2013 Les Coteaux De Fournes Les Garrigues Cotes Du Rhone

Les Coteaux de Fournès is a winemaking cooperative nestled into the small, picturesque town of Fournès between Nimes and Avignon. Organized in 1955 by family growers who decided to band together to make outstanding regional wines, the coop today has 30 members, all dedicated to the notion that remarkable wines come from carefully tended, small, family-owned vineyards. The cellar was built in 1956 and enlarged and updated in 1970. Altogether the members own 1,000 acres in and around the commune. The soils in the area are clay mixed with chalk and small pebbles. Many vineyards are on the banks of the Rhône River. Given the intense sunshine, dry climate and hardscrabble soil, vine roots must go deep into the ground to find water, which results in highly flavorful grapes tinged with hints of minerality. The vineyards are in AOP Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages and vin de pays appellations. The winemaker is Réné Duporge. At the 2011 Concours Général Agricole de Paris wine competition the coop’s Les Garrigues won a Gold Medal.

The Southern Rhône Valley wine region extends from Orange in the north through the communes Lirac and Tavel in the southwest. The French call the region Côtes du Rhône Méridionales and it includes some of the best known appellations in France, such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas. The climate and landscape of the Southern Rhone differ significantly from the Northern Rhone. There are hot, often windy Mediterranean appellations near Nimes and the south, and higher altitude, relatively cool appellations such as Côtes du Ventoux to the east. Understanding the region can be confusing given that there are thirteen appellations and sixteen red and white grapes allowed for wines with appellation status. Syrah is grown here, but it is much less important than in the north. Grenache is the prominent red grape, though most red wines are blends of at least four varietals. Other commonly used red grapes are Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Muscardin. Counoise, Terret Noir, Vaccarèse and Syrah are also permitted. The primary white grapes are Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Bourboulenc, though Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne are permitted, as are Picpoul and Picardin. Of note is the Côtes du Rhone Villages AOC, which is only in the Southern Rhone. Though Côtes du Rhône AOC wine is made in both the north and south, the Villages appellation has stricter requirements for winemaking and is generally considered higher quality than simple Côtes du Rhône. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “There is a vast amount of enjoyment to be discovered in the southern Rhône…for these are some of the most sumptuous and pleasure-giving wines produced in the world.”

Cinsault 50% - Grenache 30 % - Syrah 20 %