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Ride on the wild side with Vacqueyras
“Get to know me”, Jon Lovitt used to say on SNL. I’m glad the French promotional arm of the Cotes Rhone trade organization is making a similar case for this commune not far from Chateauneuf -du-Pape. Big ads in the New York Times and elsewhere dress Vacqueyras in a denim farm jacket and black tie, suggesting it suits all occasions.
If the pronunciation stumps you, think of the vaqueros who rode into Western movies from old Mexico whooping it up. Mais oui, Vacqueyras is very French, in the southern Rhone Valley in the highlands of Provence.
I would have missed it myself were it not for pals George and Janet who have lived in Paris long enough to know that the best wines are bought by the case from small wineries on the way to and from weekends in the country. Their favorite was in Vacqueyras, mine too.
2007 Perrin Vacqueyras Les Christins (on pre-order for $23.99 while supplies last)
Like its famous neighbor, Vacqueyras makes great robust red blends and has an embossed shield on its bottles. Its other neighbor Gigondas, home to our dear friends at St. Cosme, is better known but Vacqueyras has achieved its own AOC status and stands on its own well above the standard CdR.
In lower prices it is more affordable and yet like los vaqueros, joyously informal. The best however bowl over the critics; the results are rich, supple and full of jammy flavors as thick as licorice and yet gentle tannins. For a splurge, get the 2005 Cuvee Lopy from Domaine de Sang des Cailloux ($49.95) or pre-order the 2007 vintage from Perrin et Fils Les Christins($23.99 on pre-order for a limited time, arriving in late December.)
The options from the south of France keep growing. Besides the grander appellations of Vacqueyras and Gigondas and many forms of CdR, we’re just getting a taste of the delish easy quaffers of Cotes de Luberon and Cotes de Ventoux.
France we hardly knew ye.
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