Vacqueyras:
Excellent Values from the Southern Rhône

Fans of southern Rhône
wines who are feeling sticker shock from current pricing for most
Châteauneuf-du-Papes owe it to themselves to expand their buying net, and
Vacqueyras is a great place to start. I would offer that same advice to wine
lovers who have a rough time with the richness, power and high alcohol that
characterize the majority of Châteauneufs. Vacqueyras is a cooler, higher-altitude
sector of the region and its wines rely less heavily on Grenache; with greater
emphasis on later-ripening, higher-acid Syrah and Mourvèdre, they present
comparatively restrained, structured personalities.

Because Vacqueyras wines are
less dependent on Grenache, producers here did not suffer the same severe crop
losses in 2014 and 2013 that their colleagues in Châteauneuf-du-Pape did. And so most producers didn’t need to adjust their
house styles—at least not too much—to compensate for a paltry Grenache yield,
which was the case at a number of Châteauneuf addresses, especially those whose
blends lean most heavily on that early-ripening variety.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1461837079973-Late+winter+in+Vacqueyras-Sized.jpg"> Old vines are scattered widely throughout the Vacqueyras appellation&nbsp; 

The 2014 Growing Season

The
year began with a wet, late winter but April witnessed the onset of warm and
dry conditions, pushing the vines out of their winter hibernation. The weather
turned much warmer during the last couple days of May, followed by a mostly
hot, even very hot June that set growers’ hopes high for a season of ample
yields and ripe grapes. But July and August proved tricky, with overcast and
rainy conditions prevailing, and fruit maturity slowed down considerably. Temperatures only really warmed up in mid-September
and the resulting crop yielded wines that are naturally on the high side
acidity-wise, with an emphasis on perfume, fresh fruit and gentle tannic
structure. Based on the bottled 2014s from the southern Rhône that I have had
the chance to try, I believe that these wines will drink well on the young
side: they should provide plenty of pleasure for the less patient wine drinker
and, especially, for restaurants that tend to put wines on their lists quickly.


<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1461837173870-The+vineyards+of+Vacqueyras+lie+just+below+the+peaks+of+Dentelles+de+Montmirail+mountain+range%2C+in+northern+Provence+Sized.jpg"> The vineyards of Vacqueyras lie just below the peaks of Dentelles de Montmirail mountain range, in northern Provence 

A Topsy-Turvy 2013

As was the case across the
region, a cold start to the 2013 growing season in Vacqueyras was followed by a
warm, sometimes hot June, and the flowering commenced in the middle of the month.
The flowering then took place very rapidly—even a bit too quickly—and the
result was a high percentage of shot berries that needed to be culled out by
growers. The summer continued warm and dry but the damage caused by the poor,
late flowering had been done, resulting in—no surprise—a much shorter than
normal yield. The harvest was late, commencing in the third week of September
under clement conditions and with almost all of the varieties reaching maturity
at the same time.

The resulting wines mostly
show good depth and structure thanks to the low overall yields and I don’t find
them to be very far out of character for the region—in contrast to so many
wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. I doubt that the wines will age on an
especially long curve but they should provide a lot of upfront appeal. But then
most wine lovers don’t buy Vacqueyras to squirrel away in the dark corners of
their cellars.<div><div><div><div><div>You Might Also Enjoy <a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/chateauneuf-du-pape-blanc-enters-the-21st-century-apr-2016">Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Enters the 21st Century</a>, Josh Raynolds, April 2016 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.vinous.com/articles/chateauneuf-du-pape-reds-the-flamboyant-2014s-and-the-structured-2013s-apr-2016">Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reds:&nbsp;The Flamboyant 2014s and the Structured 2013s</a>, Josh Raynolds, April 2016 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/2014-and-2013-northern-rhone-great-wines-if-you-can-find-them-march-2016">2014 and 2013 Northern Rhône: Great Wines If You Can Find Them</a>, Josh Raynolds, March 2016 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/vacqueyras-promising-2013s-and-ready-to-drink-2012s-may-2015">Vacqueyras’ Promising 2013s and Ready to Drink 2012s</a>, Josh Raynolds, May 2015 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/gigondas-new-releases-may-2015">Gigondas&nbsp;—&nbsp;New Releases</a>, Josh Raynolds, May 2015 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.vinous.com/articles/chateauneuf-du-pape-the-lively-2013s-and-the-lush-2012s-apr-2015">Châteauneuf du Pape: The Lively 2013s and Lush 2012s</a>, Josh Raynolds, April 2015 -- Josh Raynolds</div></div></div></div></div>

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