| If you are looking for fine French wine and food, | | | | grapes to négociants. As Crozes-Hermitage |
| consider the Rhône Valley region of | | | | came into its own, the Viales decided to make their |
| southeastern France. You may find a bargain, and I | | | | own wines. The results have been nothing short of |
| hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine | | | | spectacular. Layers of blackberry, tar and black |
| education tour in which we review a | | | | pepper dominate their finely made Syrah-based |
| Crozes-Hermitage red wine from the northern | | | | wines. A very good match for roast leg of lamb. |
| Rhône Valley. | | | | My first meal was a barbecue including a rib steak |
| Among France's eleven wine-growing regions the | | | | marinated in a homemade ketchup-based sauce with |
| Rhône Valley ranks second in acreage. The | | | | chunks of garlic, corn on the cob, and red-skinned |
| region extends 125 miles (200 kilometers) along the | | | | potatoes. The wine was powerful and mouth-filling. It |
| Rhône River. This region is actually composed | | | | was quite long and had no trouble maintaining its |
| of two parts, the north and the south whose wines | | | | flavors. I didn't used to be a fan of tannins but these |
| tend to be quite different. The northern Rhône | | | | Crozes-Hermitage tannins melted in my mouth along |
| Valley is quite narrow. Its major red grape variety is | | | | with the meal. |
| Syrah, while its major white variety is Viognier. The | | | | My next meal involved a combination of marinated |
| northern Rhône Valley produces some of the | | | | barbecued beef and veal ribs, red-skinned potatoes, |
| best red wines in all France, and according to its fan | | | | and a garlic-based Moroccan salad. First I tried the |
| club, some of the best red wines on earth. The | | | | more subtle veal ribs. The Crozes-Hermitage was |
| southern Rhône Valley produces about 95% of | | | | very powerful with a lot of tobacco. As powerful as |
| the Rhône Valley wines. This is the kingdom of | | | | the wine was, it complemented the veal very well. |
| grape blending. For example the famous | | | | The taste of dark fruit predominated with the beef |
| Châteauneuf-Du-Pape AOC wine may be made | | | | ribs. There was quite a change in the wine, but with |
| from up to thirteen different grape varieties. | | | | both types of ribs it was simply great. Dessert |
| Vienne, population about thirty thousand, was a | | | | consisted of blueberry fruit juice candy. I was |
| major town in Roman Gaul and still retains a lot of its | | | | somewhat surprised but the wine was a good |
| history and its charm. Near the river you'll find the | | | | accompaniment. I tasted blackberries in the wine. |
| Romanesque church of St-Pierre already rebuilt in the | | | | I know how much this wine likes beef and veal, so I |
| Ninth Century. The Gothic Cathedral of St-Maurice | | | | decided to try it with barbecued chicken marinated in |
| was built during the Eleventh to Sixteenth Centuries | | | | a commercial Mediterranean-style light sauce. The |
| and largely destroyed in a religious war during the | | | | wine was careful not to overwhelm the meat. Once |
| mid-Sixteenth Century. Rue des Orfèvres | | | | again the meal included barbecued red-skinned |
| (Goldsmiths' Street) is filled with Renaissance buildings | | | | potatoes and this time, perhaps because the meat |
| and the Romanesque church St-André-le-Bas | | | | was subtler, the potatoes had more effect bringing |
| (St. Andrew the Lesser). | | | | out the earthiness of the wine. Interestingly enough |
| Vienne's Théâtre Romain (Roman | | | | the intensive Turkish Salad was the least successful |
| Theater) is one of the largest in France; it spans | | | | accompaniment to the wine. One might have |
| almost 450 feet (140 meters) and once held thirteen | | | | expected the contrary, namely, that the greatest |
| thousand spectators. Excavation started only in 1922. | | | | pairing success would be with the strongest tasting |
| This theater hosts a great jazz festival in July. Other | | | | component. The Turkish Salad and Crozes-Hermitage |
| Roman ruins include the Temple d'Auguste et de Livie | | | | combination was good, it just wasn't as good as the |
| (Temple of Augustus and Livia) erected by the | | | | other pairings in this meal. |
| Emperor Claudius and the Plan de l'Aiguille (Needle | | | | The first cheese was a mild-tasting Italian Pecorino |
| Tower), a truncated pyramid that was once part of | | | | Fruilano. This wine is so fine that even though the |
| a Roman circus. Some say that this structure | | | | cheese flattened it somewhat, it remained excellent. |
| encloses the tomb of Pontius Pilate. | | | | But believe me, I won't subject the wine to such an |
| Before reviewing the Côtes du Rhône | | | | indignity again. The second cheese was a nutty |
| wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky | | | | tasting Dutch Edam. This more powerful cheese had |
| enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local | | | | less of a flattening effect on the wine. Go figure. |
| Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of | | | | Final verdict. This wine is a definite winner. I went |
| what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this | | | | back to my previous article describing a Rhône |
| beautiful region. | | | | Valley wine: I Love French Wine And Food - A Red |
| Start with Foie Gras avec Gelée de Viognier | | | | Côtes du Rhône to refresh my memory. I |
| (Goose Liver Pâté with Viognier Jelly). | | | | was very happy with that much more modest wine, |
| For your second course savor Chevreau à l'Ail | | | | priced at about half of this one. Is the |
| et Herbes Sauvages (Baby Goat with Garlic and Wild | | | | Crozes-Hermitage better? Yes. Is it twice as good? |
| Herbs). | | | | That's a hard question. It really depends on how you |
| And as dessert indulge yourself with Granité | | | | view wines. The Crozes-Hermitage is definitely a fine |
| aux Pommes et Calvados (Apple and Calvados Ice). | | | | wine for its price range, as was the other. I am |
| OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste | | | | definitely tempted to taste a Rhône Valley red |
| and review are purchased at the full retail price. | | | | wine in the $50 range. But I can't promise you when. |
| Wine Reviewed | | | | Perhaps what I should do is buy a case of this |
| Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage 2005 13% | | | | Crozes-Hermitage and drink one a year and see if |
| about $25 | | | | the critics are right when they say it can be cellared |
| Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Until | | | | for many, many years. |
| 1992, Florent Viale and his father sold all of their | | | | |