Winemaker Notes
The 2016 Louis Bernard Cotes du Rhone Chateau Noel St. Laurent Rouge is a deep color with purple reflections. Powerful and complex nose combining hints of red fruit and a bouquet of garrigue scents. On the palate, the attack is supple and fluffy and gives way to a persistence of great wealth aromatic.
This wine is remarkable with grilled or simmered meats such as beef bourguignon, packaged legs or soft cheeses.
Blend: Grenache Noir, Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvèdre
A significant variety in Austria, St. Laurent successfully grows also in the Pfalz and Rheinhessen regions of Germany. As the progeny of both Pinot and Savagnin, St, Laurent creates a finished red with a great deal of finesse not unlike Pinot Noir—but with a deeper color and a touch more body. Somm Secret—St. Laurent is the most widely planted red variety in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
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.