Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This is still dark and tight, but with a great core of racy fig, graphite and blackberry confiture notes pushed by a long, mineral- and charcoal-tinged finish. Needs brief cellaring to stretch out fully. Drink now through 2010.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne Pierres Blanches is another winner. Ripe raspberry, black cherry, dusty, loamy soil, pine forest needle, and seaweed wrapper characteristics are found in this dense, medium to full-bodied effort. Good acidity, ripe tannin, and a long finish suggest it should be consumed over the next 6-8 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
This Cairanne bottle is is a solid addition to the Perrin family's operation, featuring slightly lifted aromas of crushed herbs, cracked pepper and ripe cherries. Flavors of cherries and dried spices fill the mouth, with just enough dusty tannins to provide structural integrity and modest longevity. Drink now-2017.Editor's Choice.
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.
Typically thought of as a baby Chateâuneuf-du-Pape, the term Côtes du Rhône actually doesn’t merely apply to the flatter outskirts of the major southern Rhône appellations, it also includes the fringes of well-respected northern Rhône appellations. White wines can be produced under the appellation name, but very little is actually made.
The region offers some of the best values in France and even some first-rate and age-worthy reds. Red wine varieties include most of the Chateâuneuf-du-Pape varieties like Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise, as well as Carignan. White grapes grown include Grenache blanc, Roussanne and Viognier, among others.