What the heck is Côtes du Rhône Villages?

Did you know that Côtes du Rhône wines are some of the most popular blends in the world? And then there is Côtes du Rhône Villages. What’s the difference? Is one really better than the other? This month, as part of the French #winophiles meet-up, I set out to investigate Côtes du Rhône Villages. As in any legitimate experiment, this involves tasting some examples of the different classifications to see if the wines at the top of the “quality” pyramid really are tastier.

Côtes du Rhône 101

Côtes du Rhône is a winemaking region in southeastern France that follows a 250-km (155-mile) section of the Rhône River between Burgundy/Beaujolais and Provence.

North and South

Geographically, the Côtes du Rhone winemaking region is divided into North and South. In the North, which is the smaller region and produces less wine than the south, single-variety wines are made using the area’s main grape varieties: syrah (red) and viognier (white). Condrieu and Côte Rôtie are examples of famous northern Rhône appellations.

In the South, home of Côtes du Rhône Villages, blends are king. The main grapes used are:

Red grapes: Grenache, syrah, mourvèdre (these three make up the famed GSM trifecta), carignan, cinsault, etc.

White grapes: Grenache blanc, bourbolenc, marsanne, roussane, etc.

And so many more. There are up to 21 grape varieties allowed in the Côtes du Rhône appellation.

The Three Drinkers describe Rhône blends using this hilarious analogy:

“Rhône blends are a bit like a boyband, where each key member has been carefully chosen for their particular qualities (and there may be some backing singers on certain tracks). Grenache comes first: the cute, approachable one. Think homemade strawberry jam and liquorice sticks. Syrah comes next: he’s the complex, brooding type who probably writes all the lyrics. Think grilled meat with fresh herbs, pepper and violets. Mourvedre is the party animal of the group. Full-on and full-bodied, he’s unsubtle, rugged and savoury but instantly fanciable. Put them together and the result is harmonious.”

– The Three Drinkers

Côtes du Rhône classification

There are essentially 4 levels in the Côtes du Rhône classification pyramid.

1. At the bottom of the pyramid, and covering the entire Côtes du Rhône area, is the appellation d’origine contrôlée"controlled designation of origin" — a certification granted to certain French wines (as well as other agricultural products) to indicate their place of origin, quality, style, as well as adherence... Côtes du Rhône AOC"controlled designation of origin" — a certification granted to certain French wines (as well as other agricultural products) to indicate their place of origin, quality, style, as well as adherence....
2. Next up, you have Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC"controlled designation of origin" — a certification granted to certain French wines (as well as other agricultural products) to indicate their place of origin, quality, style, as well as adherence..., which has lower yields (i.e. produces less wine) and has a longer minimum maturity requirement (generally making for higher-alcohol wines). These wines tend to be more complex than their Côtes du Rhône AOC"controlled designation of origin" — a certification granted to certain French wines (as well as other agricultural products) to indicate their place of origin, quality, style, as well as adherence... counterparts.
3. The next level is still Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC"controlled designation of origin" — a certification granted to certain French wines (as well as other agricultural products) to indicate their place of origin, quality, style, as well as adherence..., but for these wines, the village where they are produced is named right on the bottle. There are 21 villages that can declare their names on the bottle (see the red dots in the map below):

4. The 17 Cru appellations are the last and highest classification. These are the top-level wines which do not even mention Côtes du Rhône on the label. They simply indicate the individual appellation name. In the map above, they are marked with a crown. The most well-known is probably Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Tasting through the Côtes du Rhône pyramid

I tasted a wine from each of the first three classifications in an attempt to come up with some conclusions about Côtes du Rhône wines, particulary the Villages variety. Coincidentally, all three bottles are made within 20 km of each other.

1. Gabriel Meffre Laurus Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2017 ($19.95)

Wow, this was a beautiful wine! The blend was made up of viognier, grenache blanc, roussanne, marsanne, bourboulenc and clairette, grown on two different sites. With grapes from two different terroirs, this wine strikes the perfect balance between rich aromatics and crisp freshness. The colour is more gold than yellow, since viognier is often darker than other white grapes. The wine was also aged in the traditional 275L barrels of the Vaucluse region for seven months, imparting some oaky characteristics. On the nose, I got pear, white flower, and something that reminded me of lime-flavoured fun dip.

This wine is rich, buttery and aromatic. Its mouthfeel is balanced: it’s got great acidityAcidity is an important part of a wine’s structure that prevents a wine from being “flabby”. It’s what gives you that tingling sensation on your tongue and makes you salivate.... More without being tart, and good, buttery bodyA wine’s body refers to its weight on the palate. It’s generally directly correlated to alcohol content. Lighter bodied wines are generally lower alcohol, and heavier wines are higher in... More without being too heavy. It tasted of white peach, toasted coconut, elderflower, lemon, and yellow apple.

Funnily enough, though it is at the lower rung of the pyramid (plain ol’ Côtes du Rhône AOC"controlled designation of origin" — a certification granted to certain French wines (as well as other agricultural products) to indicate their place of origin, quality, style, as well as adherence...), this bottle was the most expensive of the bunch, but totally worth it. Just goes to show that lower classifications don’t necessarily mean lower prices. Or quality. Or deliciousness!

Food and wine pairing: Perfect pork pairing.

Where to buy: Currently available at the LCBO in Vintages.

