Moving south from Beaujolais is the Rhône.  Made up of the Northern and Southern Rhône, this might be two separate regions, if not for the river running between them.

Northern Rhône

South of Beaujolais, lays the Rhône river, who’s wines have been talked about throughout history, starting with the Romans.  In the Northern Rhône, the climate is more continental with cold winters and hot summers, and thus lets grapes like Syrah flourish.  In addition, the region is steep, with hills that barely hold their vines, providing great drainage.

The region is home to many great wine regions:

• Côte-Rôtie – Incredible red wines with gamey flavors, earthiness, and pepper.  No white wine is grown here, but it is one of two regions in France where white grapes may be blended in.  Few producers exceed single digits, but up to 20% is allowed.
• Condrieu & Château-Grillet – Made from the elegant Viognier, these wines are aromatic with a smooth texture, and loaded with honeysuckle, stone fruit, lychees, and floral notes.  As the region is small, and the grapes are fickle, producers have to be exceedingly careful.  Prices reflect this.
• Hermitage – Primarily red, with one exception in Hermitage Blanc, the flavors here are similar to Côte-Rôtie, with leathery notes, meatiness and lots of cherries and dark berries.
• Crozes-Hermitage – Considerably less prestigious than Hermitage, there’s more higher yielding producers, but a few good ones exist.  These are considerably cheaper than the wines hailing from Hermitage.

Major Grapes: Syrah, Viognier

Almost all red wines from the Northern Rhône are made up of Syrah, and produce dark, aggressive, meaty wines with tons of dark fruit flavors, exotic spices, smoke, and earth.  While almost all wine from the Northern Rhône is red, the few whites are world class, and made from Viognier.  The best of these come from Condrieu, and Château-Grillet.

Southern Rhône

The Southern Rhône is a Mediterranean environment,  and as such is considerably warmer.  Large stones make working the vineyards difficult, but also help lock in moisture and keep heating the vines at night, speeding ripening.    The South also makes two types of wine that the North doesn’t, rosè and sweet wine.

While the North is more prestigious, the Southern Rhône is no slouch, and has several great regions:

• Châteauneuf-Du-Pape – A massive region (larger than all of the Northern Rhône), with sassy wines that cut through with gamy and earth forward flavors.  all packed with jammy raspberries.  Don’t expect oak though, Grenache tends to oxidize easily, so the region uses cement tanks.
• Gigondas – Chewy reds with a masculine character, they are like Châeauneuf wines one steroids.  Take everything, make it more explosive, and add some spice.
• Vacqueyras – More rustic than the other two, Vacqueyras tends to lean on Syrah, and pulls more dark fruit flavors like black currants, blueberries, and pepper.  Herbal scrubby notes still exist.
• Tavel – The only rosé in the Rhône, spicy and laden with berries, it’s easy going and enjoyable.
• Côtes-Du-Rhône / Côtes-Du-Rhône Villages –  Many of the same flavors exist in the villages, but quality tends to be vary greatly.

Major Grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre

Unlike the Northern Rhône, the Southern Rhône contains a plethora of grapes, and utilizes this advantage to the hilt.  While in the north, Syrah leads the charge, Grenache is the key player in the Southern Rhône thanks to the heat of the Mediterranean environment.  Typically it’s complimented by Syrah and Mourvèdre, but up to 23 grapes are legally permitted.

Domaine Du Pesquier Côtes Du Rhône 2012

Domaine Du Pesquier Côtes Du Rhône 2012 has a kin that hails from Gigondas.  Does it power its way through like their other offering, or is it dubious quality?

Sight:  A firm medium red body, with orange edges, leaning slightly watery.

Smell:  A smack of leather and barnyard says hello to start, before relaxing behind a mixture of wild herbs, cherries, cinnamon, and concentrated raspberries.  Hints of black pepper, dust, and cumin get in as well.

Sip:  It’s not bright per say, perhaps slightly flabby on the palate, but relatively even keeled.  There’s a lot of spice here with a woodsy sort of nature.  It gets wildly herbal as it grows in strength, hurling bombs of plum skin, black cherries, and raspberries.   That leather flavor is present too.

Savor:  The finish is ridiculously long, and it pulls in strong herbal notes, tanned leather, and black olives.  The fruit flavor becomes limited to plum skin and some tannins.

Domaine Du Pesquier Côtes Du Rhône is like a bodybuilder flexing uncontrollably.  The flavors are potent, powerful, and deep, but they’re also all over the place and unbridled in their passion, and it’s not for the faint of heart.  Some subtly would be undoubtably helpful to smooth things out a bit.  That said, as an example of an unabashed masculine wine, Domaine Du Pesquier Côtes Du Rhône is a fun, aggressive choice that can add some burliness to your glass.

Verdict:  Leather, Herbs, Cherry, Aggressive
Rating: 80
Price: $12
Côtes Du Rhône, France

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