Chateau La Baronne Rouge 2003
Product Details
Winemaker Notes
A delighful blend, Cotes de Rhone in style, with beautiful aromas of freshly baked strawberry pie and hints of cinnamon. Flavor bursts of strawberries and spicy Bing cherries.
The medical family with wine in their veins. André (a general practitioner) and Suzette (a pharmacist), are now able to take a back seat as their sons Jean (Doctor of the village of Moux like his father before him) and his wife Anne, Paul (a dentist) and Geneviève (a biologist) look after the estate.
In 2002, Richard Marlowe, an incredible wine-specialist and our best and most faithful "fan", organized a meeting with the renowned Tuscan wine consultant Stefano Chioccioli. He knew Stefano could understand our "terroir" concept, i.e. trying to produce wines with more of everything – weight, aroma, dimension, focus, varietal definition, and most importantly, allowing the terroir to shine through in every cuvee.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
An extensive appellation producing a diverse selection of good quality and great values, Languedoc spans the Mediterranean coast from the Pyrenees mountains of Roussillon all the way to the Rhône Valley. Languedoc’s terrain is generally flat coastal plains, with a warm Mediterranean climate and frequent risk of drought.
Virtually every style of wine is made in this expansive region. Most dry wines are blends with varietal choice strongly influenced by the neighboring Rhône Valley. For reds and rosés, the primary grapes include Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvèdre. White varieties include Grenache Blanc, Muscat, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino, Macabéo, Clairette, Piquepoul and Bourbelenc.
International varieties are also planted in large numbers here, in particular Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The key region for sparkling wines here is Limoux, where Blanquette de Limoux is believed to have been the first sparkling wine made in France, even before Champagne. Crémant de Limoux is produced in a more modern style.