A bitterly cold evening called for a rich red wine – a Cotes du Rhone to be precise. What it should have called for was one of my new year’s resolutions which was – “I will not drink wine mid-week – exclamation point!”. Hmm that lasted all of… ahem days. I thought I did quite well actually.The Château Beauchêne Cotes du Rhone 2009 is produced by the Bernard family.
“The Bernards were to profit from the social upheavals of the French Revolution, buying their first vineyard soon after the conflict in 1794. This vineyard is still present nowadays. Since 1971, Michel Bernard runs, with his wife Dominique, the vineyard which they have developed since and in 2004, their eldest daughter joined the board. Today, Chateau Beauchene has become the hub for the vinification and maturation of all the cuvees from the different vineyards own by the family.”
This Cotes du Rhone is a tawny, brownish red with a brilliant bouquet of sweet chocolate, dark berries and a hint of burnt wood. On the palate it was much less pungent than I thought it would be given its strong nose. The initial taste is quite sharp with a bit of a sweet bite. A swift finish meant I needed another sip. After a short time the wine seems to open more and became sweeter and more silky and very wrong for a broken resolution.
Onto my second broken resolution – “cut down on my pasta intake.” My baked penne pasta dish with a tomato basil sauce was a perfect pairing to this wine.
My Rating…
