Join our Vintages Room Consultant Jordan and our Manager of Education as they teach us that the terms on French wine labels do actually mean something and can help you with your next purchase!
Thanks. A good video. But you've missed out one level in your three levels. There's a fourth. Côtes-du-Rhône Villages has two levels - there are Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, where the village/villages are NOT named, and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages where the village IS named. It's an important difference. For example, Cairanne was a named Côtes-du-Rhône Villages wine until 2016 when it became a "Cru", like Chateuneuf du Pape and Gigondas etc. But there are plenty of Côtes-du-Rhône Villages (unnamed) that could never become Crus until they have achieved "named" village status.
And also, sorry to be pedantic, you're pronouncing Gigondas and Vacqueyras as they would in Paris. Locally, Gigondas is pronounced with the "s" sounding. Vacqueyras is locally pronounced with and without the "s" sounding depending on which locals you talk to!
Oh come on guys, your advice on when to drink a wine such as Chateuneuf du Pape (or any of the southern rhone crus) is pants. It depends on the year! Like all wines, some years' harvests are better than others, for mostly climactic reasons and this affects the yield and the quality of the harvested grapes, or indeed when they are harvested. Give some advice on which years are better than others! IMHO and experience the Crus shouldn't be opened until at least 3 years after harvesting. Some need even more time.
