2008 Vidal-Fleury Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc

Another Amazing Value From The Rhone Valley

People often ask me, when they find out I spend some manner of time writing about wine, what my favorite “value” wine is. And this has different meanings for different people. To one, spending $20 on a bottle of wine may seem like a splurge, reserved only for special occasions; to another, a good wine for $20 may seem like the steal of the century. Neither of these hypothetical people is wrong.

For me, I consider a wine a “value wine” if it clocks in at under $15 and tastes like it costs at least twice that. One of my all-time favorite value wines is the Perrin et Fils Cotes-du-Rhone, to which I gave an A-, and for which you need only slap down between $8-$10. Not too shabby.

Here’s a white, from the same part of the world, with similar results. The 2008 Vidal-Fleury Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc is 100% viognier, which I have been enjoying tremendously for a few years. We have a thing, viognier and I.

The ’08 Vidal-Fleury is a bright, almost glowing, golden in the glass. Very pretty. The nose is sweet in a pleasant way, and the notes that dance around your nostrils will delight you: honey and apricot mingle with fresh flower beds along a mountain stream. On the prettiest damn April day you ever saw.

On the palate, the experience continues, and the wine doesn’t disappoint. Light-bodied, crisp and bright, the honey and apricot notes continue to show themselves, and there is a summery grassiness to the mid-palate that I found absolutely divine. Of course, I like stinky barnyard sauvignon blanc (and this is not anything like that, I’m just saying) so a little grassiness is great for me. Others may not love it, but it is right up my alley.

So, I said this is a value wine… what’ll it run you? About $11 for the bottle. None too shabby, that. A fantastic wine, at any price.

Verdict: 93/100

2008 Vidal-Fleury Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc

2008 Vidal-Fleury Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc

2007 Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone

My First Reader Recco, Perrin et Fils

In the comments section of my previous Rhone write-up, a reader recommended the Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone red, and as luck may have it, I was able to scoop it up for $8 at the K&L Wine Merchants near my office.

The color is a rich ruby red, brilliant and clear. Surprisingly even from end to end, as well.

On the nose are some very rich ripe red cherry notes. Not the sour cherry I’ve noticed lately in some of the Spanish wines I’ve had, but very ripe. Sharp notes of granny smith apples and a softness of grass are also there. All in all, extremely inviting, and without the sharp alcohol scent of the Coste Chaude.

The wine is dry, with a fairly light body but a long finish that lingers (very much a good thing). Notes of red fruit, plums, and pomegranate abound and dance around. There is a clean fruit-forwardness to the wine that is in no way like the big, bold, over-the-top California wines. Much more refined, tighter, but still with plenty of fruit for people who love that in their wine.

Totally into it. This makes the second solid Rhone Valley wine for me (from two different appellations: Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone Villages)… next on my list, I think, has to be a Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Stay tuned!

Verdict: A-