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 Top Down in a Vintage Lancia
Vincent Moreau made the drive weekly. It wasn’t far, but on this superb southern Rhone wine trail, a few kilometers can make all the difference in the world. At Domaine Galuval in Cairanne, where Moreau took up winegrowing residence in 2004, the soil is as rugged as the wines. Galuval reds are deeply colored, muscled and a bit rustic, true to Cairanne’s hot, south-facing landscape. But drive just a few kilometers west to St. Cecile-les-Vignes, and watch the soil go from clay to that stony Chateauneuf-like moonscape, and the potential of old vine Grenache and Syrah changes in just a few minutes. Cairanne rusticity gives way St. Cecile red fruit purity. Moreau wanted a taste of both.
There was just one problem. The owners of the property Moreau coveted weren’t exactly short on funds. The Meffre family’s holdings spread from Chateauneuf to Lirac. Ever since Gabriel Meffre began gobbling up vineyard land just after the war, these guys have been buyers, not sellers. So Moreau had to be content to take weekend drives with the top down in his old Lancia, just to take a closer look at those 50 acres at Chateau de Ruth, and the vines he’d never own.
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Then, in the summer of 2009, a friend had some news for Moreau. He still doesn’t know why, but the family that never sells was considering doing just that. The sprawling property was set at just 400 feet in elevation. Planted to 80% old vine Grenache and 20% Syrah, most of the property was classified as vastly superior Cotes du Rhone Villages (like Cairanne) vs. the more pedestrian Cotes-du-Rhone. With a little extra care in the vines – a riskier approach to winegrowing – Moreau reasoned, the Grenache here at Chateau de Ruth could really sing.
Before the end of the summer, Moreau had purchased Chateau de Ruth for a tidy sum. Then he went about providing the TLC that, in the fabulous 2009 vintage, would take Ruth to a whole new level.
How do you explain the sudden aromatic explosiveness of the gem of St. Cecile-les-Vignes? In early September, after a hot summer, the rain began, lasting several days. Moreau watched as nervous neighbors took to the vines, harvesting during la tempete. Maybe they were right, Moreau thought. Maybe fall would come early and those who didn’t get the crop in would end up with nothing worth tossing into the crusher. But, Vincent hadn’t purchased the property that he’d spent so many weekends eyeballing to make something merely pedestrian. He waited until the rain stopped, and then he lucked out. The sun broke through in the second week of the month, drying out the head-trained Grenache before treating the clusters to a couple more weeks of blue-sky perfection.
The bunches Moreau finally harvested, beginning on September 20, were small and tight, offering up an inaugural Moreau-made Chateau de Ruth that already sets the highest of bars in St. Cecile-les-Vignes.
This is a jewel in more ways than one. Typically, this Cotes du Rhone Villages would be imported and sold for $18/bottle. But Moreau knew of WineAccess from his Chateauneuf friends, and came to us with an offer that’s a bit too good to be true.
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Tasting Notes
2009 Chateau de Ruth Cotes du Rhone Villages
“Gorgeous medium ruby color. Explosive aromas of bright red fruits and garrigue. High-toned and vibrant. Rich and sweet on entry with a fine crushed fruit core. Not heavy, but light on its feet, but with that ethereal, floral combination of superb natural ripeness and fine, crisp acidity. Drink now for its sheer juicy lusciousness or age for up to 3 years in a cool cellar.”
– WineAccess Travel Log
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