So I chose this one. How bad can a Cotes du Rhone village be I figured? The wine is quite dark in color. On the nose are some earthy notes and some fruit. All in all quite mild. On the mid pallet are some slightly sweet red berry fruit flavors with some herbal notes. I often read reviewers referring to “La Garrique” flavors and that might just be it. On the finish there are some mild dry notes and some tannins. The wine is more a collection of poorly integrated flavors than anything else. There is nothing horrible about this wine, but nothing fabulous either. I would give it an 87-88. I won’t be rushing out for more. I paired it with a rack of lamb and it went fine, complementing the meal pretty well.

From the LCBO web site:

LOUIS BERNARD COTES DU RHONE LCBO 581645 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 12.00
Wine, Red Wine, 13.8% Alcohol/Vol. Sugar Content : 1
Made in: Rhone, France By: Les Domaines Bernard

Tasting Note
Medium deep brick red colour; aromas of pepper, anise, plums with earthy notes; dry, medium bodied, with ripe, juicy berry fruit flavours and hints of cocoa on the finish.
Check LCBO stock

The decant provided a raspberry to rust coloured wine that emanated licorice and berries. The first swirls brought forward more raspberry with a hint of spices. The first few sips showed a firm body with tannins that were evident, not overwhelming, just chewy enough. The finish was long and eventful. As you get into the wine currants and licorice remain as some minerals are brought forward as well. This wine is well crafted and with the tannins the way they are and the solid body I’d assume you could lay this down for another 2 to 5 years without it harming or hindering the over quality in this offering. Will it necessarily improve it? Possibly but that we will leave for the second bottle. Quite a nice wine overall, but as is the case with many Rhônes, overpriced.

The CWG SR is 90 out of 100.

Mrs CWG and Bacchus state

Yum!

With a severe shortage of space (well to be honest, no space at all) I decided that this was one of our wines of the week. What made me decide this was a belief (despite the LCBO’s blurb) that a Grenache-Syrah of mid to lower tier was simply not designed to be cellared, so why take up valuable space? I am not sure many wine-makers aim a wine of this range to be pulled 20 years down the road with an ambitious grin, with that belief the cork was withdrawn and Mrs CWG decanted through the strainer funnel (you never know, do you). The crimson red had a slight hint of that rust colour I love so much. The nose gave raspberry and spice and actually seemed dull. It did not help that the previous night’s wine was literally one of the best wines of the year for us, thus raising the bar. None the less, we dove in with the passion that only a wine lover can exhibit. The tannins are larger than expected yet the wine is still balanced, simply large from start to finish. As we got deeper into the wine we noticed more of a red licorice/ candied flavour, not unexpected as the raspberry turned to more of a jam-like taste. The spice remained and evolved to more of a black pepper. Overall we found the wine grew on us. First impressions were not accurate, this is actually a well balanced and well crafted bottle. Pleasantly we ended up thinking this was of good value and will end up recommending it accordingly. Not a ‘Pape but then again, half the price, enjoy accordingly!

The CWG Subjective Rating (CSR?) is 87 out of 100.

Mrs CWG says

this grows on you, quite enjoyable, just do not put it side by side with a great Burgundy!

The other night we had a friend/coworker over who lives and works out of Moscow and Yakutsk, Russia. I made my chorizo paella (had no shrimp sadly and had a time constaint) that someday I should post the recipe to. We actually drank the above wines in the following order and as such I will talk briefly on each:

First wine was the 2005 Château des Charmes Cabernet Sauvignon (St David’s Bench) which we have a few of in our cellar. At $26 dollars you are getting into a bit pricier (just a tad) red out of Niagara then most are willing to spend, sadly. This 2005 is excellent, in fact it may rival it’s older brother the 2002 that I reviewed earlier. A well bodied Cab that has good fruit, good tannins and a good finish. 2005 was a great growing yield that sadly produced low yields, so well crafted 2005 reds from Niagara should reward you, this did jsut that.

