Domaine de Ferrand, La Ferrande, 2009
To poll at 90 percent is unheard of in a democracy. So it’s a good thing this wine isn’t running for office since all but three out of 30 or so in my NYU class liked it when I poured it this week.
We had a quick tour de France I was looking for an example of a Rhone that would fit within our budget. I opted for this 2009 Cotes du Rhone from Domaine de Ferrand, a small producer in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. “La Ferrande” is a tiny anomaly from the area known for blending since it is 100% syrah. The wine has some definite ripeness to it–indeed, a tad much for me–but the class participants welcomed the layered flavors of fruit, a hint of bitter notes such as coffee and warming alcohol at 14%. And with only 50 cases imported to the US, according to Chambers Street Wines, where I bought it, the class was surprised to learn that it was only $18 a bottle on a case purchase. If the scene were a cartoon, you would have heard tires squealing as they peeled off to score a bottle for themselves.
On March 31st, 2012 at 8:49 pm ,Weston wrote:
09 CdR yup Id buy that not knowing the producer
On April 1st, 2012 at 11:03 pm ,Dave Erickson wrote:
A few people in North Carolina who have sold many thousands of bottles on behalf of Peter Weygandt are going to be very, very upset if they find out that Lillie got all of this…
On May 13th, 2012 at 1:58 am ,Jack Cunningham wrote:
Hi Dr Vino, I’m writing from Malaysia, where any decent wine I’m sure is EVEN harder than you say is the case is Mass. However, I’m doing a piece on Rhone – once of my favourite regions in France. How is the overall availability of Rhone wines in the US? Are there any interesting trends associated with wines from this region? I am struggling to find (in an admittedly small search) many recent, and certainly not regular, reviews of Rhone wines, so would be interested in your view from across the other side of the world! Cheers
Jack