Quintessential Value Reds
by Anthony Lynch
2022 Côtes du Rhône Rouge
France | Southern Rhône
Half an hour east of Avignon, there’s a town whose name begins with Châteauneuf and whose vineyards are littered with the Rhône’s most quintessential terroir feature: the rounded river stones called galets roulés. No, I’m not talking about the Châteauneuf—Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which brought the region fame through its history of papal schism and legendary wines—but Châteauneuf-de-Gadagne, a charming medieval village where our most beloved house blend originates. For this cuvée, the blend changes every year. We taste samples from twenty cuves and allow the vintage to guide our proportions of mostly Grenache and Syrah, along with some Mourvèdre, Carignan, and splashes of Marselan and Cinsault. As with many of the southern Rhône’s quintessential reds, this one originates from a galet-strewn terroir, which reflects the southern sun into the forty-year-old vines and yields an expressive rouge full of beautiful aromas and flavors of black cherries, stones, and a hint of black olive. Year in and year out, we are amazed to find this much southern French character and deliciousness at this price.
2022 Vino Rosso
Italy | Piedmont
Marco Tintero, the Piedmont value champ, has a questionable pricing strategy. While nearly every other wine producer in the world has raised their prices recently, nothing ever budges for Marco. Can you believe it, in this economy!?
Pick up a bottle of his red, a blend of mostly Barbera and Dolcetto, and you too will be perplexed. Light, fresh, and smooth on the palate, with just a hint of that “bite” we associate with Italian reds, it’s so good it just doesn’t quite make sense.