I love Côtes du Rhône. Here are three affordable bottles. Why affordable? There are different classifications of Côtes du Rhône, including Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Côtes du Rhône Villages with an actual village name included (e.g., Sablet), and then the Côtes du Rhône Cru wines, like Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas and Hermitage. Tonight we're drinking humble old Côtes du Rhône.
2007 Pont du Rhone Clerget Terroirs ($12)
This is plonk, pure and simple. It's thin, as a wine based on Grenache shouldn't be. It's a little bitter and sour and reeks of cheap oak. Flavors hardly come through, except expired cherry cough syrup. I wonder if this bottle roasted in the hold of a supertanker or spent too much time in a semi, boiling in its own sauce on the way from Mount Vernon to Smith Street, Brooklyn.
2009 Domaine Barry Côtes du Rhône ($12)
Soft and light, balanced with fruit and acid. Flavors of blackberry, mostly, and a peppery sparkle. Long smooth finish, very nice wine. I notice the nose is packed and dynamic in a way the wine itself isn't in the mouth.
2007 Yves Cheron Côtes du Rhône "Les Dentelles" ($12)
The best of the lot, no question. Fuller in body, suppler of taste, plush and clean. Ripe, organic. Very even in the mouth, stopping where it began. Lots of dark fruits, berries and plums.
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