#wine gsm cotedurhone france xaviervignon

[captwine]

Xavier Côtes-du-Rhône SM

https://www.saq.com/page/fr/saqcom/vin-rouge/xavier-cotes-du-rhone-sm/13495663?selectedIndex=2&searchContextId=-1002101302091

Why did I buy it?

I tasted it at my wine store, fell in love, gave it 5 stars and bought it

I’m not super used to Côte du Rhone wine and enthousiastic to try it

At 33.50$, its not that expensive for how much I loved it

The year

This wine is Non Vintage. It is actually a blend of numerous vintages.

Cepage

50% Southern Rhone Grenache

50% Northen Rhone Syrah

Sugar

N/A

Alcohol

14%

Terroir:

N/A

Vinification and aging:

Made from equal parts Grenache and Syrah and aged half in concrete and half in barrel

Serving instructions (when provided by producer)

N/A

Organic?

No

What is GSM?

The ‘GSM’ red blend is made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre and it’s a classic from the Côtes du Rhône region. Let’s learn why this wine blend works and who makes it.

The Secret to the Côtes du Rhône Blend: ‘GSM’

There are 19 different grapes used in Côtes du Rhône and Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines. Fortunately, of the 19 varieties, there are really just 3 varieties that define the style. These varieties are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre – they hold the secret to Côtes du Rhône wine.

Grenache (a.k.a. Garnacha) By far the lightest of the three wines, Grenache adds candied fruit, raspberry, cinnamon spice and Ruby Red grapefruit flavors. Typically Grenache accounts for the largest portion of a southern Côtes du Rhône wine. Although Grenache is light in color it can add high alcohol levels to the blend, giving GSM wines a long tingly finish.

Syrah (a.k.a. Shiraz) Syrah is famous as the grape of the northern Rhône region (for the well-known regions of Hermitage and Côte Rotie). Syrah adds the darker fruit flavors of blueberry, plum and even black olive to the Côtes du Rhône blend. Syrah can be very savory tasting, often imparting that classic “bacon fat” aroma that people note on the wines from the Rhône. The interesting thing about blending Syrah is that it adds a lot of up-front flavor and boldness but not a lot of aftertaste. For the finish, we call upon Mourvèdre…

Mourvèdre (a.k.a. Monastrell) If you ever want to try a single variety Mourvèdre (and you should, they’re delicious), look for French Bandol or a Spanish Monastrell. Mourvèdre itself is a deeply rich dark wine, similar to Syrah, but with a more persistent finish. The grape is used somewhat sparingly in Côtes du Rhône to add tannin structure (read: bitterness) and floral aromas.

Tasting Tips: When you taste Côtes du Rhône you’re tasting all three grapes together. Red fruit flavors come from Grenache and dark fruit from Syrah and Mourvèdre.

Where can I find GSM blends?

France isn’t the only place making GSM ‘Rhône blend’ wines. You can find them in California (particularly Paso Robles), South Australia and even Spain.

South Australia Australia has recently undergone many changes in how they produce wine. You’ll find that several quality producers in Barossa Valley including Massena, John Duval (formerly of Penfold’s) and Torbreck have pulled back a lot from the overly ripe flavor that many note as the “critter wine” flavor. The GSM blends often use the name “Mataro” instead of Mourvèdre.

Paso Robles, CA Paso Robles got its start in Côtes du Rhône-style wines with a single winery/nursery called Tablas Creek. They imported vines directly from a partner winery in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape area called Chateau de Beaucastel. This little nursery has single-handedly provided some of the highest rated vines for Syrah and Mourvèdre in the United States. While Tablas Creek wines themselves are not super opulent, the region is known for producing very big bold wines.

Columbia Valley, Washington Because of the extreme temperature shift of a high dessert climate, the GSM wines of Washington have a lot more acidity than their Southern brethren in Paso. There are several hundred producers making great GSM blends but in such small quantities that many do not leave the state.

Priorat, Spain In Priorat, the red blend is a little different. It still uses Garnacha as a base but then uses Mazuelo (a.k.a. Carignan) and usually some Merlot and Syrah. These wines will have the same candied note as a Côtes du Rhône but often with a little more smoky complexity from the moderate tannin in the Merlot that grows on schist-rock soils.

Producer’s note:

N/A

Parker review for NV Côte du Rhone SM

Rating: 94

Drink date: 2015 - 2021

The NV Côtes du Rhône S.M. is thrilling stuff. Made from equal parts Grenache and Syrah and aged half in concrete and half in barrel, it offers a full-bodied, voluptuous and decadent style to go with overflowing notes of plum and darker fruits, licorice and violets. Gorgeous on all counts, it’s a shockingly good Côtes du Rhône to drink over the coming 4-6 years, although I wouldn’t be surprised to see it last even longer.

This is another impressive lineup from oenolgist Xavier Vignon, who works with the likes of Raymond Usseglio, Le Nerthe, Marcoux and Grand Veneur, to name a few. These are all negociant wines, but they obviously have access to some serious vineyard, and the winemaking is impeccable.  

Wine spectator review for 2012 (not the same year as my bottle)

Not rated

Jancis Robinson

Not rated