Chateau L'ermitage, 2007, GSM

Syrah 50%, Mourvedre 30% Grenache 20%, Rhone valley, Costieres de Nimes, AOC, 13% ABV, $10.

Purchasing French wine used to feel like I was taking the GRE's. There are words I can't pronounce let alone define or equate, the compositions lack clarity and I'm often left feeling like I've made a horrible, horrible mistake somewhere along the way that will inevitably cost me. With two wine courses under my belt, I'm still barely able make sense of what I'm bringing home with even a moderate degree of confidence. So for those of you out there that are as lost and mystified as I have been, and still can be, here are a few French wine buying facts that will hopefully lead to successful purchases:

1) French wine is heavily regulated and as such organized into three tiers (in order of highest to lowest) - Appellation d'origine contrôlée or AOC/AC, Vin de Pays (country wine) and Vin de table (table wine). The AOC system is the model for nearly every other national regulatory system in the wine producing world (e.g. DO: Portugal and Italy; DOC Spain; AVA: US) and dictates everything from what grapes can be grown where down to the methods of pruning. Yeah, it's that serious.

2) While a hierarchy of quality is implied, VDP's can demonstrate complexity and character of more expensive AOC's but at reasonable prices. With fewer regulations there exists the opportunity for using both traditional and non-traditional methods of vinification. Furthermore, vineyards in France are not comprised solely of AOC's, VDP's or VDT's. Rather vine rows that are deemed unworthy of producing upper level French AOC wines are often located opposite those that produce the less expensive VDP's and VDT's.

So the next time you're in your favorite local liquor store and feeling that wild hair up your ass to try something from the Mecca of the wine world that is France, save some money and look for a Vin de Pays.

Now all that being said, this wine is NOT a Vin de Pays and IS reasonably priced at only 10 dollars. Instead it's from the southernmost region of the Rhone valley, Costieres de Nimes, AOC. The color is just barely opaque, on the cusp of being translucent. The nose gives off aromas of cocoa powder, black currant and cream with cooked fruit. I'm expecting this wine to have a higher ABV than 13%. A woody component becomes apparent after a few minutes and also after the back label overtly instructs me that the wine has been aged in oak barrels for 6 months (perhaps the power of suggestion is at play). In the mouth the wine has a medium body, moderate levels of acid and extremely low to non-existent tannins. I expected more astringency given that this Rhone GSM blend is comprised of mostly Syrah (a typically tannic grape), a fact that demonstrates the powerful influence of the typically juicy Grenache. The fruit is akin to that of an under-ripe or sour blackberry, which is an interesting contrast to the aromatics it initially exuded. All that said, I'm tasting far more alcohol on the back end of my palate given the aforementioned modest percentage of alcohol.

While this wine may be a value play at $10, spending just a few more dollars will get you substantially better quality and complexity. This wine has the potential to shine with the appropriately prepared Coq au vin or flank steak, nonetheless I'll be looking for a VDP next time. See you in the French aisle.