IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CÔTES DU RHÔNE

Lirac AOC

Last week I was lucky to attend a wine tasting of Cru wines from Cairanne & Lirac AOC at the very unexpected location - vintage neon sign warehouse! Wines were accompanied by small plates and canapés from Native Feasts, which expertly matched to the wines by Michelin starred chef, Chris Godfrey. Here is what I learned from the wine expert Helena Nicklin.

HISTORY

Lirac wines were appreciated by the royal and papal courts in Avignon since 14th century. We know that Pope Innocent IV ordered 20 casks of wine from there in 1357 and Henry IV of France and Louis XIV served them regularly at court, where they were called simple Rhône wine. In the mid-17th century the right-bank district of the Côte du Rhône had issued regulations to govern the quality of its wine and in 1737 the king ordered that casks of Lirac wine shipped from the nearby river port of Roquemaure should be branded with the letters CDR to introduce a system of protecting its origin. The rules for its Côte du Rhône thus formed the very early basis of today's nationwide AOC system. Production was very high in those days: in 1774 the vintage yielded more than 8000 hl. of wine. The name was changed to Côtes du Rhône when the left-bank wines were included in the appellation some hundred years later. The appellation received full recognition by a High Court decision in 1937. In the 1930s, Count Henri de Régis, the owner of the Château de Ségriès in the heart of the village of Lirac improved the quality of his wines until in 1945 he obtained the highest distinction, a cru, of the Côtes du Rhône. Two years later in 1947 the appellation was confirmed by government decree. Lirac is the oldest wine in the Côtes du Rhône region and was the first to be produced in all three colours: red, rosé, and white.

In recent years, the planted vineyard area of Lirac has been increasing, and more high-quality wines are being produced.

CLIMATE & GEOGRAPHY

The village of Lirac lies to the west of the Rhone, a little over 10 km due west of Châteauneuf-du-Pape which is on the opposite side of the river. Besides Lirac itself, the appellation includes the villages of Saint Laurent des Arbres, Saint Géniès de Comolas and Roquemaure which forms a girdle around the appellation. The terroir in Lirac is somewhat similar to Châteauneuf-du-Pape both in variety and hours of sun.

WINES

We tried these amazing wines that I can’t recommend more.

LIRAC WHITE – Aqueria - (available at Drinks & Co)

LIRAC RED – Loyane Elie, Ogier Closiers (available at Marks & Spencers for only £10.00) and Coudoulis Hommage

Cru Cairanne

HISTORY

Cairanne achieved Côtes du Rhône status in 1953 and became a Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation in 1967. The winemakers of Cairanne first submitted their application for cru status in 2008 and it was granted in 2016. Important to know that promotion to cru status meant that the wine labels can be labelled Cairanne, without the need for ‘Côtes du Rhône’ to be included.

WINES

Composed of at least 50% Grenache, the reds are smooth, spicy and with elegant tannins. Alongside it, Syrah and Mourvèdre (at least 20%) bring more complexity, finesse and aromas to the wines. Sporadically, grape varieties such as Cinsault and Carignan are also used to balance the power of the wine with more freshness.

The whites are more discreet and too rare on the appellation because of their high quality. The main grape varieties are Clairette and Roussanne for their floral & fresh characters, as well as Grenache Blanc for its power and complexity. Today, the white wines of Cairanne are far from the “bourru” that once made the reputation of the village!