Cafe Maxx Wine Tasting Southern Rhone

Drink is in itself a good Creature of God, and to be received with thankfulness, but the abuse of drink is from Satan; the wine is from God, but the Drunkard is from the Devil.

INCREASE MATHER, Wo to Drunkards

Sometimes you feel a little devilish but we need to be a little bad to understand what it is like to be good. 

We have a wicked wine tasting coming up this weekend with the Great Wine Seminar on the horizon for this Friday, Saturday and Sunday!!  There are still a couple of seats available if anyone wants to attend one of the best wine events that is put on anywhere in the country- check out our calendar of events for a complete line-up of what is being poured and what famous wine personalities will be in attendance.

Next week we have a few GREAT events also with the Vintage Spanish tasting on Friday night already SOLD OUT!  But if you are interested in this event we can put you on our waiting list usually someone falls by the wayside when we confirm reservations for our events.

Saturday night is our California Cabernet Sauvignon Magnum party at 1800 Las Olas with wines like the legendary Diamond Creek Lake, Chateau Montelena, Dominus Estate, Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Backus, and more everything in MAGNUM format!!  We still have room for this event that is limited to 18 tasters.

And we start the week out next week with our Southern Rhone Tasting at Café Maxx on Wednesday night featuring one of the most famous of all the French wines, Chateauneuf Du Pape.

Alphonse Daudet, the French writer, once called Châteauneuf-du-Pape the "Wine of Kings and the King of Wines."  The wines of this region with the easy sounding name have been legendary for hundreds of years.  In 1309 a French Cardinal was elected Pope Clement V.  Because there was much strife between the French King and Rome, Pope Clement chose to remain in France.  The Pope, formerly the Bishop of Bordeaux, owned his own vineyard in the Graves district of Bordeaux (now known as Château Pape-Clement and one of the better properties of Graves); and he was very interested in cultivating vines in the new papal residence he established in Avignon.  It was really Clement's successor, Pope John XXII, who did extensive planting of vineyards and constructed a castle outside of Avignon, called the Châteauneuf-du-Pape or "new house of the Pope."  This was an affluent time in Avignon; many parties were thrown and much wine was drunk.  Although wine had been grown in the surrounding villages for 150 years, it was the papacy that spread the fame of these wines from Avignon.

In the 1920's some of the growers at Châteauneuf-du-Pape became really concerned about the amount of "foreign" wine being sold as Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  The late Baron Le Roy, the proprietor of Château Fortia, one of the great estates of the district, drew up a set of laws to guarantee the authenticity and the origin of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  These laws later became the model for France's Appellation Contrôllée laws and were later copied by the Germans, the Spanish, and the Italians.  Although the laws have been in force for some years, it is common knowledge that until recently there was still a great amount of illegitimate wine labeled Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  The local growers and estate owners realize that one of the problems is that 80% of the wine is made and bottled at facilities outside the district; this obviously leaves room for tremendous abuse. 

Besides the great difference between estate-bottled and négociant wines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the grape composition of the wines further complicates the picture.  As many as thirteen different varieties can go into the make-up of a Châteauneuf; each grower swears by the percentage of the grape he uses.  Since different grapes contribute different characteristics to the overall wine (Grenache and Cinsault for warmth and mellowness; Mourvèdre and Syrah for solidity and color etc.), it is understandable how different estates with different grape compositions can produce very different wines.  Further complicating everything is how the harvest conditions affect the grapes - all of which ripen at slightly different intervals.  It is easy to see why the variation in quality is broader in Châteauneuf-du-Pape than perhaps any wine district in France. 

Then there are the lesser known regions of the Southern Rhone like Vacqueyras, Gigondas, Lirac and of course the best value in all of the wine world, Cotes Du Rhone.  This is one of the best Values in the world of wine and one of the few places in the wine world that you can find organically or biodynamically produced wines for under $15 per bottle!!

Cafe Maxx Wine Tasting Southern Rhone
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
6:30 PM

These tastings at the Cafe Maxx for $35 are the best value of any event that we do. You get to try 8 different wines at the same time, pre-poured so they have a chance to open up and so you can go back through the line-up to get a second and third look at everything. This is how you learn about wine and with master chef Oliver Saucy sending out a few small courses to accompany the wines, you get a taste of Cafe Maxx and an education in wine all at the same time, a great way to spend happy hour.

Tonight we will feature wines from the Southern Rhone Valley with some of the world's greatest Grenache and Syrah based wines.   This is a pre-poured sit down tasting and is limited to 25 tasters, the fee for this tasting is $35 + Gratuity + tax for reservations call 954-782-0606.

Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2013  
Price: $18.00    Sale $15.84    Case $184

20% Roussanne (gravels and red clay), 30% Viognier (limestone), 20% Marsanne (limestony sands), 25% Picpoul de Pinet (limestony sands), 5% Clairette (limestone),
Fermented in small casks and aged on the lies.  Finally we’ve had two cool vintages in a row : 2012 and 2013. This is so nice to see the grapes ripening slowly. It gives time to get  ready properly. It gives time to observe and plan what will be the best harvest strategy. Time being what it is, this is luxury to have some of it... The Côtes du Rhône white will be less than 13% alcohol this year and we picked the grapes during the second half of September. This is ideal and unfortunately quite rare under our mediterranean climate. The picpoul is even better than usual in this vintage and more than ever it looks like his cousin the sauvignon : this is almost funny. You will be able to taste this year a white full of mineral. The aromas are expressive but refined. This wine flies. Sometimes mother nature offers the ideal : let’s enjoy it well because it doesn’t always happen! Have a good tasting.  Mango, papaya, marshmallow, box tree

JANASSE VDP D'ORANGE VIOGNIER 2013   
Price: $22.00    Sale $19.36    Case $225

20 years vine age. 1/3 in barrel, 2/3 in tank ageing. Practicing organic and biodynamic.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Domaine de la Janasse Domaine de la Janasse has quickly become one of the Superstar estates of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Led by the dynamic Christophe Sabon, the estate combines the best of both traditional and modern techniques to craft a collection of truly riveting wines from “simple” value-priced VDP’s to benchmark Châteauneufs.

