Nice Value Wine Find at Carlyle Grand

Last week Gabriele and I had dinner at the Carlyle Grand in Shirlington. Sort of the flagship of the American Restaurant chain here in the DC area, it’s always a solid performer. You won’t be blown away, but you’ll rarely be disappointed either. The atmosphere is upbeat and there are always crowds, which is a good sign.

A couple of Saturdays ago was no exception. There was a short wait for a table, and we looked forward to some menu items we’d had before. What we weren’t expecting was to find very nice bargain wine, and French no less!

Nothing was really jumping out at me on the wine list, and the restaurant poured a French Rhone by the glass. It was inexpensive, and I wasn’t expecting very much, especially since Gabriele usually doesn’t like the “funkiness” of French wines. But it turned out to be a great find.

The wine was a Belleruche 2007 Cotes du Rhone from M. Chapoutier. It was 50% Syrah and 50% Grenache, which suggests a wine from southern Rhone. It was a soft, easy drinking wine with a slight tannic pucker on the finish. It was more fruit forward than a typical Rhone, lots of cherry, quick off the palate and just plain enjoyable. And, it was only $25. Can’t beat that with a stick, as my Irish nana used to say.

Apparently Robert Parker is very high on M. Chapoutier, which stands for two brothers, Michel and Marc. Their family owns various plots throughout the Rhone region, and also buy grapes an wine from other growers to sell under their label (the French term for this being negociants).  Here’s a little bit of background on the family.

I’m looking forward to tasting some of wines from their vineyards. Meanwhile, their entry level Cotes du Rhone drank very well with Gabriele’s ribs and my appetizer. Something in my Hong Kong style sea bass didn’t agree with the wine at all – might have been the ginger, or the soy, I don’t know. Other than that, a nice wine experience.

Since dinner we’ve also tried the 2008 M. Chapoutier Cotes du Rhone — $12 on sale at the local Giant! This vintage is 60% Grenache 40% Syrah but very similar to the 2007. Maybe a little bit longer finish, and a tiny taste of licorice. Both are super values, and when we try some other Chapoutier Rhones I’ll be updating this post.