2007 Calendal (Philippe Cambie et Gilles Ferran) Côtes du Rhône

Etiket Calendal Côtes du Rhône2007 Calendal (Philippe Cambie et Gilles Ferran) Côtes du Rhône – France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (1/14/2009)

Black coffee, exotic spices and dark berries with a slightly, but pleasant burned aroma on the nose. Masses of ripe dark and red fruit, espresso coffee, refreshing cherry-like acidity, exotic spices and a hint of minerals on the very expressive palate. The label states 15,5% alcohol, which I almost can’t believe because this tastes so fresh. A real mouthful of a wine! More Châteauneuf du Pape than Côtes du Rhône quality here, therefore at about 13 euros this has a (very) good quality to price ratio. Probably will be even better with some bottle rest. (92 pts.)

On the back label there is an extract of a poem by Provençal poet Fréderic Mistral called Calendal:

“Calendal n’était qu’un pêcheur;

l’amour en a fait un héros”

Calendal is made from 80% Mouvèdre and 20% Grenache. The wine ages twelve to fourteen months in one year-old oak barrels. The production is currently limited to 4,500 bottlesThe production is currently limited to 4,500 bottles. The drawing on the beautiful label was created by the daughter of Philippe Cambie, which owns the Plan de Dieu-vineyard where the grapes come from. Since 2006, the wine is made in the nearby Domaine des Escaravailles in Rasteau owned by Gilles Ferrand. From this year on Ferrand will become the owner of a parcel located next to Plan de Dieu. That parcel also is planted with old vines. Possibly the production will be expanded in the future.