2. Brotte Bord Elégance Côtes du Rhône Villages Laudun Blanc 2018 ($17.95)

Representing the named Côtes du Rhône Villages, we have this Bord Elégance by Brotte. The Brotte family has been producing wines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape for four generations, and acquired the Château de Bord just across the river in 1991. This Château is where Brotte produces its Côtes du Rhône Villages Laudun (Laudun being one of the 21 permitted named villages).

This white blend is dominated by grenache blanc. It is pale yellow and has gorgeous aromas. When the bottle was first opened, the main aroma was buttered toast with a hint of vanilla and clove, but as the wine opened up this softened, revealing more lemon, apricot and whiteflower notes. It’s got great acidityAcidity is an important part of a wine’s structure that prevents a wine from being “flabby”. It’s what gives you that tingling sensation on your tongue and makes you salivate.... More but is medium-to-full bodiedA wine’s body refers to its weight on the palate. It’s generally directly correlated to alcohol content. Lighter bodied wines are generally lower alcohol, and heavier wines are higher in... More, with a smooth, round mouthfeel. Weighing in at 14%, this is clearly a southern wine that saw lots of sunny, grape-ripening days, with the famous Mistral winds keeping humidity at bay.

This is a lovely, elegant and rich wine with complex flavours. One minute it’s all lemon drop, then it’s peach and roses, and the next minute it’s toasty vanilla. There’s so much going on there! Definitely recommended, especially at such a low price!

Food and wine pairing: Pair with fish, shellfish or chicken dishes, appetizers or salads with goat cheese.

Where to buy: Currently available at the LCBO in Vintages.

3. Château d’Aigueville Côtes du Rhône Villages 2016 ($17.35)

For our example of an unnamed Côtes du Rhône Villages—and to switch things up from all the white wine—I chose the Château d’Aigueville. This red blend is made up of grenache, syrah and carignan. It is a beautiful medium ruby red colour, and the aromas of cherry and baking spice alone were enough to make my mouth water.

This is the perfect food wine. On its own, it’s a big wine (15% ABV!), but when paired with food this heat dissipates, making for a very approachable wine. It’s got great acidityAcidity is an important part of a wine’s structure that prevents a wine from being “flabby”. It’s what gives you that tingling sensation on your tongue and makes you salivate.... More and medium tanninsTannins help form a wine’s structure, but generally only in red wines. Tannins come from the grape’s stems, seeds and skins, and to a lesser extent from the wood in... which cut through fatty foods, leaving flavours of red cherry, strawberry, gingerbread, some black pepper spice and a hint of eucalyptus on the palate. The Château d’Aigueville is elegant and complex (the French are experts at this), and it’s a total steal for $17.35. And the best part (for those of you in Ontario), is that it’s available all year-round in the general listing at the LCBO.

Food and wine pairing: Amazing with grilled steak, fall roasts, pizza and foraged puffball mushrooms.

Note: This bottle was generously provided by the agent as a sample. No compensation was provided and all opinions are my own.

Conclusions

• Despite their popularity, these southern Rhône blends are very complex wines (maybe that’s exactly why they’re popular). With 21 grape varieties to choose from, each blend is completely different. They’re a bit like snowflakes, in that no two Côtes du Rhône wines are alike.
• You can’t judge a Côtes du Rhône by its price or classification. These have no bearing on deliciousness.
• Despite the Côtes du Rhône region being known for its reds, ignoring the whites would be a mistake. There are lots of intriguing and fabulously complex white wines coming out of the region.
• I love Côtes du Rhône wines. North or South, Villages or not, red or white— I love them all. I will have to add this region to the must-visit list for my next trip to France (the list for 2021 seems to be getting longer and longer. Who wants to join me?)

What’s your favourite Côtes du Rhône? Do you pay attention to the different classifications? Let me know in the comments!

Happy wining!

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This post is part of a monthly blogger “gathering” called the French Winophiles. These wine lovers get together on Twitter once a month to share their passion for France and its wines (not to mention delicious food pairings). Please join us on Saturday, September 19 at 11 a.m. (ET) to chat about Côtes du Rhône wines using the hashtag #winophiles. You can also read all the other contributions to this theme by clicking on the links below:

• A Côtes du Rhône from Franck Balthazar and A Deconstructed Pairing by Crushed Grape Chronicles
• A Côtes du Rhône Tasting by Keep the Peas
• All the Colors of Côtes du Rhône with Famille
  Perrin by Somm’s Table
• A Trio of Côtes du Rhône Pairings by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• A Window Into Chateau-Neuf-Du-Pape Through Maison M. Chapoutier by Avvinare
• Back on the Rhône Again by Christy Majors
• Beef Tongue Stew with a Côtes du Rhône Gigondas by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Côtes du Rhône and Clearwater Camping: Charcuterie in God’s
  Country by Our Good Life
• Côtes du Rhône: Essential French Wines by L’Occassion
• Lamb Meatballs Paired with Côtes du Rhône by Always Ravenous
• Leaning Savory with a 2016 Alain Jaume Côtes du Rhône by My Full Wine Glass
• Rhône Roam for Viognier and Syrah by Wine Predator
• Rhône Wine with Brisket by Cooking Chat
• Turkey Does the Côtes du Rhône by The Quirky Cork

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