The real Judgment of ParisIf you saw the movie Bottle Shock, you may think you know this story. But you really need to read George Taber's "Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine," to know how it really went down. Buy it from Amazon.com for $17.50 in hardcover, an $8.50 saving (33 percent) from the $26 list price. |
This article was published in The 30 Second Wine Advisor on Friday, Jan. 14, 2011 and can be found at http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/tswa20110114.php.
Natural red
A few weeks ago we talked about the Perrin family's 2009 white Côtes du Rhône Réserve, an excellent value in a quality Southern Rhône white blend.
Today let's have a look at a similarly affordable Perrin red from the Côtes du Rhône, this one labled "Nature" to signal that it is their certified organic wine, made from organically grown grapes without any chemical intervention in the vineyard.
Perrin Côtes du Rhône "Nature" ($12.99 at my local wine shop) is a blend of 80 percent Grenache and 20 percent Syrah in this 2007 vintage, which is made entirely from a single vineyard not far from the Côtes du Rhône village Vinsobres, a vineyard with full organic certivaction by Ecocert, an authorized European organic certification panel.
As I point out from time to time - it's worth repeating - I respect the principle of organic food and wine production. The effort required to grow grapes and make wine under increasingly strict organic regulations reveals a commitment to quality by the producer, who's willing to go a step beyond in order to gain the organic label.
That said, I'm not convinced that I can reliably taste a difference between organic and standard wines in my glass, and most of the artisanal wine producers that I admire, organic or otherwise, tend to treat the vine-growing and wine-making process with respect.
So let's say that I enjoy Perrin "Nature" Côtes du Rhône very much, not merely because it's certified organic but because it's a very good wine at a very good price.
Today's Tasting Report
Perrin 2007 Côtes du Rhône "Nature" ($12.99)
Dark garnet with a clear edge. Red berries, plums and fragrant black pepper in a very typical Southern Rhône aroma, with a burst of black plums, raspberries and pepper on the palate, nicely structured with food-friendly acidity and soft tannins. Good, typical Côtes du Rhône, an organically grown blend of Grenache (80%) and Syrah (20%), with structure and tannins to suggest some potential for two or three years in the cellar. U.S. importer: Vineyard Brands Inc., Birmingham, Ala. (Jan. 14, 2011)
FOOD MATCH: Red meat and Côtes du Rhône are natural companions; it was a great match with a locally produced grass-fed strip steak, crusted with black pepper, pan-seared then pan-roasted, and served with sauteed onions. On the other hand, the leftovers went great the next day with a sausage pizza.
VALUE: A good value at this price. Wine-Searcher.com shows U.S. prices ranging from $11.24 to $17.
PRONUNCIATION:
Côtes du Rhône = "Coat doo Roan"
Click this link to hear "Perrin Réserve Côtes du Rhône" spoken in excellent French on the importer's site.
WEB LINK: Click here for the U.S. importer's technical fact sheet on Perrin Nature.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check Wine-Searcher.com for vendors and prices for Perrin Côtes du Rhône Nature.
Talk About Wine Online
If you have questions, comments or ideas to share about today's article or wine in general, you're always welcome to drop by our online WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet's first and still the most civil online community. To find our forums, click:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village
Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. Registration is free and easy; we ask only that you join following our Real Names Real Format system, using your real name in the format "John Doe" or "John D". Anonymous, cryptic or first-name-only registrations are discarded without notice.
Once your registration has been approved, which usually happens quickly, you'll be able to participate in all our online wine, food and travel forums.
To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.
Subscriptions and Administrivia
Unsubscribe:
We're sorry if you must leave us, but simply click the "unsubscribe"
link at the bottom of your Email edition to be instantly removed from the mailing list.
Change address:
The quickest and easiest way to change your Email address is simply to register anew, using the link below. If you are keeping your old address but no longer wish to get the Wine Advisor there, click the unsubscribe link below to take it off our list; if you are closing the mailbox, you needn't take any action, as our system will delete your old address as soon as the mail to your old address starts to "bounce."
Subscribe to this Email edition (free):
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor
WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free):
http://www.wineloverspage.com/rss
Wine Advisor Archives:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor2/archives.php
Sponsorship Opportunities:
For information, E-mail wine@wineloverspage.com