Month: January 2018

Having just read an article about how the future of Oregon wine wasn’t Pinot Noir, I found this to be an appropriate segue from Bourgogne to the Rhône. This Oregon red wine was 56% Grenache, 43% Syrah, and 1% Viogner, from two different regions. 77% of the grapes came from the Sundown Vineyard in the Rogue Valley, and the rest from the Deux Vert Vineyard in the Willamette Valley.

Francis Tannahill  wines are part of the Rex Hill family, founded in 2001 by Cheryl Francis and Sam Tannahill.

This wine had nice structure, with the Grenache asserting itself beyond the other varieties, as one would expect. Very light notes of spice and black pepper added complexity, and what tasted like a predominantly neutral oak treatment left soft tannins and a smooth finish.

Both of the bottles to the right of the photo were purchased in 2008, our second month-long visit to France, “avec nos amis” who are featured in the group pic. We remember 2008 particularly fondly, because that was the year we first met our dear friends, Jennifer and Barrie, who we descend upon each time we cross the pond to France.

During a somewhat spontaneous visit to Chateau de Vaugelas (see the bottle on the far right), we were invited to a wine tasting with winemaker Christian Mignard at his home in Siran, outside of Cesseras. Knowing how Americans love their nicknames, he referred to himself as “Chris”, pronounced with his French accent like “crease”.

We had a hard time finding the place, and had almost given up when Christian came out of his house and motioned us up the driveway. We had a fun barrel-tasting (see the photo in the photo above) and bought several bottles of his 2003 “Les Trois Cloches”, many of which he autographed. This was a Minervois La Liviniere, a blend of Syrah, old Grenache and Carignan, the latter from hundred-year-old vines. While the label said the wine can be put down for up to six years, this 14-year-old was a beauty, still with ruby-red color, ripe tannins, delightful Minervois earthiness, and the ever-present garrigue. We enjoyed it on New Year’s Eve, with rabbit confit, roasted brussels sprouts, and potatoes.