A Wine Trip to the Northern Rhône
A drive down the Rhône river, and lots of great wine.
Driving through the Rhône solidified my belief that visiting wine regions isn’t just about tasting wine, but really understanding the region and the terroir. Even though I’m still very new to this wine travel thing, honestly, it feels satisfying as a new sommelier to see these regions in person. Textbook education can only get you so far. It’s helpful to see the different appellations and how that translates to the bottle in your hands.
Because we hit a lot of different spots during our drive down the Rhône river, I’ll be splitting our time in the Rhône into two posts. It was only two days, but we covered a lot of ground. And drank a lot of Syrah that left our mouths feeling a little dried out…and very purple.
Our destination for the night was Avignon, so we made quite a few pit stops for wine tasting along the way. Our first was at the Le Caveau de Château de E.guigal, which has a wide selection of appellation wines from the Cointreau, Côte-Rôtie, and Chateaneuf-de-Pape. We did a “mixed” tasting of their classic and gem wines, and did a side-by-side of styles of wine and vintages that were interesting to really understand the region. They also have a museum downstairs to explore—an easy way to kill time before a tasting, and interesting to see some of the older winemaking tools that were used compared to the modern day tools of today. And, as we learned, it was their sneaky way of charging us for a tasting.
Our next stop was at the Cave de Tain, which represents different appellations on the southern tip of the Northern Rhône including Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Peray, Saint Joseph, and Cornas. We tasted wine with a clear view of the steep slopes of Hermitage behind us. Again, pretty incredible to see in person.
Then we continued our journey to Domaine du Coulet, tasting wines from winemaker Matthieu Barret. We sat and tried twelve wines free of charge, which was quite the experience. While their selection of Cornas appellation wines is certainly to note (particularly a huge fan of the Cornas Brise Cailloux 2022), I walked away with a bottle of their Vilan—a 100% Syrah with notes of jammy black fruit goodness, smoked meats, spice, and a hint of concrete from where it aged. Loved it so much, I took a bottle with me, with absolutely no idea if I would actually drink it. But how could I not after a free tasting of 12 wines?
After that, we climbed the Château de Crussol and saw the incredible views of the region from up top. Honestly, this also felt big for my education. On the left it is clear you can see the slopes of the region, specifically for the high-quality appellations like Hermitage and Saint Joseph that have steeper slopes. Then on your left the land is flatter, where Crozes-Hermitage is located. This is where you’ll likely see wines with a cheaper price, and definitely more industrial in nature.
Then we finished our drive down to Avignon, where we checked into our room at the Maison Orsini, and had an exceptional dinner at Kozy just down the road. The wine list is excellent and the food caught us by surprise, which is always fun when you’re trying to find something last minute.
Wine of the week
How does one possibly choose? I think I’ll have to go with the last wine of the day, the Les Quartz Côtes-du-Rhone 2022 from Le Clos du Caillou. This wine is made with the classic Red Rhone Blend of Syrah and Grenache. We enjoyed this at Kozy in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Violet color with a deep intensity
Nose: Red and black fruits, no evidence of oak. Earthy and rustic. A hint of spice and smoked meats.
Palate: Medium to high acidity, medium body, high alcohol, firm tannins
My conclusion: Juicy on the palate with a rustic edge, this wine is exactly what you want from a Côtes-du-Rhone, with notes of fresh black and red fruits and a hint of spice and smoked meats. Would be excellent to age. Or drink now, ha.