Savoring Lirac Rhône Blends: Ancient Rome, Medieval Nobility, Popes, and Kings
– everyone's doing it - you should too!
Let’s go on a trip! Get yourself to France.
Head to Lyon, the 2nd largest city in France, where the Rhône River starts heading south. Let the current take you down the Rhône Valley. As you hit the lovely town of Vienne you enter the wine region named Northern Rhône. This is Syrah (aka Shiraz) land. Stop for a quick glass!
Now continue South towards the Mediterranean Sea. Welcome to the Southern Rhône wine region where blends of mostly Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre are king! The most popular wines of this region are labeled Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages, or named after one of the 9 top villages known as ‘crus’, with Châteauneuf-du-Pape being the most famous.
These crus are intended to be the highest quality wines with the smallest sub-regions and the most restrictive wine laws. (Having said that, I have had some VERY good Côte du Rhône!) The crus are: Vinsobres, Cairanne, Rasteau, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Beaumes-de-Venise, Tavel, Lirac and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
So technical so soon? C’mon, tell me a story!
Once upon a time, Rome started a love affair with Rhône wine. Let’s pause for a bit in Châteauneuf-du-Pape (which translates to ‘New House of the Pope’), about 10 km north of the popular touristic town of Avignon – you know, the one with the children’s song “Sur le Pont d’Avignon.”
Avignon was made famous by the popes in the early 14th century when Clement V moved the papal court to Avignon from Rome. He, along with future popes, quickly developed a palate for the regional wines. Case in point, Urban V brought a Rhône vine when he returned to Rome for 3 years. He planted it, but the result is lost to history. In 1377, when the last Avignon pope Gregory XI returned to Rome for the last time, he continued to drink Rhône wine.
But Rome’s love of the Rhône wines goes back even further in time to the Roman Empire. Pliny the Elder, the Roman author, natural philosopher, and commander of the early Roman Empire in AD 71, is documented to have mentioned Rhône wine exports to Rome and Britain.
Let’s keep moving. In my previous post “The Pope, UFOs, and Wine Rangers,” the story started in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and eventually headed West all the way to California to visit the Rhône Rangers. This time let’s simply cross the Rhône River to Lirac, one of the top wine villages (aka crus) mentioned above.
The wines of Lirac were famous in the Middle Ages for nobility and the likes of Pope Innocent IV (1243-1254), King of England Henry IV (1399-1413), and King of France Louis XIV (1643-1715). In the 16th century, Lirac’s key port on the Rhône River was used to export wine as far North as Holland and England. In the 18th century, the same port was a significantly more important wine center than Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Lirac wines have super cool embossed bottles, as shown on today’s featured wine, also steeped in papal influence. The wine is produced at the Domaine des Carabiniers. Carabiniers is French for the Italian word Carabinieri, the Pope’s guards on horses. The winery’s cellar was constructed on a former horse stable where these guards kept their horses.
OK, all this travelling is making me thirsty! Tell me about Lirac wines?
Lirac wines by law are always blends, with the majority being Grenache, Syrah & Mourvèdre (minimum 40% Grenache, minimum 25% Syrah and/or Mourvèdre).
These three beauties are the same as the main grapes in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but because they grow across the Rhône River, they have a very different character. These are delicate, elegant wines, which means they are enjoyed without food or with lighter foods.
Why would the wines be so different despite their similar grape blends and vineyard proximity?
I haven’t talked about the wine term ‘terroir’ yet. Many think this only means soils from the French word terre, meaning ‘land’ … but in fact terroir involves climate, elevation, growing conditions (including soil), vineyard management, winemaking, and other elements impacted by humans, including the local culture. Often it can be as simple as certain regions historically ate a certain way, and the wines were made to pair with it!
Speaking of pairing ….
Domaine des Carabiniers Moon Apogé 2020 from Lirac, France
Style: Old World Medium Body Red
Varieties: 50% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre, & 25% Syrah
This elegant wine with very fine-grained moderate tannins has layers of red fruit: crunchy red plum, red cherry, cranberry, and strawberry, with complexity of a multitude of baking spices, pepper, vanilla, earth, forest floor and hints of leather and cigar.
Best pairings: Coq au vin, lemon chicken, mushroom risotto, herb de provence seasoned veal, soft cheeses (brie)
Serving Temperature: 16 degrees Celsius
Price: ~$36 (incl. Shades of Grape 15% discount & 5% gst)
Serving Tips: Decant for 30 - 60 minutes
I have compiled all my relevant wine recommendations in one place. I will do my best to keep this up to date. This version also has links on where to find the wines in Alberta. I also include the link(s) to the article in which the wine was featured.
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SOURCES:
Lirac, Tavel & Châteauneuf-du-Pape Diamonds in the rough (no date) Lirac, Tavel & Châteauneuf-du-Pape diamonds in the rough - Gilbert & Gaillard. Available at: https://www.gilbertgaillard.com/en/magazine/appellation-1/lirac-tavel-chateauneuf-du-pape-diamonds-in-the-rough (Accessed: 05 February 2024).
Robinson, J. (2015) The oxford companion to wine. 4th rev. ed. Corby: Oxford University Press.
Wine & Spirit Education Trust (2021) D3: Wines of the World - An accompaniment to the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines. Version 1.2. London: Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
I love your writing Eveline! And the map is excellent :) Thanks for the road trip!
You are adding to the many places in France I already have on the wish list. I think a tour by wine region is a good way to go. Great reading!