September WCWC Pack 3 - Rhône, Languedoc and the Roussillon! - R952/pack

 

Pic & Chapoutier	St Peray Blanc	Northern Rhone	2007	R 135
Black Rock	White	Perdeberg-Swartland	2007	R 107
Chateau Curson	Crozes-Hermitage Rouge	Northern Rhone	2005	R 215
Luddite	Shiraz	Botriver	2004	R 215
Le Signal	Rouge	Cotes-du-Rossillon Villages	2005	R 225
Lammershoek	Roulette	Swartland	2006	R 106

 

More details on the WCWC

 

Following our South of France festival, Wine Cellar pack 3 shows the wines of the Rhône and Languedoc-Roussillon. Sunny, Mediterranean conditions along with weathered soils provide bright, fruity wines with low acidities and moderate to high alcohols. These are perhaps the European wines which can be most similar to those in South Africa.

 

In the Northern Rhône, the wines tend to be more linear (think about the way the wine crosses your palate) whilst those of the Southern Rhône and Languedoc Roussillon are more broad and textured. The Northern Rhône comprises of a steep valley with pockets of excellent aspects and draining soils with the famous wines being those of Côte Rotie and Hermitage. These powerful and fragrant reds from syrah and whites from viognier, marsanne and roussane are able to be as profound as great Bordeaux. Interestingly enough before stricter appellation control syrah from the Rhône used to be blended with weaker vintage Bordeaux to bolster their intensity!

 

The Southern Rhône is most famous for Chateauneuf-du-Pape where generous white and red wines are produced. With 13 allowed varieties, Grenache plays the dominant role with slightly translucent, strawberry-jam-lead, savoury reds. Moving further west, carignan and mourvedre often play a larger role with the wines becoming more feral and dense. Due to the easy growing conditions to those of the more marginal climes elsewhere in France, there has been a strong movement towards the planting of international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. These generally contribute to more well-priced ‘table wines’ or Vin de Pays.   

 

Pic & Chapoutier St Peray Blanc 2007

This is a partnership with by Michel Chapoutier, one of the Rhône most prominent producers, and the Pic family who are restaurateurs in Valence. It’s made from 100% marsanne on granitic soils on the left bank of the Northern Rhône Valley. Here the climate is more continental than further south, producing whites with more precision and acidity. Only 20% was matured in cask and characters include white peach and minerals. This wine shows the typical broader texture and more oxidative styling within the Rhône. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate judges this a 93/100.

 

Black Rock White 2007, Swartland

There are few plantings of the Rhône white varieties in SA (grenache blanc, marsanne, roussane etc). Small amounts of viogner are of course being made in varietal and blended wines. But having a Mediterranean climate and similar soil, we are able to produce Rhône-style blends with old-vine chenin blanc generally being the principal component. Though not as aromatic as the rhône varieties it has a similar sort of texture and mouthfeel. Often the chenin is blended with other varieties; here the 40—55year old chenin is blended with chardonnay for structure and viognier for fragrance.

 

Chateau Curson, Crozes-Hermitage 2005

The Northern Rhône is only planted with Syrah with regards to red wine varieties. The fine regions of Cote-Rotie and Hermitage produce famously structure yet perfumed wines which can age for decades. Crozes tends to have a lesser slope exposure making less intense wines that are better value for money and require less aging. The Curson is typically white-peppered and savoury with good grip from the excellent 2005 vintage.  

 

Luddite Shiraz 2004, Botriver

Neils Verburg makes some of the purest shiraz in South Africa and he is a member of the Cape Winemakers Guild. Concentrating on shiraz, the Luddite bridges the divide between new world fruit and old world savouriness. Expect it to contrast well to the Crozes-Hermitage; syrah’s peppery edge shines through, but the Luddite in more intense and sweetly-fruited with a blueberry jam edge that is reminiscent of the Barossa.

 

Le Signal Rouge 2005,  Côtes du Roussillon

Jean Vicent Ridon of the Cape Town winery, Signal Hill, has a small winery in the South of France. grenache, syrah, mourvedre and carignan are all blended to produce a typically warm and spicy Mediterranean wine. Look out for the savoury finish and strawberry fruit along side a dried-herb edge typical of this warm 2005 vintage.   

 

Lammershoek Roulette 2006, Swartland

Lammershoek is a leading light within the new ‘Southern French’ style, It displays a similar flavour profile and character but will again have more fruit sweetness on the palate. It is almost the same blend as the Le Signal but has a dash of Viogner.

 

Bordeaux Pack 1

Burgundy Pack 2

From more info on the WCWC!