Tag Archives: Cotes du Rhone

Two Good 10 Buck Reds

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“If you like red Rhônes, these are both good choices for everyday drinking.”

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It’s getting harder all the time to find a good bottle of red wine for 10 bucks. It seems like something that used to give pleasure for that price now goes for anywhere between $12-15, so whenever I can find a likely selection for a sawbuck, I jump on it. I’ve been able to double my pleasure in the last few weeks when I came across not one, but two of these little bargains, and both are worthy of consideration. Even better, they’re both Rhônes.

We quite enjoyed the 2021 Réserve del Puech Vieilles Vignes Côtes-du-Rhône we tried last October, so when I discovered that the next vintage is now available, I didn’t hesitate to pick one up and give it a taste.
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Red Wings and Red Rhônes 2023

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“If you’re looking for some good Red Wings Red Rhône mojo or just a couple of very good red wines to enjoy with dinner, both of these will serve admirably.”

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For me, there’s only one consolation to saying goodbye to another summer, and it’s knowing that hockey season is right around the corner. I’ve been a Detroit Red Wings fan since 1976, so I’ve seen it all, the glory years, and the gorey years. Lately, it’s been more of the latter, but hope springs eternal with every new season, and some supposed pundits think that the Wings might have a real shot at making the playoffs this campaign. Win or lose, I’ll be here, watching them play.

Back in our Gang of Pour days, I had a recurring feature that I called “Red Wings and Red Rhônes.” It started out as something of a joke, the premise being that big, hearty red Rhônes are the perfect choice to sip whilst rooting for the boys with the winged wheel on their jerseys on those cold wintery evenings. Perhaps surprisingly, the “schtick” caught on, and I reported on many selections over the years, not only from southern France, but from anywhere around the world that produced wines composed of red Rhône varietals.

Fast forward to the present, and it occurred to me that it’s high time to reboot Red Wings and Red Rhônes after picking up these two fine bottlings from Holiday Market in Royal Oak a few days ago. They are both perfect to enjoy with tonight’s Red Wings season opener against the New Jersey Devils. Continue reading →

2022 Pasquiers Côtes du Rhône

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“Another QPR All-Star from a solid producer deserving of greater recognition…”

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I might have been tempted to say that we went through a buttload of the 2020 Domaine des Pasquiers Côtes du Rhône this past winter and spring, but for the fact that a “buttload” is an actual unit of measurement, and, somehow, I don’t think we really drank 126 gallons of the stuff. (A tip of the top hat to Shar Douglas for alerting me to this archaic curiosity.)

We did in fact go through numerous bottles of said wine, however, because it was simply delicious. It finally disappeared a few months ago, and then, lo and behold, a new vintage showed up on the shelves of Holiday Market in Royal Oak in the last week or two. For some reason, we never did see a 2021 vintage, but that’s OK, because this 2022 model is a winner.
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My Kind of Côtes-du-Rhône

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“Any way you look at it, this is an excellent buy at this price,
offering great QPR…”

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I first met wine importer Patrick Allen back in 2008, and was immediately struck by the quality of the wines he was pouring. Back then, his operation went by the name of USA Wine Imports, Inc., but by 2010, had morphed into United Estates Wine Imports, Ltd. I’ve never had a bad wine from either of his companies, so I’m always on the lookout for anything with “A Patrick Allen Selection” on the back label.

I found this one a few days ago at Holiday Market, and a quick look at it told me all I needed to know, so I brought one home and pulled the cork at the appropriate time. I wasn’t at all surprised to find that I really like this, and my wife Kim likes it too.
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Two Serious Cotes-du-Rhones

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“The decanter is your friend.”

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We love a good Côtes du Rhône. They have been our go-to everyday reds for more than two decades, consistently offering solid QPR (quality-price-ratio) that few domestic wines have been able to match, now or then.

I’m a firm believer in giving any good young Côtes du Rhône red some air. You can’t hurt it by decanting it 30 minutes before pouring, so why not? They’ll usually open up that much sooner than if glasses had been poured straight from the bottle.

This one is a perfect example. I got it at Plum Market a few months ago. It exceeds my usual $10-20 QPR range, but in this case, it’s damn well worth it. According to the Weygandt Wines site, Le Poutet is “culled from (Charvin’s) holdings just outside his Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyards. Le Poutet is so good that it often outperforms the top bottlings of lesser Châteauneuf producers.” I would not disagree, based on what’s in this bottle.
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