Robust, charming and fun, the recent releases from southern France are worth ordering by the case By David Lawrason
(Image: Jack Dylan)
Southern Rhône, the dry, rugged valley that snakes through south-central France to the Mediterranean, has become one of the most exciting wine regions to watch. Whereas the syrah-based reds from the steeper slopes of northern Rhône are consistently linear, sophisticated and cellar-worthy, bottles from the sprawling south are far more fun and surprising. The 2005, 2006 and just released 2007 vintages are all incredible. Blended from grenache, syrah, carignan, mourvèdre and cinsault, southern Rhônes are robust reds, perfect for casual meals—particularly as the chill of autumn arrives. Their plummy fragrance is often etched with pepper, rosemary, lavender and, above all, anise, which emanates from the area’s abundant shrubland, referred to as “garrigue.” (I chomped pounds of black licorice as a kid, so I must confess partiality to southern Rhône’s signature scent.) The varied soilscapes of the valley, hill outcroppings and high-altitude plateaus also help create fascinating flavour diversity from winery to winery. Vintages has a special release of southern Rhône 2007s this fall, and I’m going to buy as many bottles as I can afford. Here, a cross-section from basic Côtes-du-Rhône to top-rung Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
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“Werner Herzog got rare access to film inside the Chauvet Cave in France, the location of some of the earliest known human drawings. His sense of wonder is what elevates Cave of Forgotten Dreams from a documentary about art to art itself. We get his impressions of the site, as well as his meditations on what he is seeing and what he shares with these anonymous artists. If film is our only access to the caves, I’m grateful to have Herzog as our guide.”
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