Boutinot ‘La Côte Sauvage’, Cairanne AOC (magnum)

Region

Rhone, France

Vintage:

2021

Producer:

Boutinot

Grapes:

Grenache/Garnacha, Syrah/Shiraz, Mourvedre/Monastrell

Wine Description:

Rich, savoury and meaty - lovely! Intense morello cherry fruit and a touch of spice on the nose, ripe berry, liquorice and a hint of cinnamon spice on the palate, this wine is full flavoured, rich and smooth with supple tannins.

A ‘named’ Côtes du Rhône Villages since 1967, Cairanne was granted ‘cru’ appellation status in 2016, in recognition of the quality of the wines and terroir. Located in the heart of the southern Rhône valley, to the east of Orange, its 1,087ha of vineyards lie between the two Rhône tributaries of Ayges and Ouvèze, rising from the alluvial valley floor to the hillside slopes of La Monté de Ventabren. On the various soils of this Mistral buffeted hill are to be found the majority of Domaine Boutinot’s vineyards with La Pauline and Les Six Terrasses, two of the appellation’s best plots, nudging the summit. Both are broad terraces of ‘argilo-calcaire’ - heat retaining limestone pebbles over water-retentive clay. The pebbles help maintain diurnal temperature variances and aid ripening, while the roots find water in the clay to sustain the vines during the summer growing season. As with all Domaine Boutinot’s plots they are managed by minimal intervention and both vineyards benefit from all-day sun and the cleansing Mistral winds. Planted mostly in 1969, the old bush vine Grenache Noir ripens slowly and evenly to produce low yields of deeply concentrated grapes, all harvested by hand into small baskets and destined to form a significant part of the blend of La Côte Sauvage. Vinification is traditional, in open-topped tronconique (6,000l oak vats) and using only the natural yeasts present on the grapes, with long cuvaison, gentle remontage and manual pigeage. Parcels of Grenache Noir, Syrah, Carignan and Mourvèdre are then selected to be matured for twenty two months in French oak, a combination of 228l barrels and 600l demi-muids of differing ages, carefully chosen so that the oak is integrated and the wine retains the finesse for which Cairanne is noted. Selecting the final assemblage of La Côte Sauvage involves tasting each barrel and each demi-muid (at least 110 barrels) to create this luxuriously elegant wine.

Food Suggestion:

Rich, complex and delicious with dishes which take time to prepare: a slow cooked duck cassoulet, or warming beef casserole – try a Daube Niçoise, the southern French variation of the traditional beef daube which includes tomato, orange zest and black olives. Hearty vegetable dishes can work too – grilled aubergine with a herby tomato Provençal sauce or a tofu burger with all the trimmings.

Producer Description

Boutinot's story starts in 1972 and Paul Boutinot, having had a brief flirtation with shifting half a tonne of bricks up and down a ladder, decided the glamour of the building industry wasn’t for him. Paul quickly got into something else: wine.

After five years learning his trade in London, he headed back up north to Greater Manchester to join his father’s successful restaurant business. Frustrated with the quality of wine that could be sourced in the UK, Paul took matters into his own hands. He hired a van, trundled over to France, picked up some wine (it was legal back then) and sold it back in his parents’ restaurant.

Paul's reputation quickly begin to grow and it wasn't long before other restaurants were asking for him to sell them wine and the company was started in 1980 as a wine supplier. Boutinot have furthered their reputation for great value wines by starting to produce wines themselves. They have partnered with Italian producer Adria Vini, have their own vineyard holdings and winery in France and vineyards in South Africa, and now a large percentage of Boutinot's portfolio is their own production.

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