Skip to main content
Bottle and Glass
0
  • Red Wine
    • Argentina
    • Australia
    • Austria
    • Chile
    • France
    • Italy
    • New Zealand
    • South Africa
    • Spain
    • USA
  • White Wine
    • Australia
    • Austria
    • France
    • Germany
    • Italy
    • New Zealand
    • South Africa
  • Rosé Wine
    • Australia
    • France
  • Sparkling Wine
    • Australia
    • France
    • Italy
    • New Zealand
    • Spain
  • Sweet
    • Australia
    • France
    • Germany
    • Italy
    • New Zealand
  • Mixed Cases
  • Gift Vouchers
  • Magnums
  • Super Premium
Bottle and Glass
0
Cart0 Login / Register
  • Red Wine
    • Argentina
    • Australia
    • Austria
    • Chile
    • France
    • Italy
    • New Zealand
    • South Africa
    • Spain
    • USA
  • White Wine
    • Australia
    • Austria
    • France
    • Germany
    • Italy
    • New Zealand
    • South Africa
  • Rosé Wine
    • Australia
    • France
  • Sparkling Wine
    • Australia
    • France
    • Italy
    • New Zealand
    • Spain
  • Sweet
    • Australia
    • France
    • Germany
    • Italy
    • New Zealand
  • Mixed Cases
  • Gift Vouchers
  • Magnums
  • Super Premium
  • Home
  • Our Newsletter
  • There's No Place Like Rhone

There's No Place Like Rhone

David   7 July 2016 

This wine has two things going for it - a fresh, lively character and sheer good value.

It's from the magnificent Rhône region of France which follows the river from Vienne in the north, to Avignon in the south. Neatly divided into two sub-regions, the Northern Rhône and the Southern Rhône, the catchall Côtes du Rhône appellation theoretically covers wine from anywhere within the region. In reality though, nearly all wine labelled Côtes du Rhône comes from the vast and sunny Southern Rhône.


The 3 Côtes du Rhône classifications, in ascending order, are:

  • Cotes du Rhône
  • Côtes du Rhône Villages
  • Côtes du Rhône Villages (with a named village)

The first of these, the generic Côtes du Rhône appellation, covers about 32,000 hectares and permits the use of 21 grape varieties, both red and white. The majority of wines however (around 90%) are red, made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Since 1996, red Côtes du Rhône must contain at least 40% Grenache but (and isn’t there always an exception?) wines made in the northern Rhône, where Syrah is the favoured grape, are exempt from this rule.

The Côtes du Rhône concept is well-known in Australia with popular GSM blends (Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvèdre) produced in the Barossa and McLaren Vale. While it’s tempting to put these ripe, generous and powerful wines in the same basket, remember how much warmer South Australia is than the south of France. The latitude of Avignon, in the Southern Rhône, is the southern hemisphere equivalent of just below Tasmania.

Red Côtes du Rhône is, at heart, an informal wine - not too structured, usually mid-weight, fruity, fragrant and easy to drink. Most red Côtes du Rhône is enjoyed young and it offers terrific value. Wine writer Andrew Jefford describes it as “Delicious and supremely drinkable red wine. Almost nowhere in the world can match the Côtes du Rhône at its best.”

Rive Droite, Rive Gauche Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2015

Rive Droite, Rive Gauche Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2015 fits this bill perfectly. It’s a great mid-week tipple.

The wine is made by Les Vignerons d’Estézargues which Mike Bennie of The Wine Front describes as “a hip co-operative in the Southern Rhône producing to exacting quality defined by ‘reasoned viticulture’, which promotes less chemicals in vineyard – the co-op only sprays minimally and only for mildew (no pesticides). They make wine to a ‘natural mantra’, with indigenous fermentation in cement vats, minimal SO2 addition and no other additives. It is one of the rare co-ops in Rhône that ferment individual cuvées for market release.”

Situated in the small town of Estézargues, about 20km west of Avignon, Les Vignerons d’Estezargues was originally founded in 1965. It’s small, with only 10 growers and about 400 ha of scattered vineyards.