The next wine we went to was the 2007 Henry of Pelham Non-Oaked Chardonnay. For some reason the LCBO pages are not showing the listing, but trust me I bought it here! It is roughly $13 for the 750ml bottle. I primarily wanted a white to use in the paella, but in reality we got a fresh fruit forward wine. Good body and even mouthed this wine will not win everyone over. No oak in Chards sometimes disturbs people, but I find that this grape can produce good oak free wine if the winemaker is careful enough. While this will be overwhelmed by heavily spiced foods, it will stand up to most meals and will drink well on it’s own. For the price it is worth having a go at if you are looking for a summer white.

The last bottle we had was designed to be the highlight of the wine drinking experience. The 2005 Domaine Berthet-Rayne Châteauneuf-du-Pape is $45 here and has gotten some good reviews so with some pressure to choose I decided that this should be given the good ol’ college try. With some well known reviewers giving it high 80s you would expect it to at least be worth the price, but I did not find it to be the case. It was a good wine, with solid fruit and some good spice, but in respect to the earlier Cabernet of the evening it did not out perform or dwarf it. In fact, for the the price, I’d rather get two of the Château des Charmes for the same money. That is not to say you will not enjoy this or compare it to an $8 plonk, but for a ‘Pape failed to live up to expectations.

That is all for today, enjoy your Saturday, and as always sip well!

What better way to start then this brilliant Châteauneuf-du-Pape. I am not sure when I picked this beauty up in 2007 but it was after reading the reviews on this from a few sources. Basically the reviews all said the same thing, a great wine from a good vintage. Like most better wines from this southern Rhône region it had a good level of complexity without being overwhelming. Solid fruit on the nose with a bit of blackberry and strawberry. The palate started with berries (strawberry and black cherry) and ended with more of a raisiny prune-like finish. Without a doubt it is ready to drink now and I cannot see it changing drastically with cellaring.

I am very glad that we bought two as this is one of those wines, at $45 (lcbo) is well priced. It will compliment most meals as the wines medium body is light enough for a more delicate meal but still complex and tasty enough for some a bit meatier. An excellent price/value wine for sure. I give this a definitive 90!

Mrs. CWG thinks “I could have one of these every night”

This red falls under the usual heavy Grenache usage of most from the AOC, with both Syrah and Mourvèdre in single digit percentages as well. Also making appearance, though very limited, is the Cinsault variety of grape. The 2003 vintage came from a hot summer which led to the region producing some irregular wines in terms of quality. For that reason some gems can be found, but you also risk a poor wine on occasion. Enough about the nitty or the gritty, on to the tasting!

Decanting this led to a plum coloured wine that was ripe with black cherry on the nose. The first few sniffs led to more cherry but with a hint of vanilla. On the first sips this younger wine was not as harsh on the tannins as expected, both cherry and raspberry were present. With a few more sips the body of the wine came to light, while not a full blown heavy wine it straddles the middle between medium and heavy. With a few years that should soften slightly. I started to get a little bit of earthy and molasses out towards the end of the first glass, but what was most noticeable was the peppery tastes that was starting to dominate. Overall quite a few interesting flavours and quite a nice finish. The second glass had soften quite a bit from aeration. This wine will benefit from a few more years in the cellar but you will not be disappointed in cracking it right away. It is a serious wine from a serious region. I think I will need to try and find the special Cuvée the next time I am in France to bring back and enjoy. For those not familiar with Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s this wine will go tremendously well with a rack of lamb, duck breast or a strong cheese of three. Those looking for a nice bottle to bring to friends, while very worthwhile just make sure that lemon chicken is not the main dish, otherwise the meal will be dominated by wine instead of complimented.

This is a solid red from an excellent appellation, this is getting an 88.
Mrs.CWG is in transit and should be home for the next review to impose her strong thoughts and impressions upon me!

For Ontario residents: Vintages #959833 @ a price of $33.95

To get the rating system underway, I want to use a % scale, with 100 being out of this world amazing, 70 being absolute plonk (anything under would be used as paint thinner), and everything else in between based on how the wine works for me, it’s cost/value and the intangibles that I could only explain to you in a drunken stuper while talking towards one of you potted plants!

This gets an 86
Mrs.CWG says

“nice wine I’d have again”