Of the many villages that orbit the mothership Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the southern Rhône Valley, a few, most notably Vacqueyras and Gigondas, have become stars in their own right. Less well-known but no less important is Beaumes-de-Venise, where reds have lagged in recognition behind the famed Muscat-based sweet wines.
Quietly, steadfastly, and for more than 50 years now, the de Menthon family of Château Redortier has been a leading light in crafting world-class Beaumes-de-Venise reds. In select vintages (like this stellar 2010), they release a tiny-production, top-of-the-line cuvée called “Monsieur Le Comte,” which isn’t typically exported to the US due to fierce demand in Europe. Less than a barrel’s worth of the 2010 actually made it here this time, and we lucked out and received a small allocation for this offer. This old-vine Grenache-Syrah blend has been an underground favorite of sommeliers for generations, but is rarely seen at retail; it’s a succulent, soulful piece of southern Rhône history for less than what you’d pay for a garden-variety Châteauneuf.
If you try to find this wine at another retail store, you will need to fly to Switzerland! This is way easier.
Beaumes-de-Venise borders Vacqueyras/Gigondas immediately to the east, climbing the foothills of the Dentelles de Montmirail, a small, jagged chain of mountains that effectively wall the area off from the north. Having visited the area myself—at one point racing up the hills on ATVs—I can testify to the beauty and drama of this arid, sun-drenched terroir. Redortier’s vineyards sit at around 1,400 feet elevation in the south-facing bowl that fans out beneath the Dentelles, the soils a mix of clay and limestone. Twin sisters Isabelle and Sabine de Menthon farm more than 40 acres of vines in Beaumes-de-Venise (along with another 12 in Gigondas), with many of the plantings dating back to the 1960s. As described by our friends at APS Wines & Spirits, Redortier’s importer, the de Menthon sisters “…are not your Instagramming wine glamours—they are fierce mountain climbers, get-your-hands-dirty farmers, and dialed-in winemakers. They are true people of the soil, and when you visit they will make you put your hands in the different soils and taste them!”
Well, okay then! We can certainly get down with that, especially when the results include reds like this delicious 2010 “Monsieur Le Comte,” a 50-50 blend of Grenache and Syrah sourced from a 6-hectare parcel walled in by pine trees (which block out winds and enable deeper concentration of fruit). Only about 250 cases are produced, in select vintages, and “Monsieur”—which is making its debut in the US market, even though Redortier has been imported for decades—has the distinction of being rested an extra year in concrete (for a total of 2) before bottling. The wine is also fermented in concrete tank, a practice that is pretty common among Old School southern Rhône producers. (Because concrete is breathable, like wood, it allows for some micro-oxygenation of the fermenting wine, creating more evolved flavors and a soft, wooly texture that’s akin to listening to vinyl records instead of CDs).
This is heady, big-boned red wine for sure, but the vineyard’s elevation helps it retain freshness; whereas many southern Rhône reds skew syrupy/sweet, this one carries its weight gracefully. It’s a dark ruby-red in the glass, starting to show some bottle-aged bricking at the rim, while on the nose it comes at you with guns blazing, unloading a Mediterranean potpourri: cherry kirsch liqueur; cassis; raw black licorice; olives; roasted meat; and Provençal herbs all factor into the mix, while the palate impression is an evocative push-pull of luscious, concentrated fruit and dusty earth. It’s the kind of deeply satisfying red I want to pour myself after a chilly afternoon raking leaves, its enveloping warmth extending to the ends of my pink, swollen fingers.
In that autumnal spirit, I’d suggest decanting this wine about a half hour before serving in large Bordeaux stems, taking care to keep it on the coolish side, say 60 degrees (to tame its alcohol). Some kind of rib-sticking one-pot meal, like this herby,
Provençal-style beef stew, gets my vote here. If you love Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and meaty, northern Rhône Syrah like Cornas, then here’s their love child for your consideration: at this price, and pedigree, it is not to be missed.
