Yesterday was the first day of fall. George Eliot once enthused “Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” Good for George. I guess if you’re a bird, you don’t have to rake the yard.
Any joy I take in autumn comes solely from my nose. I love the smell of dried and decaying leaves packed on a forest floor. However, my tolerance for the rest of the season (bad weather, shortened days, elections) withered to nothing when I realized that I could find all the aromas I adore in certain well-made wines. A bottle of wine has certain advantages over a fall day: to get at the vino, there’s no need to dig out a sweater or risk contaminating your lungs with crisp, fresh air.
What are these magic elixirs that distill the pleasures of fall into a conveniently alcoholic format? My favourites are the wines of the Rhone Valley in France, especially the Rhone subregion called Chateauneuf du Pape.
The classic Chateauneuf du Pape is coming to Vintages on November 22, 2008: Chateau de Beaucastel 2006 ($91.95 [Ed. note: 2006 no longer available], Vintages #711317). It has an intoxicating nose that drives you head first into the glass with a swirling array of moss, lavender, spice and plum jam. The palate, however, is too young, which means the flavours are still tight and embryonic. Under the tannic surface, there’s hints of violets, crushed leaves and (surprisingly) salt air. Experience has shown me that by about 2015 this Beaucastel should mellow into the rarified autumn flavours that make the winery famous. This is a world class wine for a serious cellar.
If $90 seems too much, there are good alternatives. Chateau de Beaucastel makes a “second wine”, the Coudoulet de Beaucastel 2006 ([Ed. note: 2006 no longer available] $29.95, Vintages #48884) which will be released on November 8, 2008. I’ve tried several vintages of the Coudoulet, and I am consistently astounded at how much it resembles its big brother but for only 1/3 the price. However, it will also require aging (3-6 years) in order to let the mature notes of incense and forest floor come to the surface.
For some instant (and cheap) gratification, try the Mommessin Cotes du Rhone ([Ed. note: No longer available] $11.40, LCBO #14829). It offers up an entrancing aroma of earth and autumn, accompanied by a well-balanced mix of black currants, blueberries and poached pears. It’s a superb value, and outperforms several more expensive Rhones, such as the widely available but uncharismatic Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone ($14.95, Vintages Essential #363457). The Mommessin would be a great wine to pair with a flank steak or other cheap cut of beef on some chilly weeknight. That’s how I’m welcoming the fall.
Matthew Sullivan is a lawyer with the Department of Justice in Toronto. He writes a weekly blog entry here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at matthew@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca
(Photo courtesy of Flickr)