Thrifty Gourmet Wine Steal – Chapoutier Belleruche
When I took my first gulp of Chapoutier Belleruche last Saturday night, I had an explosive coughing fit. Not due to any fault with the wine, which was as silkily delicious as ever; it was the revelation of the price which caused me to fear I was about to suffer a pulmonary embolism.
Family were visiting from Europe, and my brother-in-law, who works in the French wine trade, always arrives with a clinking bag containing a few vinous gems. The first bottle we pulled the cork from was the Belleruche.
Chapoutier wines are some of the ‘go-to guys’ of the wine trade. They tick so many boxes that they can be used in diverse situations. Good quality? That goes without saying. Broad range of styles? Red, whites and rosés from the length of the Rhône valley. Packaging? Classic French labels with modern clarity. Green credentials? Biodynamically farmed, with the full-on burying-a-cow-horn-filled-with-dung-during-a-full-moon treatment. Quirky story behind the wine? All Chapoutier labels are also written in Braille.
Belleruche falls under the Côtes-du-Rhône appellation, a sweeping classification that includes extremes of thin, insipid filth and rich, robust reds that deserve only the finest beef as an accompaniment, which explains why the region’s better producers try to create an individual brand name alongside the appellation monicker. Grenache and Syrah, the Rhône’s dominant red varietals, constitute the lion’s share of the Belleruche blend, and the rich, slightly smoky, black-fruit flavors and firm structure with its silky tannins evoke the gnarled old vines twisting out of the hot, stony Rhône soil. This is a wine that would be perfect with beef or pork that have been charred on the grill, and on a hot day giving it 15 minutes in the fridge will draw out a few gentle red fruit aromas and flavors.
Oh, I almost forgot, the price… Well in a culture of big-brands produced in quasi-factories by corporate behemoths, most of whose wines are over-confected, over-sweet, and essentially fruit juice for adults, you’d expect a moderately refined and complex wine from a mid-size, biodynamic, French producer to be coming in over $15, probably more. Which is why I choked when, having asked the price as I raised the glass to my lips, my brother-in-law shrugged and said, “$9.99″. And to take advantage of this utter steal of a price, check out Gotham Wines before it’s all gone.
By Jamie Grafton on July 29, 2009 | 1
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Kathryn McGowan
July 29th, 2009 @ 5:00 PM
I’ve had an empty bottle of this sitting on my desk for about a month to remind me to find out more about the story behind the braille label. It’s so simple and practical. All wine labels should be done this way.
Oh and yes, it is delicious and cheap. You can’t beat that!