Somm Summ 2010-04-05

Today's pick is a serious wine from a smaller domaine in the Rhone, where there just seems to be an endless flow of decent, but not always really exciting, easy drinking reds (and whites and roses). Here we have a wine from the Coulon brothers, who are 7th generation vignerons in Avignon. They have about 100 hectares combined in Chateauneuf du Pape and Rasteau (a Cotes du Rhone village) and from what I have tasted (CdP's and CdR) they make traditional wines in modern styles. What I mean is that their wines tend to have the rusticity and flavors of traditional winemking, but are balanced and fresh, making for satisfying drinking.

The Wine:
Domaine Beaurenard Cotes du Rhone, 2007
Production Region:
Southern Rhone Valley, France
The Style:
Medium-bodied, Old World (European)Red
The Price:
Should be about $12-14

What I like about with this wine is the flavors. There is a good intensity / concentration of fruit - mostly dense raspberry from the Grenache and Syrah component. But this berry fruit is balanced by a spice and briary component that just adds a great edge to this wine. This acid is medium plus and adds freshness to the fruit. There are layers of flavors that tend to linger into the minerally, juicy finish. Here is a food wine that is also a great value. Only about 200 cases come to the US, but it is well worth the search.