Initially it followed the traditional co-op model of receiving grapes from members and churning out large batches of wine made by combining all the grapes. But in 1995 new winemaker Jean-Francois Nicq took a totally different approach. He began vinifying individual growers' grapes separately - not only that, he also started making single cuvées from the best sites. This push towards quality continued with the arrival of Denis Deschamps, the current winemaker. He’s a champion of ‘natural’ winemaking and prefers the use of natural yeasts, minimal sulphur, and avoids fining and filtration in many of his wines. They are possibly one of the only co-ops in the world to use such practices. It’s a bold approach but they seem to have pulled it off, as they now enjoy an excellent reputation both in France and worldwide.


The co-op makes quite a few wines, one of which is the Rive Droite, Rive Gauche 2015. Apparently the name (Right Bank, Left Bank) references the fruit for the wine being sourced from both banks of the Rhône. Grenache from the left bank (eastern side) and Syrah from the right bank, from the highly regarded village of Daumazan, near Tavel.

The wine is a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre and Cinsault. It’s fermented in stainless steel, sees no oak and is sealed with screw cap - all techniques aimed at retaining freshness.

This wine typifies exactly why CDR is so popular the world over. 2015 was regarded as an exceptional vintage in the Rhône. It was one of the earliest harvests ie. warmer conditions.

The colour is plummy and dark. Lifted aromatics of dark cherries, blackberries and violets roll onto the palate revealing sour cherry, marzipan, pepper and spices. Abundant upfront flavour but not like Aussie GSM. Medium-bodied with good acid to balance its fruit, very fine tannins and a snappy dry finish, it gains weight as it opens up. Fresh, simple and delicious.

This vintage has just been released so no critics' notes yet, but here are two from the previous vintage...

"Outstanding value for money – and fabulous insulation for the final frosts of winter.”Olly Smith, The Mail on Sunday, Feb 2016.

"…delicious... a bit of a no-brainer really. Enjoy with roast beef.” Fiona Beckett, The Guardian, Nov 2015.

I can offer it for $20 a bottle. Click here for new vintage.

Service

Service

  • My Account
  • Track Order
  • Returns and Refunds

About Us

About Us

  • About Us
  • Our Newsletter
  • Contact Us

Information

Information

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Shipping
  • Security Policy

Receive our newsletter

Copyright © 2022 Bottle and Glass. All Rights Reserved.
NSW Liquor Licence No. LIQP770010172
ABN: 61 143 856 919
No Alcohol can be sold or supplied to anyone under 18. It’s against the law.
  • MasterCard
  • Visa

Terms & Conditions

Welcome to our website. If you continue to browse and use this website, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with our privacy policy govern Bottle and Glass’s relationship with you in relation to this website. If you disagree with any part of these terms and conditions, please do not use our website.

The term ‘Bottle and Glass’ or ‘us’ or ‘we’ refers to the owner of the website whose registered office is Shop 4, 29 Newland St, Bondi Junction, NSW, 2022. Our ABN is 61 143 856 919. The term ‘you’ refers to the user or viewer of our website.

The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:

  • The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.
  • Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
  • Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.
  • This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.
  • All trademarks reproduced in this website, which are not the property of, or licensed to the operator, are acknowledged on the website.
  • Unauthorised use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence.
  • From time to time, this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s).
  • Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to the laws of Australia.

Privacy Policy

This privacy policy sets out how we uses and protects any information that you give us when you use this website.

We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.

What we collect

We may collect the following information:

  • name and job title
  • contact information including email address
  • demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests
  • other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers

What we do with the information we gather

We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:

  • Internal record keeping.
  • We may use the information to improve our products and services.
  • We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided.
  • From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customise the website according to your interests.

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

How we use cookies

A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer's hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.

We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about webpage traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

Controlling your personal information

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

  • whenever you are asked to fill in a form on the website, look for the box that you can click to indicate that you do not want the information to be used by anybody for direct marketing purposes
  • if you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to or emailing us.

We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.

If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.