If the Turleys did a CÙtesduRhÙne TN: Coudoulet de Beaucastle 1996

If the Turley boys did a Côtes-du-Rhône, this might be it. Just had the 1996 Coudoulet de Beaucastle, Côtes-du-Rhône and was it ever a concentrated wine. The Perrin brothers produce this Côtes-du-Rhône with grapes from the Châ teauneuf-du-Pape region, and list: Mourvèdre. Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah as the predominant varietals. Though no formula was printed for the "mix," the label states that each varietal is harvested and vinified separately, then blended. It is also listed as being "organic," and "unfiltered," which would explain the fair amount of sediment in the bottle.

Dark, purplish garnet in the glbutt, with a tiny, slightly pinkish meniscus, the look belies the concentration. I've had many a hardy Zinfandel, that looked weaker. The nose was mostly about wood - cigarbox cedar, damp oak, and some brambly forest-floor notes. Under the woody aspects, dark, almost stewed, cherries and plums lurked. The Perrins hinted at "raspberry" on the back label, but all of the fruit now, was much darker. In the mouth, the dark berries-stone-fruit predominated, though the wood was still present. Cedar was easy to break out, but the oak was a little bit more tricky. I'd liken it to how an oak plank, that has been long soaked in water tastes - noticeable oak, but with a slightly sour note. There were also some almost Côtes-Rôtie, smoked aspect. The finish went on for a count of thirty, but by that time, I had to have another sip, so I can't even speculate beyond that. I tasted the wine during cooking, and then paired it with some Southern Fried Chicken, black- eyed peas (really earthy notes there), and roasted garlic mashed potatoes with artisanal cheddar (UK patrons, please note lowercase "c." This is not the real stuff, but is close.), toasted to a golden brown. I was a little suspect that the Côtes-du-Rhône would overpower everything on the plate, but I was very wrong. Maybe it was my wife's secret herbs and spices, or the overnight buttermilk soaking, but it went fantastically. The black-eyed peas, with a bit of crispy bacon was the best pair on the table.

The wine came directly from the cellar at 55 F, and warmed over time. The first sips were probably at a temp closer to 60 F. Even as the wine warmed a bit, the alcohol (12.5%) was never even noticed. Tasting was in Riedel Vinum Bordeaux stem.

I'm glad that I still have four of the '96s in the cellar. Recently, I've not found many Côtes-du-Rhônes that really did much for me. Most seemed too thin, dilute, and lacking in character. This one was anything but dilute. It might be too concentrated for some, but was "good to the last drop," with apologies to Folger's Coffee. Actually, with the sediment, I really didn't get the "last drop." Talk about difficult, pouring from a Burgundy-Rhône bottle, and NOT get the sediment. Maybe the Perrins should have broken with tradition, and used a

Hunt