2017 Alain Voge Côtes du Rhône Les Peyrouses

Domaine Alain Voge was founded in 1958 in Cornas, in France’s Rhone Valley, when Alain Voge and his father decided to try winemaking. The family had been farmers and grape growers for several generations, and by the 1960s and 1970s the domaine had created a demand for its Syrah and Marsanne-based wines. Today the estate has 16 acres of Syrah in Cornas; 10 acres of Marsanne and Roussane in Saint-Peray; and parcels in Saint-Joseph. The domaine also makes a Cotes-du-Rhone. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called the domaine “one of the benchmark cellars of Cornas.” Flagship wines are the Cornas Vieilles Fontaines, Cornas Vieilles Vignes and Cornas Les Chailles.

The Southern Rhône Valley wine region extends from Orange in the north through the communes Lirac and Tavel in the southwest. The French call the region Côtes du Rhône Méridionales and it includes some of the best known appellations in France, such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas. The climate and landscape of the Southern Rhone differ significantly from the Northern Rhone. There are hot, often windy Mediterranean appellations near Nimes and the south, and higher altitude, relatively cool appellations such as Côtes du Ventoux to the east. Understanding the region can be confusing given that there are thirteen appellations and sixteen red and white grapes allowed for wines with appellation status. Syrah is grown here, but it is much less important than in the north. Grenache is the prominent red grape, though most red wines are blends of at least four varietals. Other commonly used red grapes are Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Muscardin. Counoise, Terret Noir, Vaccarèse and Syrah are also permitted. The primary white grapes are Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Bourboulenc, though Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne are permitted, as are Picpoul and Picardin. Of note is the Côtes du Rhone Villages AOC, which is only in the Southern Rhone. Though Côtes du Rhône AOC wine is made in both the north and south, the Villages appellation has stricter requirements for winemaking and is generally considered higher quality than simple Côtes du Rhône. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “There is a vast amount of enjoyment to be discovered in the southern Rhône…for these are some of the most sumptuous and pleasure-giving wines produced in the world.”