Rahsaan Drinks Ripe Wine

R

Rahsaan

Rahsaan
Spending time in Provence and enjoying the benefits of sun when it comes to ripe fruits and vegetables. Wine is also fun, but quite the juxtaposition to my usual fare, especially after a summer in Berlin drinking German wine. Funny to visit wineries and have them pour ‘light’ red wines that are darker and richer than any of the red wines I usually drink! (Thus far I have mostly succeeded at avoiding sarcastic comments)

But, there are benefits to this climate. Sitting outside starting a meal with 2021 Pibarnon Bandol Rosé is a fine way to live. Juicy and fresh with perhaps more flesh than some red wines I drink, but lively enough to go down smooth and make life happy. Then switching to 2009 Beaucastel CdP was a pleasant transition. Ripe but mellowed and a perfect savory note to blend with the fragrant smells in the garden.

None of these wines would taste as good in my Nyc apartment, which is why it’s all the better to enjoy them now!
 
In the Luberon, near Ménerbes. Not the most famous part of Provence wine-wise, but the local wines have a ripe charm that works well for me while we're here.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
I've never been that fond of Luberon wines. But, then, I haven't had a lot of them. They make the Cdrs look positively Burgundian.
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I can't claim expertise. There is definitely a different taste to the Luberon grenache/syrah that is not as refined as the Rhone. But, there are lots of ways to enjoy wine with different levels of refinement.

And, this afternoon, a winery touted their Luberon hills as beneficial for providing evening shade/cool temperatures, preserving freshness and avoiding the alcoholic excesses one might find in Gigondas. I didn't want to get too combative, given my different definition of freshness. But, they were free to slag off the Rhone, and it's all relative!
 
Yes, 14/14.5% seems pretty common, although a few of the 'light' wines come in closer to 13%. I'm sure you have plenty of wines near you that serve the same purpose, although if you like to explore diversity...
 
I see 14% occasionally, but it is getting harder and harder to get Grenache ripe that low. The 2021s I have seen are coming it at 14.5%. THe 2020s and back to 2014 are higher. If you are finding a 2020 or earlier down there at 14, I stand corrected. I do remember the days when CdPs were 13-13.5, but those days were all before 1998.
 
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