2006 Côtes-du-Rhône Belleruche Rouge, M. Chapoutier, Rhône, France (£8.99 per bottle, £7.19 by the case, Oddbins; £7.99, EH Booth, Majestic). I tasted the full portfolio of Chapoutier wines the other day and for the very first time I was completely and utterly taken by each and every one of them. The average score that I awarded them, out of twenty, in my notes, was north of seventeen! So with a choice, in the UK market, of some fifteen or so wines, where should I start?
The bottom rung of the ladder of course, because if this wine grabs your attention like it did mine, you will climb ever higher and experience even finer flavours as you go. This cheeky Grenache-dominated red is harvested from the villages of Sablet and Séguret in the southern Rhône. It is fresh and bright with hedgerow notes and a depth of fruit which is really honest and heart-warming. It’s just the sort of wine to lift your Sunday lunch régime to a new level, but not even trouble the scorers! Watch out for the 2007 Belleruche Blanc coming to Majestic soon, too – it is a delight. Let this duo of wines lift your spirits and prove that even the most famous of names can make great wines at every single price point. Chapeau Monsieur Chapoutier.
