The southern Rhone
Valley is a great
place to find exciting wine at affordable prices. I tend to think of reds more
than I do whites – and among wines like Côtes Du Rhône in the $10-$15 range, Vacqueyras
in the $20-$30 range, and Gigondas and lower-priced Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the
$30-$40 range – you can find wines with a sense of place, structural integrity,
and bold expressive fruit that far out-drink their price points.
While reds lead the pack throughout the Rhone Valley ,
it’s also fun and easy to find excitement among the Rhone ’s
whites. My most recent find was a simple white blend, classified outside of
France’s AOP classification as a Vin de France (AOP is the replacement for AOC, and Vin de France is the replacement
for Vin de Table in the recent reforms of France’s wine classifications). The
lower classification is merely because the wine includes 30% Sauvignon Blanc in
its blend, a varietal not permitted in any of the Rhone AOP’s.
Coming from the Costières de Nîmes region in the south of
the Southern Rhône Valley – the wine in question is produced in a partnership
of Costières de Nîmes producer Michel Gassier, oenologist Philippe Cambie, and US importer
Eric Solomon. The Michel Gassier 2011 Cercius Blanc is named for the Latin term
for the mistral winds of Provence
that sweep through the region, preserving freshness and acidity in the wines.
It’s made from 70% Grenache Blanc and 30% Sauvignon Blanc, from 25 year-old
vines grown in organically-farmed rocky soils. Fermentation and aging on lees takes
place in cement tanks.
Think fresh and bright. The wine is light gold in color with
notes of tangerine, grapefruit, rose hips and slate. Medium-bodied and
rich on the palate with nice brightness augmented with subtle honeyed and spice
depth. It finishes with nice balance throughout as well as lingering crisp fruit. Inviting
and alluring on its own; it’s well rounded to pair with any number of foods. My
vote would be seafood paella, with the brightness and minerality of the wine
matching the rich spice and garlicky savory seafood. This is
excellent overall and even better when you consider the $12.99 price point. It
would also be a perfect wine by-the-glass in restaurants as well.
There’s also a Cercius
Côtes du Rhône red that’s a blend of Grenache and Syrah, also reasonably priced
and fermented and aged in concrete – I’ll definitely pick that up if I come
across it.
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