Vinsobres AOC, A Lesser Known Cotes du Rhone

I have had, maybe five Vinsobres in my entire life. This fairly new AOC is not yet known by many, and I should probably start seeking them out. Vinsobres, a village in the Vaucluse, is an island in a sea of Cotes du Rhone Villages. It lies north of Rasteau (another island) and east of Coteaux du Tricastin. The village began its progression towards its own AOC status by becoming a Cotes du Rhone Villages in 1957, then Cotes du Rhone Villages Vinsobres in 1967, and was granted Vinsobres AOC status in 2005. It is an agricultural area that, before 1957, was not known as much for its wines as it was for olives and other produce. In 1956 the area was hit with a harsh winter that killed many of the olive trees growing there, and many farmers wisely declined to replant them and to plant more vines. Protected by mountains to the west, Vinsobres is not affected by the mistral and is considered a Mediterranean climate.  

View Larger Map

I received a Vinsobres from a Massachusetts wholesaler some time ago, and while I was eager to try it, the dinner that this wine was waiting to be paired with seemed elusive. I confess to having a particular fondness for southern Rhone varieties, Grenache, second only to Syrah. I drink my and maybe a few others share of Rhone wines. To me, they are very good food wines and generally represent good value. The wine below is 100% Grenache.

I thought a roast chicken with roasted mixed root vegetable and beet greens would work nicely with this wine.. If I had truffles for the chicken it probably would have worked even nicer.

I opened the wine about three hours before dinner to get a feel for where the wine was at. This proved to be a good idea, because, after a quick sampling, the wine smacked of reticence, very tight and closed up. I decided to decant and wait for dinner. The wine married very well with the chicken, the parsnips, beets and carrots, not so much with the radish or beet greens.

2004 Domaine de Deurre les Rabasses, Vinsobres - Light to medium red, with a tinge of orange at the rim. The nose had a medium intensity, with cherries and boysenberries, burnt sugar, game, animal and almonds. On the palate which was medium bodied and straight forward, I got sweet cherries, milk chocolate and dried cherries. The wine showed some heat, fine grained tannins and some lingering astringency with good length. I suspect this wine has a future of good drinking ahead, 5+ years. Alcohol 14% as stated on the label. $20 retail? (not sure) I would rate this: Good+

I love the purple oak leaf on the label. The family (Valayer) who own the winery also broker truffles. I imagine the leaf represents the oak trees from, under, which they hunt their truffles.Yum.

*Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample.