Saturday, October 1, 2022

Chateau de Richebois Cotes du Rhone Villages, 2021

A 2021 red wine? I love older wines and frequently dig into my cellar for bottles from the 1980s. But I also love younger wines, particularly traditionally made wines from the Southern Rhone. Through the 1980s and 1990s, I usually bought case quantities of my favorite Cotes du Rhone wines on release and drank them within the first year or two as a preview of what the vintage offered and a guide to whether I should buy more expensive offerings from Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas and other CDR Villages. This wine, with its fruity, yeasty charm, reminds me of those young Cotes Rhones.

Medium deep crimson. I'm reasonably certain it has not been aged in new oak barrels, as many young Southern Rhones are these days. Cherries, plums, strawberries and a hint of black pepper. I suspect the pepper element will get more prominent as the wine ages. Very smooth on the palate.

Chateau Richebois CDR Villages is a new offering at my local Trader Joe's, selling for $7.99--an excellent price for a CDR and an even better value for a CDR Villages. I will buy more.

 

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