A good Châteauneuf-du-Pape? Not easy to find. Mary Dowey shows endurance and fortitude at a six-day tasting event around the southern Rhône
Even when they are held under one roof, monster international tastings are a logistical nightmare. Thousands of bottles of wine, all at just the right temperature, have to be dispensed into hundreds of thousands of clean glasses. So imagine the torture of organising an event with simultaneous massive tastings in locations miles apart, every day for six whole days. Imagine trying to ensure that punters stick with the programme, instead of falling by the wayside in a crumpled heap on the second afternoon. Mon Dieu.
The Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône, held every two years since 2001, is breathtakingly ambitious. A kind of wine pilgrimage for importers, restaurateurs and journalists, it begins in Côte-Rôtie in the northern Rhône and wends its way south through 19 venues including well-known villages such as Cornas, Hermitage, Tavel, Gigondas and Vacqueyras, finishing with a flourish of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Palais des Papes in Avignon.
You know the bright scarlet that has been associated with the Rhône ever since the "Think Red - Think Côtes du Rhône" campaign a few years ago - one of the most successful advertising efforts ever undertaken by any French wine region? In a brilliant branding exercise, it holds the whole thing together. Red arrows on road signs at the approaches to every venue prevent even the most befuddled visitors from getting lost, while red carpet (1.3 kilometres of it this year), besides creating a grand entrance, makes the tasting "salons" visible a long way off.
Wimpish about tasting marathons, I decided to tackle only the southern Rhône segment. A mere 13 venues, spread over four days! Despite spitting out every drop of wine (vital, as I was driving myself around), it was an exhausting business - making it difficult not to fall asleep into the endless delicacies offered in the evening to remind us that the nearby Ventoux is a major source of truffles. But it was rewarding, too - a unique opportunity to get to grips with the vast and varied output of a seductive region of pretty villages, year-round sunshine and precious old vines.
What about the wines? The biggest Rhône discovery, for me, was a shock lesson in vintage variation. 2002, the year of the disastrous rains in the southern Rhône, was written off by the world's most powerful critics as thin, watery and unripe. 2003, the year of the great heatwave, was heralded as much more exciting - perfect for those warm, rich reds at which the southern Rhône excels.
Having tasted scores of wines from both of these years, I just don't agree. 2003 was so blisteringly hot that many grapes shrivelled on the vine before their pips and skins were really ripe. The result? Red wines which offer sweet, jammy fruit upfront but leave a nasty trail of bitter tannin behind - along with the flamethrower effect of high alcohol. Maybe I am out on a limb, but to me many 2003s made the 2002s seem not half bad after all. I feel sorry for all the producers whose wines from 2002, unsold because the vintage was over-harshly judged, has resulted in reduced demand for the 2003s - creating nothing short of a crisis.
A few other problems were apparent, apart from those inflicted by the weather. Quite a number of wines were crafted in a blockbuster style, using more meaty Syrah than is traditional in the Grenache-dominated Southern Rhône. Over-extracted, over-concentrated and swamped by the spicy flavours imparted by small new oak barrels (a recent fashion here, replacing large old foudres in some estates) these are big, rich, showy reds - fine for one sip but tiresome and charmless after half a glass.
As is so often the case, the most reputable producers coped best with the vintage challenges, also sometimes taking cautious steps towards a more modern style without losing sight of harmony and elegance. I've listed just a few from the better known appellations whose wines are on sale in Ireland. Mind you, the best known appellation of all, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in its 70-producer tasting in Avignon, put up a surprising number of wines which did little credit to its lofty reputation - and they were anything but cheap. Often it makes more sense to choose a decent producer elsewhere - maybe from one of the less celebrated appellations or just a generic Côtes-du-Rhône (or Côtes-du-Rhône Villages which has a slightly higher spec).
From right across the region, we can look forward to some beautifully balanced reds from the 2004 vintage - due to reach us next year. In the meantime, some of the most delicious wines on offer at the Découvertes were whites and rosés from this more classic vintage - fresh, fruity and utterly yum. These account for only a tiny 6 per cent of the southern Rhône's output. To bring a touch of Provençe to your Irish table this summer, look out for them any time soon.
GRAPE GEN
Most southern Rhône wines are blends of several grapes. Here are the main ones: White: Grenache blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Clairette, Bourboulenc. Rosé: Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre. Red: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre
SOUTHERN STYLE
Full-bodied and luscious
White notes - honeysuckle, lemon, pears, peaches.
Red notes - dark fruits, leather, spice, herbs, black pepper, black olives
STARS OF THE SHOW
Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Château de Beaucastel, Clos des Papes, Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, Domaine Roger Sabon. Gigondas: Domaine La Bouissière, Domaine Santa Duc, Domaine Raspail-Ay, Château de Saint Cosme. Vacqueyras: Domaine Le Clos de Caveau, Perrin & Fils. Rasteau: Domaine la Soumade, Domaine de Beaurenard. Cairanne: Domaine Alary, Domaine de l'Ameillaud
VILLAGES FOR VALUE
Lirac Chusclan Laudun Vinsobres