Cotes du Rhone "tasting"
In June of 2003, we held an informal tasting of Cotes du Rhone wines. We tasted these wines for their affinity to barbecued ribs! I prepared baby back ribs with the "Best Ribs in the Universe" rub, then smoked them for 6 hours on a Weber Smokey Mountain BBQ.
We tasted the wines in order of price, and the 2 more expensive wines were much preferred over the 2 less expensive wines. For a comparison with the wines, the ribs were tasted without any sauce. Afterwards, most people felt that the ribs were so good they did not need ANY sauce at all.
The more expensive wines seemed to go with the ribs better than the others. The men preferred the 2000 Cairanne (Domaine Brusset), but the ladies preferred the 1999 Sablet. The Cairanne has a more mature flavor to it, and is less fruity, as though it received more oak aging. The Sablet is more intense, even though it is one year older.
You can click on the thumbnail pictures of the wine bottles below to see a bigger picture.
| Description | $ / * |
Tasting notes |
| 2000 Domaine Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone (France) |
11 |
06/2003 Fair wine - light body and fruit. This was the least interesting of the wines, and seems overpriced. Not recommended. |
| 2000 Domaine de Verquičre Cotes du Rhone (France) |
13 |
06/2003 Nice - medium body, good fruit. This has more fruit than the Grand Veneur, and was a more interesting wine. |
| 2000 Domaine Brusset - Cairanne Cotes du Rhone (France) |
15 |
06/2003 Very nice - Full bodied, nice nose. This tastes quite mature, and different from the other three (there may be a hint of Burgundy flavors). Definitely a good wine for the price. This was Rick's personal favorite. |
| 1999 Sablet Cotes du Rhone (France) |
17 |
06/2003 Very nice - Full bodied, nice nose. This tastes like it could improve for a few years. This was Cyn's personal favorite. |
Wine Ratings: * Fair, ** Good to Very Good, *** Excellent
