On January 15, 2009 the wine class made its last stop in France by visiting the Rhone Valley, home of the well-known Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The plan was to compare a cheap, but good Cotes du Rhone with a more classic Chateauneuf-du-Pape and then taste a Muscat Beaume-de-Venise. Well it turned out to be difficult to find a couple of examples of each of the Cotes du Rhone and the Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and the Muscat was not to be found either. But I did find two white Rhones that were quite interesting. Here’s how our last sojourn in France went.

We started out tasting a 2006 Domaine Bernard Ange Crozes-Hermitage (13% alcohol) a white wine from the Northern Rhone region that is a blend of Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. It had a lemon yellow color with some citrus and yet grassy scents It reminded us of a chardonnay though a bit greener and more astringent than the second white that we tasted.

We then moved on to a 2004 Clos Petite Bellane Cotes du Rhone Village (13.5% alcohol). This was an unusual wine in that it was 100% Roussanne. This gave the wine a striking cognac color. The scent was much more floral with strains of gravel and earth. Here, instead of lemon and grassiness, we tasted apples – from Granny Smith to applesauce. We found it rounder, fuller and thicker in taste and mouth fell. It reminded us of autumn and rotten squash, to be paired with pork chops, whereas the Crozes-Hermitage took us back to summer and possibly would pair better with filet of sole. Which was our favorite white? It was a draw.

Our red tasting was blind as we had tasting notes in Andrea’s book to guide us. Our first red seemed ever so slightly darker with a tad more viscosity in the legs. The first impression of the scent was pepper, as it should be since the red Rhones are made from syrah grapes. Then quite a bit of plum fruit began to show through, but compared to the second red, it had a lighter, brighter taste. It was quite dry and tannic. We thought it could be enjoyed with or without food.

The second red appeared more saintly because, although just as dark as the first, it had a bit of a halo! This wine was much more intriguing with scents of cumin and coffee. The taste was meaty, even gamy, giving us a woodsy and indeed oaky experience. It, too, was quite tannic and very dry with a real mouth coating sensation. In all, this was a much more complex wine. Because of the earthiness and gaminess, most of us rightly picked this as the 2005 Image du Sud Chateauneuf-du-Pape (13.5% alcohol). The first red was a 2006 Chateau d’Aigueville Cotes du Rhone (14% alcohol).

So now its time to say adieu to France and ciao to Italy where our first stop is Tuscany. We’ll be tasting four different Tuscan wines: a 2006 Castello di Farnetella Chianti Colli Senesi (13% alcohol), a 2005 Ruffina Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico (13% alcohol), a 2007 Castello Banfi Rosso di Montalcino (13.5% alcohol) and a 2004 Villa Antinori Toscana (a sangiovese/cabernet/merlot blend; 13.5% alcohol). You see, I’ve already picked up the wines (from 7th Avenue Wine & Liquor), so if you’re inclined to get a head start, you’ll know what they are. Remember, practice makes perfect!

Our next class takes place on February 19 at 7ish. For those of you who have Andrea Immer Robinson’s book, Great Wine Made Simple, you can start practicing ahead of time by reviewing pages 201 through 217.

See you all on February 19!!

Suzy Marquard