I hadn’t had a drop of Grenache in many months - and wanted to see what I’d been missing. This CdR gave off a nose of smokey dried cherries, wild thyme and ripe blackberries. Big, in stature and up-tight tannins and texture, but a little boozy on the back-end. Dust and licorice on the finish.

Thankfully, it’s not spoofy, acids were present, and no oak lipsticking -  but it’s not jumping out at me. It’s really a seasonal thing I guess - Côtes du Rhônes have always been more of a winter-warmer-with-a-hearty-stew for me, and under the 90 degree humid Cincinnati oppresssion we call summer, I’d rather have a chilled Txakolina. It does have a “tastyness factor” and lots of folks are gunna love this, expecially with the right pairing, on the right cool evening.

Jean-Philippe Charpentier, Vin de Pays des Coteaux de Peyriac Rouge, 2003: A clean, lean and elegant wine from around the Minervois region. I’ve no idea what the cepage is, but I believe there to be a good portion of Carignan and maybe some Mourvedre and Grenache. Strawberries, thyme and balsam zipping around of the palate. The sturdy structure integrated and smoothed out on the 2nd day - but started to fall apart after the third. Medium-full bodied and quitly confident. Crushed rocks and strawberry Pez on the finish - Priorat-like - I wouldn’t be surprised if some there was some schistey/rocky soils in the vineyard. A character-full wine for the price (>$15US) for fellow terroir-heads.

Bernard Baudry, Chinon ‘Franc de Pied’, 2002: This bottle jumped out to me on the wine-list of local wine-bar-restaurant Chalk - at a good price on a bottle I’ve rarely seen at retail. Popped and poured.

Baryard funkdified, murky and massively old-skool. I loved it, but my wife was less convinced, especially by the nose. Classic Cabernet Franc flavors like bell pepper, V8 juice, and cherries. Some curious curry and saddle-leather in the mix. Chewy and round palate - this wine is beautifully open right now and probably wil be for a year or 2. Medium-bodied and a good mate to the duck and burger we had. Unfortunately, this vineyard succumbed to phylloxera a few years ago  - 2006 being the final vintage.

Domaine Oratoire St Martin, Côtes du Rhône, 2005: Probably the most accessible and easiest to love of the 3 wines - this Grenache-based red was singing with a buckets of strawberries and blueberries, pepper-spice, and minerality. Some Quince and plum. Great aromatics - I could smell the fruits across the room. Killer body and palate -  a spicy attack, generous and round-mouthfilling middle, and a welcome acidic lift on the backend. Smacking gravelly finish. Food friendly and still on the upswing in terms of longevity - This will be a repeat performer at our place, no doubt.

~$14US Seguret, Rhone, France

A delicious Seguret, selected by the grand dame of the Rhone, Ms. Feraud. This young but ready-to-drink CdR gives off a rich nose of distinctly ripe raspberries, some cherries and a bit of savory herbs and spices (sage and thyme). Broad and velvetly in the mouth, showing a good balance right out of the bottle. Ripe tannins make this easy to drink, but have enough presence to keep everything together, along with some good acidity. The overall feel shows the fruit as the centerpiece, and brings in the French country funkiness as secondary and supporting flavors. The finish is slightly marred by a slight bitterness and a strange iron note, holding this effort back from the WOW range… Not complex, but delicious, a strong value, and an auspicious peek into what the ‘05 Pegau could look like…

A great food companion and a terrific weeknight pop-and-pour. This wine would be a great ‘transition wine’ for someone used to drinking ~$10 Shirazes, looking to move upto the next tier of complexity and flavor. If only these great entry-level-French wines had critters on the label… well….maybe not.

~ $20US 80% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, Southern Rhone, France

Deep crimson color. Giving on the nose with peppery aromas rising from the glass, with dark maduro-tobacco, allspice, cedar, and a little meatiness (bacon?). Reserved on the palate (still young), but very promising with some air - showing a good balance between the brooding animal that is grenache, and a clean acidity. Some fascinating bing cherries pop into the mid-palate, from out of nowhere. Round, but not heavy. If there is oak here, it is subtle and finessed. Tannins very much in play, but not in a detracting way - they just keep the fruit in line. The cherries continue into the finish, in a harmonious tapering ending.

I really like this - well-structured, but still juicy and round in the mouth. Some weird, wild flavors and aromas from the grenache, but quite elegant and restrained. The cherry surprise and it’s persistence through the end of the wine really make this unique. This is another wine begging to be enjoyed with food - I think smoked salmon, braised pork and herb-roasted chicken would really work out well here. One strong Cotes-du-Rhone that equals the lesser Chateauneufs.