Jun

17

les-galets-rouges.jpgWe’re huge fans of Syrah these days.  Recently, we drank a privately produced bottle of an Israeli version, and it was off-the-charts delicious.  That prompted us to seek out more of the varietal for today’s posting, this time from France. 

Why France, you ask? Well, we’ve found that Syrah from warmer climates in the $10-$20 price range have a tendency to be a bit too heavy-bodied for our palates, and though there must be plenty of exceptions, we felt that the safe bet for today was on a Rhone red.   

Fortunately, we weren’t disappointed with our choice, the Chateau Mourgues du Gres Les Galets Rouges 2006, which hails from the Costières de Nîmes AOC of the Rhone Valley (the link is to Wikipedia).  The Chateau Mourgues du Gres – a blend predominantly of Syrah with Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Carignan – shares one important quality with the last French Syrah that we reviewed: meatiness.  We loved that aspect of the Domaine de la Bastide, and we felt no differently about the Chateau Mourgues du Gres. 

Curiously, the meat that we found was steak, and we also picked up dark cherry and spice in the nose and mouth.  The wine’s texture was only slightly tannic and had relatively soft acidity.

Granted, this was notin the league of the Israeli Syrah that originally had us craving another Syrah.  Pay more money, and ye shall surely find better.  But for the price, it’s great knowing that a wine like the Chateau Mourgues du Gres, with its unique character, exists.

Where to get it: We bought our bottle at Plumpjack Wines in Noe Valley.  They ship.  You can also find it using the Snooth search function under “Wine Locator” in the right hand column of this page, or by visiting wine-searcher.com or winezap.com. 


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