“This one is savory,” says Carol as she pulls down a 2016 Alain Jaume Côtes du Rhône from the shelf.
I’m in her wine shop looking for a 2016, a particularly good year in the Rhône region of France. Carol has a half dozen or more Côtes du Rhône wines from this same vintage. “I sell a lot of Côtes du Rhône,” she notes. “It’s very popular.”
The classic Côtes du Rhône wine is a fruity, medium-to-full-bodied red blend based on Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre (commonly abbreviated as GSM). In the south, where the majority of Côtes du Rhônes are made, the warm Mediterranean climate contributes to wines that are typically rich, bright, and high in alcohol.
Given this reputation for fruity wines, a savory Côtes du Rhône sounds appealing to me. Also, I tend to go with Carol’s recommendations because she tastes a lot of the wines she stocks and I know she has a soft spot in her heart for old-world wines made with structure and finesse.
Now I’m all set for the French Winophiles chat about Côtes du Rhône on Saturday, Sept. 19, starting at 8 am PT/11 am ET on Twitter. You’re invited to join us by following the #Winophiles hashtag.
Location, location
Côtes du Rhône AOC covers the entire region and accounts for more than half of all wine produced in the Rhône. It applies to red, rosé, and white wines, and includes more than 170 villages. Back in 1937, the Côtes du Rhône AOC was established as a catch-all appellation for good-quality Rhône wines from lesser known and less prestigious viticultural areas within the region.
Among the distinctive crus of the southern Rhône, the most famous is Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC. Terraced vineyards are planted to 14 grape varieties. The red clay soils are completely covered with large, rounded quartz stones deposited by ancient glaciers. These rocks, known as “galets,” absorb the sun’s warmth during the day and feed it back to the vines at night.
Now check out the location (see map) of the producer’s Domaine Grand Veneur Les Champauvins vineyards – they’re just 10 feet north of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, literally a stone’s throw away. These Les Champauvins vineyards are covered by galets, too.
The 5th and 6th generation Jaume family has been growing and making wine in the southern Rhône since 1826. Their estate encompasses 225 acres and covers four appellations: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes-du-Rhône Les Champauvins and Côtes-du-Rhône, Lirac, and Vacqueyras.
Domaine Grand Veneur was known for its white wines until 1995, when efforts were refocused on reds. Grapes grown in these vineyards are certified organic. Soils are maintained exclusively by light plowing and fertilized with vegetal compost. Vines are only sprayed when there’s a risk to the health of the vines, and only organic-permitted treatments are used. Yields are low or kept under control by green-harvesting. This method, according to the producer, provides optimum sun exposure for the best clusters and enables the winery to be selective on both quantity and quality of the grapes. Harvesting is by hand.
The wine – 2016 Alain Jaume Domaine Grand Veneur Les Champauvins Côtes du Rhône AOC
70% Grenache noir, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre
In the southern Rhône, Grenache almost always dominates a GSM blend. Syrah contributes structure and spice box, while Mourvèdre brings dark berry, chocolatey notes and intense color.
Usually, each grape variety in the Grand Veneur blend is harvested and fermented separately to account for different stages of ripeness. According to the producer, this method of vinification preserves each grape’s own aromatic identity, its unique character, and distinctive taste.
For Grenache, the Jaumes ferment the grape for 18 days in thick concrete vats “to preserve the subtle aromas and power of the fruit.” Syrah and Mourvèdre are aged in four-year-old French oak barrels to soften the tannic structure and enhance their aromas and spicy finish.
My tasting notes: Deep dark ruby, almost purple in color. Herbs, spice, black cherry, and cranberry aromas blend together on the nose. On the palate of this full-bodied wine, I get more herbiness, some cranberry, and a generous amount of ground black pepper. Ends in a long spicy finish with a hint of chocolate. Medium acidity. Structured and elegant. Plenty of heat from an alcohol level of 15%. Price: $19. Can’t beat the value when you compare to Châteauneuf-du-Pape at twice and triple the cost.
