Lazy French Choice

Charming Charmer

Having made something spicy involving chilli and beef we wondered what to drink with it.

We made the usual lazy French-style choice of having a rosé, which is the default choice of this nation when something vaguely spicy or resembling a pizza is to be eaten.

After rummaging around in my old wine boxes I dug up this bottle of Enjôleur (= Charmer) 2009 from Domaine Robert Sérol, (property recently mentioned by Jancis Robinson in her FT column 27/10/2012)

And very nice it was too. A wine made from Gamay grapes (or Gamay de Saint Romain to be exact -  the Sérols would not forgive me if I didn't mention this), slightly off-dry with 11% alcohol.

Of course when I say off-dry, I do not mean like those blush Zinfandels or other sickly-sweet rosés that are not too palatable. This was just sweet enough to balance the acidity, and complement the raspberry/strawberry aromas.

It did go down very well with this hot and spicy beef.

A few words about this producer. This estate is in Renaison in the heart of the Côte Roannaise appellation.

This is a small wine producing area (around 200 hectares) situated to the west of Roanne in central France, overlooking the valley of the Loire. The vines are planted on generally east facing hillsides between 370 and 550 metres high.

If the Beaujolais (100kms to the east)  is the most renowned home of the Gamay grape variety, then the Côte Roannaise and its neighbour the Côtes du Forez are its second home, producing wines that stand out for their immense drinkability (when you choose the right ones).

Domaine Sérol is well known for its beautifully made wines reflecting terroir in the most faithful and expressive way. Their cuvée Troisgros is served in the eponymous restaurant in Roanne.

Among the other stars of their wine range is L’Incorruptible 2009 made using indigenous yeasts and without added sulphites (delicious !) and the De butte en blanc 2009 Viognier which is a revelation and great value for such a handcrafted wine. It is also one to watch as it was made from young vines and in a few years may be a match for the Condrieu wines made not so far away on similar soils.