Author: Dirk Chan
Our online feature this week is the Franck Balthazar Cotes-du-Rhone (Rhone Valley, France) – $22.99 , regularly $30.99.
Franck Balthazar is the nephew of the late Noel Verset (a great pioneer in Cornas), and purchased the 97-year-old parcel in Chaillot from him when Noel retired. He blends this old plot with his own 46-year-old parcel, both of which are on the granitic and sunny slopes of Les Chaillots. Plowing is done with a horse, and in the tiny cellar the grapes are pressed without being destemmed.
Don’t let the simple Côtes du Rhône label fool you,. This is definitely not your typical Côtes du Rhône, it’s serious business from one of the best, most traditional winemakers in the region. 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah from a small one and a half hectare organically farmed vineyard about an hour south of Franck’s cellar in Cornas. Hand harvested, wild fermented and aged in steel, then bottled unfiltered with minimal sulfur added. The previous vintage of this wine was featured in both our Best Bang for the Buck and deVine’s Wines of the Year picks.
Franck Balthazar Cotes-du-Rhone (Rhone Valley, France) – $22.99 , regularly $30.99.