2002 Rhone:
Lemonade Made from Lemons?
Courtesy of
30 Second Wine Advisor
By Robin Garr
For all the romance that many of us attach to the
vineyard and the winery scene, life often brings harsh reminders
that the world of wine is ultimately about the gritty, hands-on
reality of farming. So it was across much of Europe in 2002,
when hailstorms cut a swath across Northern Italy while severe
flooding ravaged France, Germany and Eastern Europe.
Few wine-producing regions suffered more than the Southern Rhone,
where the stony vineyards of Chateauneuf-du-Pape were briefly
navigable by rowboat after September storms, and many producers
wrote off the vintage entirely.
But some Rhone producers salvaged grapes, and - for better or for
worse - a few vintage 2002 wines of the region are now coming into
the marketplace. Should canny consumers pass them by?
Not necessarily. Discretion is warranted in individual buying
decisions, as is a quick check of published critics and comparing
notes among wine-loving friends. (I can tell you that I, for one,
will not be sampling any of the Vieux-Telegraphe white Chateauneuf-
du-Pape that turned up recently at a local shop for a cool $50.)
But my early sampling of more affordable 2002 Cotes-du-Rhones
suggests that, if they're on the light side in both color and body
compared with their cousins from other recent vintages, they can be
drinkable and appealing, and good with food.
Today's tasting, from the usually reliable Chateau de Segries,
offers a good example. This producer, located in Lirac (across the
Rhone from Avignon), makes an excellent Lirac red and white as well
as this Cotes-du-Rhone. It's idiosyncratic by typical red Rhone
standards - almost as if the rainy vintage pulled back the usual
curtain of robust, peppery, "grapey" fruit to reveal more subtle
undertones that usually go unnoticed in the region's wines. Redolent
of rose potpourri and pink grapefruit in a tart, palate- cleansing
wine, it's an appealing change of pace if you can find it for $10 or
less.
CHATEAU DE SEGRIES 2002 COTES-DU-RHONE ($9.99)
This clear, reddish-purple wine is not overly dark, consistent
with the other 2002 Southern Rhone reds I've seen so far. Its aromas
are intriguing, red-berry fruit with distinct notes of brown spices
and dried rose petals, a combination that strongly evokes
old-fashioned rose potpourri. A pretty, floral quality of roses
fills the palate along with tart, simple red-berry fruit, seguing
into a tangy pink- grapefruit character in the finish. It's light,
not overly long, but intriguing complexity - perhaps borne on
subtleties masked by more forward fruit in "better" vintages - makes
it a pleasant attention-getter, and its zippy acidity makes it a
fine food companion. U.S. importer: Kysela Pere et Fils Ltd.,
Winchester, Va. (Feb. 16, 2004)
FOOD MATCH: Its fresh fruit and palate-cleansing acidity
made it a winner with a hearty, earthy simple pasta dish of sauteed
free- range chicken livers in a light tomato sauce scented with
rosemary and garlic.
VALUE: Complexity and flavor interest make it a good buy
at $10; but it may pay to shop around, as Wine-Searcher.com reveals
many U.S. retailers offering it for a few dollars less.
WHEN TO DRINK: Very nice right now, but its Rube Goldberg
collection of disparate parts strongly suggests drinking it up
expeditiously while it stays that way.
WEB LINK:
The importer has a somewhat outdated page on Segries (still
featuring the 2000 vintage red) at
http://www.kysela.com/rhone/segri.htm
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and compare prices on Segries at
Wine-Searcher.com. |
