Roam The Rhône With The Wines Of Guigal

Travel east from Washington, across the Atlantic to France, and you come to the Rhône Valley. Here you will find two distinct, but highly-regarded wine regions, one to the north and one to the south, connected by the Rhône River. In the northern Rhône, Syrah holds the throne. Here, vines are planted on steep, terraced hillsides which focus and capture the sun’s heat. The southern Rhône on the other hand, is much more Mediterranean in climate and terroir and here, Grenache is the leading red grape used in the blended wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Côtes-du-Rhône.

We will begin by toasting the end of summer with a fun 2003 Côtes-du-Rhône Rosé, a beautiful, copper-hued wine full of raspberry, cherry, pepper and spice notes. Guigal’s blending skills come into play in our next wine, the Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc. The 2003 is primarily a blend of Roussanne and Viognier. It will be tasted alongside Guigal’s Condrieu, a powerful Viognier-based wine, with aromas of exotic fruits, lychee nuts and apricots.

Next we will taste the 2001 Crozes Hermitage Rouge and a St.-Joseph Rouge. The Crozes shows vibrant berry and pepper flavors. Stylistically, St.- Joseph Rouge is more elegant than the rustic reds of Crozes with youthful, spicy flavors and a light vanilla note.

As fall approaches, what better time to try Guigal Gigondas, the perfect accompaniment to hearty fare. The dry, stony slopes of Gigondas are perfect for producing this substantial, full-bodied red. One of the highlights of our tasting will be the 2001 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Full of character, with a long, sweet finish, this wine garnered a 93 from Wine Spectator. In fact, five of the eight wines on our program scored over 90 points and all have received outstanding reviews.

Completing the tasting will be the 2001 Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde, a dark, red wine with cherry, gunflint, peppers and flowers on the nose.

We are delighted to have Patrick Will, from ExCellars in Solvang, California, as our speaker for the program. ExCellars is the exclusive importer of Guigal wines into the United States and they have been extremely helpful in arranging the wines for our program. All this, plus fabulous food bites from Brasserie Margaux (see page two), special door prizes and more.

A Bite Of Brasserie Margaux
What comes to mind when you think of a hotel restaurant? If you’re in-the-know, you’ll think of Brasserie Margaux, in downtown Seattle’s Warwick Hotel. Elegant, yet cozy and inviting, the restaurant features Northwest fare with French overtones. Everything about the place is warm and welcoming, from the friendly staff to the open kitchen and the generously upholstered chairs that encourage lingering.

And linger one will, in order to partake of the inventive pairings, the excellent tapas menu and the wonderful cuisine of Executive Chef Chris Zarkades, a Washington native and graduate of our own South Seattle Community College’s renown culinary program. As their Web site notes, Chef Zarkades’ emphasis is on our region’s “superlative seafood, locally-farmed produce, and soul-satisfying meat and poultry preparations.” It’s no wonder Brasserie Margaux is a proud recipient of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

For our October program, Chef Zarkades has planned a sumptuous sampling of his specialties to pair with our Rhône wines from Guigal. Brasserie Margaux is located at 4th and Lenora in Seattle and can be contacted at 206.777.1990.

Our program will also feature authentic French bread provided by Biofournil French Bakery — an organic bakery headquartered in France which selected Seattle for the location of its first outpost in North America (in Belltown, at 2507 Fourth Avenue). Finally, after sampling all of the fine food bites and enjoying the outstanding Guigal wines, don’t forget to try the coffee at the end of the evening, courtesy of Camano Island Coffee Roasters.

The Grapes
The predominant grape varieties used in red Châteauneuf-du-Pape are Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault, with Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Terret Noir, and Counoise also allowed. In white Châteauneuf-du-Pape, look for Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Picpoul and Picardan.

In the northern Rhône, Syrah is the exclusive red grape, sometimes blended with a bit of Viognier. Whites are made from Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne.

Côte-Rôtie, the northernmost appellation in the northern Rhône, means literally “roasted slope.” Its hot hillsides are known as either Côte Blonde, where 20 percent of the wine may be blended with Viognier, or Côte Brune, known for its powerful 100 percent Syrahs.