WBW #55: North vs. South

Grenache, Rhone, Syrah, WBW, Wine Blogging Wednesday

Thanks to Remy at Wine Case for picking a fun theme, “North vs. South,” for the latest installment of the monthly wine blogging meme known in wine-nerd shorthand as “WBW.” The one restriction, per Remy, is that we make sure the grape from each place is the same. Otherwise, we would be free to explore wines made from two wine regions, so long as they’re latitudinally distinct!

My pick? The Rhone region of France — and, as I tend to do, I’m bending the rules slightly. As most of you probably know, Northern Rhone wines are Syrah-based, and Southern Rhone wines are generally Grenache-based. I’ve chosen two wines that contain Syrah, but one of them contains 100% Syrah and the other only 30%. Hopefully Remy will forgive me. In fact, I sampled both of these wines a couple of weeks back at a trade tasting highlighting Rhone wines mostly from the 2007 vintage (but some from 2006). The two I’m focusing on here were among my favorites…

First comes a 2006 Cote Rotie from Domaine Jean-Michel Stephan, from the village of Tupin-Semons (see “A” on the map above). This wine had an intense amount of violet on the nose, and coated my palate with a layer of perfume. It was concentrated but not at all stewed or cooked; the fruit definitely played second fiddle to the floral elements here. I would have guessed that the wine contained a fair amount of Viognier along with the Syrah that dominates Cote-Rotie wines, but a few web searches lead me to believe it’s in fact 100% Syrah.

While the winemaking techniques here are based on organics and Stephan appears to be quite a traditionalist, there is something quite modern-seeming about this wine — including, I should note, its label, which looks derivative of either Cy Twombley or Mark Rothko. When I asked the importer what artist was featured on the label, I was told it was the work of a very promising young three year old, the daughter of the winemaker. What do I know?

Heading due south, my next wine is a 2007 Cotes du Rhone, “Les Sablieres,” from Domaine des Escaravailles in Rasteau, 175 kilometers from Tupin-Semons (see “B” on the map above). Made by Gilles Ferran, a third generation winemaker, the blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah (from high altitude, partially terraced vineyards) was eminently drinkable. Gulpable, even! This had no floral notes, whatsoever, but plenty of red fruit and meatiness, and maybe just a hint of menthol. It was smooth as silk, with really soft tannins. And it appears that the wine is vinified in cement, and doesn’t see any oak whatsoever (though I can’t confirm this, despite various searches on Able Grape!).

I should note two more North/South facts about these wines: the Cote Rotie is north of $100 a bottle, and the Cotes du Rhone is south of $20, at a very comfortable $15 to $16 a bottle. Both were great wines, but I think my wallet can’t handle the Northern Rhone for the time being, and we’ll be sticking to the South for a while.

Thanks, Remy, for forgiving my inability to follow the rules. I really enjoyed this month’s WBW!

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