Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/913027
70 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017/2018 enjoyed a Gigondas, a Cru appellation from the Southern Rhône, with the Ogier 2014 Dentellis red. Gigondas is a perfect example of the climbing quality of wine in the Rhône Valley, as it was pro - moted from a CDRV geographic indication that could append its name to the Côtes du Rhône Villages label to its very own AOC in the early '70s. Several others soon followed—exhibiting a continu - ing trend of increasing quality in the region. Station three presented a wine from the regional appellation of Ventoux as well as a Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, a natu - ral sweet wine. Château Pesquié 2014 Artemia, a blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah, showed the typical richness in wines from Ventoux, a wine begging for a meal to accompany it, while Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, Vidal Fleury 2014 showed a perfect balance between its residual sugar and acidity. To accompany our festivities, an array of appetizers circled the room. Crab cakes topped with remoulade, beef tartare finished with a quail egg, and smoked duck prosciutto on endive made their way around the casino, matching with the wines in different ways. The beef tartare was fantastic with both the red Côtes du Rhône from Château de Beaucastel, as well as the white Crozes-Hermitage, Cave de Tain 2015 Grand Classique. The duck prosciutto found a match equally with the red Crozes-Hermitage from Vidal Fleury 2014 and the Gigondas from Ogier 2014 Dentellis. The Manchego cheese and potato croquettes garnished with balsamic vinegar caviar matched surprisingly well with the Ventoux from Château Pesquié 2014 Artemia. To finish delighting our palates, the Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, Vidal Fleury 2014 served as our dessert; it was delicious on its own, though a fruit tart or almond cake would have made a lovely pairing as well. With a pause in the festivities, we engaged in conversation about the 2016 vintage, as well as the trend of the wines from the Rhône Valley in the current market. The 2015 vintage in the area was lauded as one of the best in recent years. Rhône Valley Vineyards Ambassador Eileen Fabunan explained, "2016 was even better, a perfect year many of our winemakers praised. One of the key features of this vintage is that ripeness and concentration developed side by side, giving good levels of acidity. There is beauti - ful minerality, freshness, and harmony throughout the region." She added that the Rhône Valley vineyards should see a slightly larger harvest in 2016 than 2015 and also reinforced the quality-to-price ratio, especially given the tiers of wine within the region. You can find a charming wine at the $15 price point, and of course you can find stellar ones at the $30-plus price point at Cru appellations. The retailers in attendance agreed that Rhône Valley Vineyards wines have indeed increased in market demand, especially at the Côtes du Rhône and the Côtes du Rhône Villages levels. Sommeliers have seen a bigger jump at the higher-priced Côtes du Rhône Crus tier. Either way, the wines of the Rhône Valley will continue to permeate our wine shops and restaurant wine lists, delivering food-friendly wines at a range of prices and pleasure to our palates. The beef tartare was fantastic with both the red Côtes du Rhône from Château de Beaucastel as well as the white Crozes- Hermitage, Cave de Tain 2015 Grand Classique. Gamblers, i.e. top wine buyers, were welcomed with a white Côtes du Rhône, Vidal Fleury 2015, to kick off the festivities. WELCOME WINE Côtes du Rhône, Vidal Fleury 2015 White 80% Viognier with Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne Perfectly ripe pear, lemon pith, beeswax, lanolin; a broad med-palate with medium acid and a lingering finish.