of Thierry Allemand "Reynard" Cornas tattooed on my arm. The outline, at least. IYKYK.

While I've always learned towards the power and intensity of reds from the Rhône like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Cornas, Côte-Rôtie, Saint-Joseph, Vacqueyras, Lirac, Gigondas, Hermitage, etc...I have found some unreal whites and rosés made in the Southern Rhône that are perfect for the moment either while in the South of France or when you're kissing the summer goodbye.

Vincent Paris makes an ethereal Viognier & Roussanne blend affectionately named "Granit Blanc" (purchase a bottle here ) - The vines are planted on North-facing slops in Cornas, a distinct rarity as Cornas is [mostly] known for its red wine production from the Syrah grape.

I am a gastronomic rosé fan, and one of the most compelling to come across my attention in the last year was Château d'Aqueria made in Tavel (purchase a bottle here ) - the meaty blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and a little bit of Clairette (white grape!) makes this rosé the go-to for your Labor Day bbq, drinking on a boat, or as the ultimate toast rosé when you light your fireplace for the first time this fall. You know you're looking forward to it.