If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider
the Rhone Valley region of southeastern France. You may
find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this
fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a
Crozes-Hermitage red wine from the northern Rhone Valley.
Among France's eleven wine-growing regions the Rhone Valley
ranks second in acreage. The region extends 125 miles (200
kilometers) along the Rhone River. This region is actually
composed of two parts, the north and the south whose wines
tend to be quite different. The northern Rhone Valley is
quite narrow. Its major red grape variety is Syrah, while
its major white variety is Viognier. The northern Rhone
Valley produces some of the best red wines in all France,
and according to its fan club, some of the best red wines
on earth. The southern Rhone Valley produces about 95% of
the Rhone Valley wines. This is the kingdom of grape
blending. For example the famous Chateauneuf-Du-Pape AOC
wine may be made from up to thirteen different grape
varieties.
Vienne, population about thirty thousand, was a major town
in Roman Gaul and still retains a lot of its history and
its charm. Near the river you'll find the Romanesque church
of St-Pierre already rebuilt in the Ninth Century. The
Gothic Cathedral of St-Maurice was built during the
Eleventh to Sixteenth Centuries and largely destroyed in a
religious war during the mid-Sixteenth Century. Rue des
Orfèvres (Goldsmiths' Street) is filled with
Renaissance buildings and the Romanesque church
St-Andre-le-Bas (St. Andrew the Lesser).
Vienne's Theatre Romain (Roman Theater) is one of the
largest in France; it spans almost 450 feet (140 meters)
and once held thirteen thousand spectators. Excavation
started only in 1922. This theater hosts a great jazz
festival in July. Other Roman ruins include the Temple
d'Auguste et de Livie (Temple of Augustus and Livia)
erected by the Emperor Claudius and the Plan de l'Aiguille
(Needle Tower), a truncated pyramid that was once part of a
Roman circus. Some say that this structure encloses the
tomb of Pontius Pilate.
Before reviewing the Cotes du Rhone wine and imported
cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local
wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few
suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when
touring this beautiful region. Start with Foie Gras avec
Gelee de Viognier (Goose Liver Pate with Viognier Jelly).
For your second course savor Chevreau a l'Ail et Herbes
Sauvages (Baby Goat with Garlic and Wild Herbs). And as
dessert indulge yourself with Granite aux Pommes et
Calvados (Apple and Calvados Ice).
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review
are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage 2005
13% about $25
Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Until 1992,
Florent Viale and his father sold all of their grapes to
negociants. As Crozes-Hermitage came into its own, the
Viales decided to make their own wines. The results have
been nothing short of spectacular. Layers of blackberry,
tar and black pepper dominate their finely made Syrah-based
wines. A very good match for roast leg of lamb.
My first meal was a barbecue including a rib steak
marinated in a homemade ketchup-based sauce with chunks of
garlic, corn on the cob, and red-skinned potatoes. The wine
was powerful and mouth-filling. It was quite long and had
no trouble maintaining its flavors. I didn't used to be a
fan of tannins but these Crozes-Hermitage tannins melted in
my mouth along with the meal.
My next meal involved a combination of marinated barbecued
beef and veal ribs, red-skinned potatoes, and a
garlic-based Moroccan salad. First I tried the more subtle
veal ribs. The Crozes-Hermitage was very powerful with a
lot of tobacco. As powerful as the wine was, it
complemented the veal very well. The taste of dark fruit
predominated with the beef ribs. There was quite a change
in the wine, but with both types of ribs it was simply
great. Dessert consisted of blueberry fruit juice candy. I
was somewhat surprised but the wine was a good
accompaniment. I tasted blackberries in the wine.
I know how much this wine likes beef and veal, so I decided
to try it with barbecued chicken marinated in a commercial
Mediterranean-style light sauce. The wine was careful not
to overwhelm the meat. Once again the meal included
barbecued red-skinned potatoes and this time, perhaps
because the meat was subtler, the potatoes had more effect
bringing out the earthiness of the wine. Interestingly
enough the intensive Turkish Salad was the least successful
accompaniment to the wine. One might have expected the
contrary, namely, that the greatest pairing success would
be with the strongest tasting component. The Turkish Salad
and Crozes-Hermitage combination was good, it just wasn't
as good as the other pairings in this meal.
The first cheese was a mild-tasting Italian Pecorino
Fruilano. This wine is so fine that even though the cheese
flattened it somewhat, it remained excellent. But believe
me, I won't subject the wine to such an indignity again.
The second cheese was a nutty tasting Dutch Edam. This more
powerful cheese had less of a flattening effect on the
wine. Go figure.
Final verdict. This wine is a definite winner. I went back
to my previous article describing a Rhone Valley wine: I
Love French Wine And Food - A Red Cotes du Rhone to refresh
my memory. I was very happy with that much more modest
wine, priced at about half of this one. Is the
Crozes-Hermitage better? Yes. Is it twice as good? That's a
hard question. It really depends on how you view wines. The
Crozes-Hermitage is definitely a fine wine for its price
range, as was the other. I am definitely tempted to taste a
Rhone Valley red wine in the $50 range. But I can't promise
you when. Perhaps what I should do is buy a case of this
Crozes-Hermitage and drink one a year and see if the
critics are right when they say it can be cellared for
many, many years.
----------------------------------------------------
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on
computers and the Internet, but he prefers drinking fine
Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and
people. He knows about dieting but now eats and drinks what
he wants, in moderation. He teaches classes in computers at
an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his
Italian travel website http://www.travelitalytravel.com
which focuses on local wine and food.
No comments:
Post a Comment