Saturday, October 21st

Côtes du Rhône Wines
of Les Vignerons de Castelas

Saturday, October 22nd
1:00 - 3:00

On Saturday we get another visit with our buddy Laurence O. Vuelta, aka Dr. LOV. This time we are turning our focus onto four French gems in Laurence’s portfolio, all from the Côtes du Rhône appellation. Côtes du Rhône are the workhorse wines of the Rhône valley. Introduced in 1937, the appeallation’s purpose was to provice a catch-all title for good quality Rhône wines from the valley’s lesser known and less prestigious viticultural areas. It does not hold the prestige of the Rhône’s more famous names, like Chateaufneuf du Pape, Cote Rotie, or Hermitage, however the Côtes du Rhône title has risen to become one of France’s most popular and famous. It is a region wide appellation covering nearly all of the southern Rhône valley, and produces red, rosé and white wines, and includes more than 170 villages. The reds tend to be fruity and mid-weight, most often based on Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. We will taste two on Saturday, with the entry level Cuvée d’Antan and the more prestigious Côtes du Rhône Villages from Domaine Fournier. We will also taste the Les Mésanges Blanc, a classic Rhône white blend of Viognier, Grenache Blanc, and Roussanne, some of our favorite white grapes for Fall weather. Not to be left out, we’re still loving Rosé even if Summer has passed, so we will taste the lovely Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault blend of L’Amarante Rosé. All four wines are made by the Les Vignerons du Castelas co-operative, a group of winegrowers who collaborate together rather than selling off their fruit to other wineries. If you missed Laurence on Wednesday evening, here’s your chance to say hello and taste some beautiful Rhône wines.

Les Mésanges Blanc
Côtes du Rhône, France, 2021

L’Armarante Rosé
Côtes du Rhône, France, 2021

Cuvée d’Antan Vieilles Vignes
Côtes du Rhône, France, 2020

Domaine du Fournier ‘Signargues’
Côtes du Rhône Villages, France, 2018