2007 Pierre Gaillard Saint Joseph Rhône, France LCBO# 194928 $22.15
Wine prices in the classic regions of France such as Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhône are, to put it simply, gone totally insane! Even the lesser known Chateaux and Domaines have literally priced themselves out of the market for all but the most well-healed wine drinker. So what are the rest of us who yearn for good French wine to do? Simple! It’s all about geography. Some of the best values coming out of these classic regions of France are being produced in the lesser known sub-regions that surround them. Its funny how people think that a wine from a classic region like Côte-Rôtie is automatically better than one from a lesser known region of the Rhone when most times the only thing dividing them is a stone wall and a name. This week’s wine is a prefect example of the great wines you can find when you look over the stone wall.
2007 Pierre Gaillard Saint Joseph is an exceptionally crafted red wine. This full bodied powerful wine made from 100% Syrah has flavours of blackberries, black cherry, plum, spices and oak. It also has a well integrated seam of white and black pepper that is typical of well made red wines from the Northern Rhône. This wine is guaranteed to improve if allowed to age for another three to five years. I would recommend pairing the Pierre Gaillard Saint Joseph with a grilled flank steak, homemade hamburgers or (for the more adventurous) venison. As for cheese, I would recommend trying it with a Manchego.
At $22.95, I highly recommend searching out the 2007 Pierre Gaillard Saint Joseph. This is a beautiful wine from an under appreciated region…but that’s just my opinion. Let me know what you think by commenting below.
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