We haven’ t really reviewed much (any?) French wine on here.  While my cronies might have different reasons for that, I’ll go ahead and admit that, for me, it’s largely because I don’t know anything about French wine and thus have no idea where to start.  So we’ll start here, with a vintner that we know and love, and a country we don’t really get. 

I think one of the reasons I am hesitant with French wine is because I want to know what kind of grapes you’re giving me.  I’m less concerned with the place where they were grown, and I don’t really get this fascination with terroir and the perfect plot of land where the grapes grow just right.  Or at least, I didn’t get that stuff until I tried this wine.  There’s something very locational about it.  As I drink, my mind imagines the vineyard in Bordeaux where this wine was birthed.  Overall it has a slightly earthy taste.  There are your standard bright, fruity notes balanced out with a chocolate end, but there’s also this flavor that puts you in the middle of grape vines in France on a sunny day. 

Ok, ok, it all sounds a little hokey, I admit.  But at the end of the day I really enjoy this wine.  It’s got the body of a $12 bottle of wine (which it is) but it has the presence of something more.  So if you’re like me, and you’re scared of all the funny labels that look the same and have a huge house or some rows of grape vines on them, start here. 

Score:  87

Shepherd’s  pie was the recipe of the evening, and courtesy of my new cookbooks, a Cotes Du Rhone was recommended as one of the ingredients.  Finding the selection of French wine at my local grocer bordering on criminal and my local liquor store closed, I ventured into World Market, where I walked away with a $10 bottle of Les Abeilles bearing the heading Jean-Luc Colombo, which I’m assuming means something to people in French wine making that it doesn’t to me.  My previous Cotes du Rhone experience was pleasant enough, and I felt confident this bottle wouldn’t let me down.

It doesn’t take much of a deductive mind to realize that around here we are mostly Cabernet people.  We love the richness and depth of Cabs, and the stronger and more powerful the better.  a Cotes du Rhone does not fit that bill.  This wine is light, airy, but pleasing.  It is a red wine for a summer day – incredibly drinkable with subtle, calming flavors that dance around you instead of hitting you in the face.  The Les Abeilles features a wonderful botique, enough that I enjoy smelling it almost as much as drinking it.  Fruity, slightly tart, but not overpowering, with the slightest hint of spice near the end, this is a wine that could be consumed by the bottle with no problem at all, perfect for sipping on the back porch after a long day, watching the sun go down.

While not strictly about the drinking, I do feel like I have to report that it was a fantastic cooking wine.  Subtle, lending flavor without overpowering the dish, I was extremely pleased with the result in the Shepherd’s pie.  Cooks Illustrated recommends Cotes du Rhone’s for their medium body, and I think they’ve gotten it right.  Don’t hesitate to pick this one up for cooking, if you see it.

Enjoyable by a wide range of people, easy to drink and pleasing at the same time, this is a good wine.  While I’m no expert on all things French, this particular bottle was exactly what I was looking for.

Score: 89