Ardeche part 2: caves, towers and gardens

We were in the picturesque Ardèche area to taste AOC Côtes du Rhône, AOC Côtes du Vivarais and IGP Ardèche Vins de Pays. Perhaps, instead of getting journalists to traipse around the place, they should lock us up in a big think tank to come up with some names that don’t make the average wine punter swoon.

Anyway, in my last post I described the AOC Côtes du Rhône (Côté Ardèche) tasting. Leaving Bourg Saint Andéol, we wandered around the CdR terroir, before literally dropping into the most remarkable cave I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a few.

Aven d'Orgnac

The Aven Orgnac is a Grand Site de France® – note the trademark registration: don’t you love the way they are privatising common language these days? – and the public section on its own is bigger than a football stadium. Steps lead down 121 metres via a series of viewing platforms to the main act: an appropriately (to adopt the new Lonely Planet’s favourite word) stunning sound and light show.

Up on the surface again, we tasted a flight of fourteen AOC Côtes du Vivarais in the three colours. This appellation has been fighting an uphill battle for recognition and many of the winemakers whose vines are in the area of the AOC have been tempted to release them as Ardèche Vins de Pays, a voluntary demotion, in part because it allows the use of varieties that are outlawed in the AOC.  Those in the AOC camp seem to have been working hard on increasing finesse, but I thought that most of the wines we tasted were rather simple and lacking in character, with several reds too dumbed down by oak. As most were between 3€ and 6€, they are not going to break the bank, and are fine as far as they go. There’s no need to repeat that tasting is a bizarre affair and our reactions can be triggered by all sorts of factors. I will have to try them again.

Watch those church fangs

The main square of the little stone village of Labeaume, where we slept, is dominated by something just as bizarre as sipping and dribbling booze: the church‘s porch is supported incongruously by two columns that are so teeth-like, the edifice looks like the maw of a walrus. In the light of the next morning, we discovered that they were tilting off to the side, somewhat Pisa-style. Labeaume is one of those definitionally aesthetic stone villages with a rather regal cat which looked down on us as if he were Prince Philip on the veranda at Buckingham Palace. Our troop, led by local vignerons and the very dapper Cyril Jaquin, President of the improbably named 2000 Vins d’Ardèche Association (which is comprised of so many equally worthy associations of vignerons that I wonder how Cyril can remember everyone), then took off to climb a tower topped with a virgin for a better overall view of the IGP Ardèche terroir and to admire a large dolmen.

Labeaume's feline Philip

The trip was entitled « In the footsteps of Olivier Serres, first French agronomist, on the occasion of the inauguration of the gardens re-constituted according to his plans », a title almost as mouth-filling as the Khayyam from Hélène Thibon which we’d tasted the previous day. The tasting at our next stop, the Domaine Olivier de Serres Ferme du Pradel included 17 IGP Ardèche Vins de Pays. My short notes are below, but my curiosity was piqued when they started discussing the machinations that had got them that name. Decades ago, the winemakers here decided against applying for an AOC category and therefore avoided falling within the grip of the INAO. By staying as a Vin de Pays, they kept the rules to a minimum. Now that Vins de Pays are all being sucked into the European IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) category and are going to fall within the control of INAO anyway, the associations have deposited the necessary dossier with that honourable institution. What’s the problem? Well, the application has not yet been formally approved. So their (widespread) use of the IGP label is based on the « tacit » understanding that they will become one.

When dealing with l’Administration in France, you either go mad, or you quickly develop a sense of humour.

A rather phallic virgin

Tasting notes of the IGP Ardèche Côteaux d’Ardèche at the Ferme du Pradel

A pleasant discovery of some good value wines.
In particular, the Domaine du Grangeon 2010 rosé was a delight: deep and dense robe, discreet aromas of summer flowers. Ample and balanced with great acidity. It’s hard to believe the price marked on the tasting sheet of 3.80€.
Mescladis 2009 red from Domaine Salel, an iconoclastic mix of 90% gamay and 10% grenache (voila – the advantage of that freedom!). Deeply coloured, with balanced and complex aromas of fruit and torrefaction, it has a terrific structure. This is only the second year that Benoit Salel and Elise Renaud have made it. An estate to watch.
Finally, a sweet Ninon 2009 made from muscat by the Co-op of Alba la Romaine, had a deep golden robe and had a remarkable nose of cumquats.