Wine of the Week 08/06/08
Valréas “Cuvée Prestige” Côtes du Rhône Villages 2007
(Ryan) At the turn of the 14th century the Avignon Papacy rekindled something in the southern regions of France not seen for nearly a millennium, a great tradition that would quickly become—and remain—synonymous with the nation, wine. Quite simply, wine production and consumption—throughout history—has followed those in power and a late Medieval Pope was a man of great authority. One who’s mere thirst inspired an industry that would shape the development of the 200km area extending from Vienna in the north to Avignon in the south. Wine connoisseurs and geographers alike now know this vicinity as the Rhône, a region from which this week’s wine originates.
So you may be saying to yourself, “Ryan, what’s with the history lesson? Is this wine any good or what?” To the latter question you will receive your answer shortly. However, in response to the former, I must explain that for me “Wine of the Week” is more than simply informing you—the reader—of the best wine deals in town, but also a bit of a history lesson. In this column, I intend to review the best of budget wines as well as explore the sordid back-story of this wonderful beverage. I look forward to having you all along for this journey as we learn, laugh, and lush together. Now let’s get to the week’s wine, a Valréas Côtes du Rhône Villages 2007.
Admittedly, I have not indulged extensively in the pleasures of the Rhône wine region, but without a doubt the Valréas Villages 2007 does not impress. The 2007 wine lacks the varietal character of Rhône region, and instead supplants this with a flavor that can simply be described as flat. Yet what’s most egregious is rather than merely being another forgettable, over manufactured wine; the Valréas Villages 2007 insists on being heard. Much like a TV chef’s insistence on blindly “kicking it up a notch” can ruin a dish catered to your palette or a night club owner’s persistence on installing “just one more strobe light” can end your very own party early. This is a wine that invites you not to drink despite all desires to end your night in a state so very sloppy and silly.
I believe two factors are principal to the Valréas Villages 2007’s failure. First is it may simply be too early for the consumption of a 2007 Côtes du Rhône. The wine is a multi-faceted one, one whose flavors require time to distinguish themselves. What may also contribute to the wine’s lesser caliber stems from the town of
Valréas being positioned at the bottom on Rhône region’s three-tiered hierarchy of quality control. In regards to this tiered system I cannot be sure, but I plan to explore said hierarchy in future iterations of this column.
Valréas Côtes du Rhône Villages 2007 is a wine better left alone at least for now—maybe forever—but hails from a region I firmly intend to explore further in the months to come
- by ryan
(Mike) In the realm of food and beverage criticism, wine has long enjoyed a special seat. It has been placed in the pantheon of luxuriant consumables, along side the mysterious bird’s nest soup, kopi luwak coffee beans, and angus beef. But wine – at least as a broad classification – is plentiful. The fact that wine is produced and crafted by human hands separates it from those rare delicacies of our planet, and yet a truly complex and wonderful wine is bestowed with equal eminence. For many, discovering a fine wine, aged to perfection is the equivalent of stumbling upon a pharaoh’s tomb. These individuals believe that when one 
drinks a bottle of wine, one absorbs its history. With each sip the tastes of the grape, the barrel, the heavy air in the cellar in which it was fermented, all fill the senses and spark the imagination like a good book. The powers of the clan MacLeod even seem within reach as we absorb each wine’s strength, character, and wisdom and know in each moment we enjoy its flavor that no other bottle like it exists.
As Ryan and I will most likely be enjoying wines of 2003-2008, a great deal of the dire portent carried with them will have to be ignored in order to isolate and assess the quality of the wine itself. No one would argue that the last five years have been good ones politically, economically, or environmentally, so this process is highly advised for readers as well.
The Valréas “Cuvée Prestige” Côtes du Rhône Villages 2007 is a terrible wine. It is as acidic as it is peppery, and no explanation of its austerity in the face of fruity “style wines” can wash the harsh aftertaste from the tongue. On the bottle, it is advised that the wine complements goat cheese, and this may indeed be the case. But should a wine have only one purpose? Should it, by some chemical reaction, be a splendid companion to goat cheese and then become the kind of solution a small child might make at a restaurant (some salt, sprite, half and half, a little parmesan, some pepper) in its absence? Wine is not a condiment. It is not the ketchup of the rich and famous. A terrible wine whose taste becomes bearable only when one’s tongue is coated with soft cheese is no less terrible for its specificity.
Perhaps the ‘good with goat cheese’ advice is a bit of an understatement. I believe that this wine has another purpose - that the remaining bottles of the Valréas “Cuvée Prestige” Côtes du Rhône should be placed in a 
capsule and preserved for a more advanced civilization. Sensory communication having achieved dominance, the unisex population of the future may be better able to assimilate the knowledge contained within. One sip and they will know the barbarism and inhumanity of our time.
All of the bitterness, anger and corruption of the last five years emanating aromatically from a dusty bottle is as good a history lesson as any.
Don’t drink it
- by Mike
This entry was posted on Friday, August 8th, 2008 at 4:50 pm and is filed under Wine of the Week. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
