Wine of the week: Cellier des Dauphins Reserve Grenache-Syrah 2019

A red Rhone that is both affordable and enjoyably rustic

The WC has often had a difficult time evaluating red wines from France’s Rhone region. Many of them have a quality that can be off-putting — an earthiness that can sometimes get out of hand, producing a rough and occasionally unpleasant wine. The catch is that earthiness is an important part of these wines, so how much is too much?

The Cellier des Dauphins Grenache-Syrah 2019 ($12, purchased, 14%) offers an example of the correct amount of earthiness. It’s just what one would expect from this sort of wine at this price — rustic and earthy, but not disagreeably so, and surprisingly balanced given its grenache-style red fruit, which can be too jammy. It’s not for all tastes — it’s hardly smoooth — but for those who want to see what the Rhone is like but don’t want to spend $40, this wine do the trick.

Which shouldn’t be surprising, since the Cellier des Dauphins wines usually provide value, and I’m especially fond of the rose.

The red is a food wine, and needs something substantial — takeout pizza perhaps, as the holidays get closer. Or even something beefy for an informal holiday dinner.

Imported by Monsieur Touton Selection