Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A real sleeper of the vintage is Morel's 2009 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Signargues. This dense plum/ruby wine exhibits loads of raspberry and black cherry fruit, medium body, and plenty of spice and earth.
Range: 89-91 -
Wine Enthusiast
Morel, the general manager at M. Chapoutier, also has his own label, which includes this very attractive wine from Signargues, the southernmost villages appellation of the Cote du Rhone. It's full bodied and ripe without being flabby or unstructured, delivering blueberry and blackberry fruit, peppery spice and a long finish that reverberates with fruit and an espresso note. Editors' Choice.
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Wine Spectator
A pure and very silky wine, with a gorgeous mix of damson plum, raspberry, black cherry and plum fruit, laced with graphite and black tea and followed by a long, incense-tinged finish.
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.