TN: Cairanne, baby CdP?

A few California producers are doing this grape as well and it holds up well by itself.

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Which grape is that? :) Cairanne (red) is 50% minimum grenache, 20% minimum syrah and mourvedre (either/or) and 20% maximum other CdR cepages. (Cairanne is of course a village not a grape variety.)

I don't think Cairanne is "like Gigondas and Vacqueyras but less well known." For one thing, it's in the plain at lower altitude, so the average yields are higher and generally the wines are lighter. They are known for a spicy quality that is particular to the appellation. I find a typical Cairanne much different from a CdP, but that's a good thing.

You might also be interested in trying the very distinctive reds from neighboring Rasteau. These tend to be denser yet, and hold some of the gems of the CdR. The encepagement rules are the same as for Cairanne, but the two terroirs show real differences.

In Cairanne Dom. Rabasse-Charavin, made by Couturier, is very fine. I know they are well distributed in the states, their cuvée Estevenas is noteworthy. Marcel Richaud at Dom. Richaud is making very good wine, which I expect is available in the US.

In Rasteau Dom. La Soumade (Romero) is ubiquitous in the States, although some of the cuvées have gotten very pricey for the domestic (French) market. Still the

-E

| > I ended up popping this yesterday with alongside some Italian sausage | > roasted in peppers and tomatoes over pasta - a 2005 Domaine des Grands | > Bois Cotes du Rhone Village Cairanne Cuvee Maximilien. | >

| > 15 bucks, and it drinks like a traditional (if slightly light) | > Chateauneuf. Absolutely stunning nose loaded with the garrigue/ | > Provencal herbs flavour I love, lots of pepper and some red fruits, | > leather and floral notes. Not quite as complex or thrilling on the | > palate, but still very pleasant with medium body weight, lots more | > peppery red fruits, chewy tannins and a medium length finish. Great | > value, great pairing with the food and now I need to look up some more | > wines from this area. Any recommendations, if someone else is also a | > fan of these? | >

| > Cheers, | >

| > Salil | | A few California producers are doing this grape as well and it holds up | well by itself.

That does sound like a great CdR, Salil. Another top quality Cairanne producer is Dom. de L'Oratoire St. Martin, though their wines are a bit pricier.

Mark Lipton

| > I ended up popping this yesterday with alongside some Italian sausage | > roasted in peppers and tomatoes over pasta - a 2005 Domaine des Grands | > Bois Cotes du Rhone Village Cairanne Cuvee Maximilien. | >

| > 15 bucks, and it drinks like a traditional (if slightly light) | > Chateauneuf. Absolutely stunning nose loaded with the garrigue/ | > Provencal herbs flavour I love, lots of pepper and some red fruits, | > leather and floral notes. Not quite as complex or thrilling on the | > palate, but still very pleasant with medium body weight, lots more | > peppery red fruits, chewy tannins and a medium length finish. Great | > value, great pairing with the food and now I need to look up some more | > wines from this area. Any recommendations, if someone else is also a | > fan of these? | >

| > Cheers, | >

| > Salil | | A few California producers are doing this grape as well and it holds up | well by itself.

You may have confused the village of Cairanne with the grape varietal Carignane, which is occasionally grown in California. As a Rhone commune the wines from Cairanne have the typical Syrah etc. makeup. Carignane is a very different horse of the same or other color indeed.

pavane

Sorry, you are correct there. I was thinking about Caringnane.