From the Road: Tave Côtes-du-Rhône
Heading south along the A7 Autoroute, following the banks of the Rhône, you’ll get the impression that the region is made up of flat fields of vines, taking up every available patch of dirt from one road to the next. You’ll see the towering tanks of the village cooperatives, and massive operations with billboards announcing the tasting rooms for Perrin and Chapoutier.
I took a rather more circuitous route down to the Rhône, avoiding the industrialized valley floor and opting for a little more wilderness. Starting the day among the peaks of Savoy, near Grenoble, I wound my way south through the mountains, with roads alternating between tunnels piercing the flanks of steep slopes, and bridges leaping over the deep gorges on the other side.
Doing so, I followed the path of the Alpine winds that descend to the foothills on the eastern edge of the Côtes-du-Rhône, where a string of villages represent the best of the appellation. The wind I was following is called the Pontiace, and my destination was Vinsobres.
It’s here that Audrey Latard quietly labors in her family vineyards, alongside her father, who at 73, still heads out to the vines as he has since he was a teenager. In contrast to the valley floor, where the heat lingers, here in the foothills of the Alps, the wind that blows down the same route I traveled, brings cooler temperatures at night, and keeps the vineyard free of disease.
It’s been a hot summer here in France, with little respite from the sun. But Audrey remains confident that the vintage will be as vibrant as ever: “We have the wind, we will have freshness.”
That freshness is exactly what makes Domaine du Tave so reliably inviting, even as her wine showcases the region's signature bold dark fruit and grippy structure. We managed to snag a re-stock of the sumptuous 2023 Cuvée Sensation, which is landing in the warehouse this week.
Cuvée Sensation
Côtes-du-Rhône Villages 2023
The Rhône is a beautiful and charming place, with wines to match, like this one, made from the classic trio of Grenache (50%), Syrah (30%) and Mourvèdre (20%), from one of the highest altitude appellations in the Côtes-du-Rhône. All native yeast, no oak — just pure fruit, unobscured. Rich red and black fruit on the nose, with a whiff of coffee, garrigue and black pepper. A savory, rich texture on the palate with a warm, satisfying finish that plays nicely with just about anything you put in front of it.I shared a bottle with friends alongside some grilled lamb chops, heirloom tomato salad, a bowl of olives, with a last splash to wash down few cheeses. It was, in a word, perfect.
Look, we straight-up love this wine, and we know you do too. It's a reliable pleasure and tremendous value, which is why it continues to be our best-selling red from France. We always load up the container with this one — we’ve got another 180 bottles coming our way — so get greedy, and grab a case, or two. You won't regret having plenty of this around for summer barbeques, pizza nights, or that impromptu gathering of friends.