The estate was founded in 1976 by Aimé Sabon, Christophe’s father, who still oversees the vineyards and farms organically. The propert consists of 40 Hectares, spread over as many as 70 different parcels throughout the appellation. While Aime works in the vineyards, his son, Christophe Sabon, is in charge of wine production. Christophe is a self-proclaimed “great defender of Grenache,” which still represents 75% of their vines. He manages the common rusticity of Grenache-based wines through meticulous work in the vineyards and cellar. The result is a wide range of lavishly ripe, extracted Châteauneuf-du-Papes and Cotes-du-Rhônes that are complex and yet balanced with acidity -- often in contradiction to an appellation better known for sheer exuberance and power. As Robert Parker points out: “The young and talented Christophe Sabon continues to display the sure-handed touch of a veteran winemaker”.

DAUVERGNE RANVIER COTES DU RHONE Rouge 2011   
Price: $14.00    Sale $23.32    Case $143

Created in 2004, Dauvergne Ranvier is a collaboration between Francois Dauvergne and Jean-Francois Ranvier. They produce a number of wines that are broken up into three separate tiers; a Vins Gourmands, which is the entry level offering; a Grand Vin; and finally, the smallest production efforts.

ROCHE CAIRANNE 2011   
Price: $20.00    Sale $17.60    Case $204

Romain’s 2011 Carianne is a prime example; a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah that’s aged 80% in tank and 20% in Barrique, it offers a splendid bouquet of black raspberries, liquorice, white chocolate and lead pencil shavings delivered in a medium to full-bodied style. It is almost creamy in its seamlessness and will definitely keep you warm throughout this chilly spring with a rounded 15% ABV.

SABON LIRAC CHAPELLE DE MAILLAC 2011   
Price: $24.00    Sale $21.12    Case $245

A fantastic estate that covers close to 44 acres throughout the appellation, Domaine Roger Sabon was created by Roger Sabon in 1952. The estate was taken over by Roger’s sons (Jean-Jacques, Denis and Gilbert) in 1976, and since 2001, the wines are made by Didier Negron, who is Jean-Jacques’ stepson. The estate produces upward of four red Chateauneufs in a given vintage and one white. In addition, they release a solid Cotes du Rhone and Lirac.  Wine Advocate #209, Oct 2013

FAMILLE BRECHET BOSQUETS GIGONDAS 2012   
Price: $34.00    Sale $29.92    Case $347

This superb 26 hectare estate is owned and run by Laurent Brechet of Ch. De Vaudieu in Chateauneuf du Pape. As at Vaudieu, he produces a wine with freshness,richness and depth. The Grenache (70% of the blend) character shines through on both the nose and the palate. 20% Syrah adds powerful peppery fruit and 10% Mourvèdre the backbone to age for another 5 years at least if required. Tremendous wine.

Almost black in colour, with a complex nose of blackberries, violets and liquorice. The wine is very well balanced and elegant in the mouth with a rounded, mineral character. Mellow tannins round out the finish.

Domaine la Garrigue Vacqueyras Cantarelle 2012 
Price: $30.00    Sale $26.40    Case $306

(93 Points)  The most impressive of the trio, the 2012 Vacqueyras La Cantarelle is an incredible blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah that spent 24 months all in concrete tanks. It too is a custom cuvee between Eric Solomon, Philippe Cambie and the Bernard family. Named after a house that’s located in the vineyard, it comes from 100+-year-old vines and primarily limestone soils, and there’s a scant 600 cases to go around. Inky purple in color, it gives up meaty aromas and flavors of olive tapenade, cassis, melted licorice and earth to go with a very full-bodied, voluptuous and downright sexy profile on the palate. Layered, concentrated and with a great finish, it’s a knockout bottle of wine that will continue to impress through 2022. eRobertParker.com #211, Feb 2014

2011 Domaine Giraud Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition  
Price: $50.00    Sale $44.00    Case $510

(93 Points) Along the same lines, the smoking good 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition is a blend of 60% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre, from 50-to-80-year-old vines, with the Grenache and Mourvedre aged all in concrete and the Syrah in 2-to-6-year-old barrels. Knockout stuff, with sweet black currants, cassis, licorice, pepper and wild herbs, this full-bodied, supple and seamlessly textured beauty will drink nicely through 2021. Drink now-2021.

This is a terrific lineup of wines by the brother and sister team of Marie and Francois Giraud. Their 2011s are certainly near the top of the vintage, with the 2012s looking just as good. In addition to releasing stunning reds, this estate always produces a terrific white. Marie produced three red Chateauneufs in 2012, with no Les Gallimardes due to the tiny quantity. During my tasting, Marie commented on the rain in late September and the difficulty in deciding when to pick. Opting to wait until after the rain for the majority of their plots, this spread the harvest out over five weeks as opposed to the normal two weeks.  Wine Advocate #209, Oct 2013

This is a pre-poured sit down tasting and is limited to 25 tasters, the fee for this tasting is $35 + Gratuity + tax for reservations call 954-782-0606.