Suggested pairing: Grilled tandoori chicken and roasted harvest vegetables complement this wine’s herby, spicy profile to a tee. Everything is savory in this pairing! Couldn’t ask for anything better.
Our chicken was store bought, but you can easily find tandoori chicken recipes like this one. For the roasted vegetables, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut red potatoes and carrots into chunks, and trim and halve the green beans. Coat veggies in olive oil and sprinkle rosemary, thyme, pressed garlic, sea salt, and ground pepper on top. Roast potatoes and carrots for 40 minutes; green beans for 20 minutes.
Sources: Alain Jaume, Kysela Pere Et Fils, Wine.com, Wine Folly, Wine-searcher.com
Looking for other Côtes du Rhône wines and pairing ideas? Check out all the #Winophiles posts below and join us for the chat. Bon appetit!
- A Côtes du Rhône from Franck Balthazar and A Deconstructed Pairing by Crushed Grape Chronicles
- A Côtes du Rhône Tasting by Keep the Peas
- All the Colors of Côtes du Rhône with Famille Perrin by Somm’s Table
- A Trio of Côtes du Rhône Pairings by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- A Window Into The Côtes du Rhône Through Maison M. Chapoutier by Avvinare
- Back on the Rhône Again by Christy Majors
- Beef Tongue Stew with a Côtes du Rhône Gigondas by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Côtes du Rhône and Clearwater Camping: Charcuterie in God’s Country by Our Good Life
- Côtes du Rhône: Essential French Wines by L’Occassion
- Lamb Meatballs Paired with Côtes du Rhône by Always Ravenous
- Leaning Savory with a 2016 Alain Jaume Côtes du Rhône by My Full Wine Glass
- Rhône Roam #3: Crozes-Hermitage Is Syrah, Condrieu Equals Viognier — Paired with Fish Dishes by Wine Predator
- Rhône Wine with Brisket by Cooking Chat
- Turkey Does the Côtes du Rhône by The Quirky Cork
- What the Heck is Côtes du Rhône Villages? by Wining with Mel
I love, love, love that this wine was described as ‘savory’ because that is always my preference. I don’t care for fruity, jammy wines. I might have to track this one down. Thanks for joining me, Linda.
Alcohol is high for my tastes, but I really did appreciate the herby, spicy notes that came through.
Oh I love savory wines and this one sounds delicious! And how interesting that the domaine ferments the Grenache in concrete but the Syrah and Mourvèdre are aged in oak! I think this is one of my favorite aspects of wine…how thoughtful people are when they craft it.
I’m with you! I don’t get tired of reading and talking to inventive winemakers who truly care for their wines.
Savory always works for me too!
Côte du Rhône wines are such a great value, with a little background info or guidance from your favorite wine shop.
Definitely! I appreciate the advice of someone who tastes the wine she sells.
Great description of Savory Wine. Intriguing pairing with Tandoori chicken and will have to explore this at home. CDR/GSM wines are always a great value and easy to drink! Cheers!
Tandoori chicken can be spicy, but this one went easy on the spice. That and the grilling made it work with the CdR/GSM.
How interesting to refer to a wine as savory but it really makes sense. I think that pairing with tandoori chicken was a stroke of genius.
I’ve always enjoyed Jaume’s wines and it’s wonderful to know more of the backstory. Love the idea of pairing this CdR with tandoori chicken!
I am such a sucker for “this one’s savory”. A comment like that will have me leaving with the bottle every time. I feel like I hear more and more use of concrete in the Rhone? Have you found that?
I seem to read about more use of concrete everywhere! Hope to explore this a little further – I’d like to know about what concrete imparts to a wine.
Hmm, love the sound of this savory wine with herbiness! Grilled chicken tandoori is tasty, I have a recipe for it that I haven’t made in awhile.
At 15% ABV and with the intensity you’ve described, this sounds like a hot wine, almost too hot, one might say! I agree about liking the savoury in wine… here in CA local can mean jammy fruit bombs so cooler weather French wines are always a safe bet for us.