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11/12/2002 Archived Entry: "Cuvée Les Galets"

I haven’t kept up recording Carol Berman’s wine buys. I know. But here we go again. This is what Carol has to say about last Wednesday’s selection.

Cuvée les Galets, Vin de Pays de Pont du Gard, 2000, is a very chunky and rich French red wine. It is produced by Cave d'Estezargues, which is a highly respected cooperative in the south of France. The co-op is composed of six grape-growers (farmers) who share the same wine-making facility and winemaker. Owning a winery is very expensive. Sharing the cost, small growers can make wine for themselves and not have to sell their grapes.

Each wine produced by Cave d'Estezargues is unique, based on where the grapes were grown and each farmer’s abilities. This particular Cuvée les Galets is from the Languedoc-Roussillon region, otherwise known as The Midi, from a "department" known as the Gard. Vin de Pays simply means "country wine." Certain labels give even more specific information, however. This one says "Vin de Pays de Pont du Gard.” In French labeling, the more specific the growing area – from vast region down to part of a vineyard – the better the wine.

In this case, knowing the specific region also tells us which grapes are in the wine. I can fairly assume that they are grenache and cinsault, the two main grapes of this part of France. That makes sense to my palate, too. The wine has wonderful berry aromatics, a signature of grenache, and a rich mouthfeel, a hallmark of cinsault.

Bold and smooth, Cuvée Les Galets, Vin de Pays de Pont du Gard, 2000 delivers lots of beef for the buck.

It is an extraordinary value at about $8.99. Imported by Hand Picked Selections, Virginia. Distributed by Regal Wines in New Jersey, and House of Burgundy in New York.