I was pleasantly surprised to come home tonight and find a chicken casserole bubbling gently on the stove. The open recipe book was of classic French dishes to serve with the wines of the Côtes du Rhône, the recipe was fricassée de poulet au beurre d'herbes. The book and the aromas brought back happy memories of vintage 2007 in the beautiful little village of Chusclan. Sunny days of pine needles, white stone and wild thyme under the bald eye of Mont Ventoux. Smelly caravan, outside toilets and 100km/h mistral headwinds on a supermarket bicycle. Ah, memories.
The only option was to crack something from that vintage and the '07 Chapoutier Belleruche (Côtes du Rhône, $25) came easily to hand and was only a step below a Côtes du Rhône Villages as recommended by the book. A well crafted wine with inadequate fruit to carry it's significant alcohol (14.5%), decent ripe Grenache strawberries and caramel but a disappointing absence of garrigue. A hot nose and a spiky, hollow departure. The fricassée, however, was delicious.
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