Wines from the Southern Rhone

At their best, wines from the southern Rhone combine the three basic categories of animal, vegetable and mineral.

Minerality comes from the stony soils of most vineyards, swept clean by the fierce winds of the mistral as it roars down the Rhone Valley at various times throughout the year and trains vines at impossible angles.

Syrah presents smoky bacon aromas, while mourvedre often has sensuous, animalistic hints of leather and musk. Grenache, the main grape of most southern Rhone blends, offers floral and herbal notes of violets, lavender, thyme, sage and rosemary.

Wine lovers call this character “garrigue,” a word we like to use because we can pronounce it (gah-REEG) and for its power to conjure the colorful countryside and market towns of Provence.

Unfortunately, the southern Rhone’s expression has been diluted by its popularity. The most prized wines of the region, from the small town of Chateauneuf-du-Pape north of Avignon, have become pricey collector’s items.

Others from Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Lirac and other hill towns whose wines have been granted “cru” status -- enabling them to be labeled with just their town name -- have become so expensive that they are now special-occasion wines.

Even the lower appellations of Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone-Villages have crept up in price to the point where many approach $25 or higher. And too often, they lack that expression of Rhone terroir -- the garrigue -- that makes the region’s wines special.

There are two reasons for this dilution of character. Increased popularity drives up prices and prompts producers and importers to send more wine to the United States, sometimes emphasizing quantity over quality.

In addition, many winemakers are experimenting with fashionable, modern techniques (such as new oak barrels) to make expensive cuvees. Those high-end wines might someday capture an ultimate expression of their terroir, but for now, many of them lack true Rhone character. Some are quite good but taste as if they could come from anywhere.