Sommelier’s Recommendation

2012 Laurus La Chasse du Pape, Prestige, Côte de Rhône
PHP 1,300
Made from a Rhone blend comprising mainly of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah, this wine is quite smooth and restrained with good ripe fruit flavors and a bit of spice underneath, not overly so to prevent it from being an excellent partner to a good variety of food including grilled red meat as well as stews.

2011 Côtes du Ventoux, Domaine Juliette Avril, Southern Rhône
PHP 1,300
Dark-skinned grape varieties blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah produces a wine of substance and body, with intense fruit flavors and uplifting spices and pepper notes. This is the type of wine that can stand up to food with equally intense flavors.

2011 Minervois, Prieure Saint-Roch, Languedoc
PHP 1,500
Surprisingly good, elegant, medium bodied, an attractive blend featuring the Rhone varieties of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre supported with fresh acidity making it so friendly with food. Medium-firm grip with good balance will probably carry this wine through several more years of improvement if left alone to age in a cellar.

2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine Juliette Avril, Southern Rhône
PHP 3,300
The vineyard comprises half of vines over 50 years, planted according to traditional methods, mixed varieties such as Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Roussanne etc.. vinified in an ultra modern winery. Stainless steel tanks for winemaking, pneumatic press system and temperature control. A flamboyant wine, robust to the purple color with aromas of spices, good with many dishes including roast beef, lamb, rabbit stew, coq au vin, wild boar, gamey meat.

2009 Côtes du Rhone Merites, Southern Rhône
PHP 1,400
Grenache is the primary grape supported by other varieties as well, especially Syrah and Mourvèdre. Thanks to the Grenache, there’s usually ripe cherry and/or berry fruit showing on the palate. 2009 was a relatively ripe year, producing wines with good concentration of fruit flavors.

2008 Minervois, Prieure Saint-Roch, Languedoc
PHP 1,900
Minervois is part of the huge Languedoc-Roussilon wine regions of France. Red wines can be made from a blend of many grape varieties including Grenache, Syrah, Mouvèdre, Cinsault etc. They are typically a little hard and tannic when young but soften up and acquire a silky texture with age. Enjoy these matured red wines with delicate meat dishes, poultry and game also.

2007 Côtes du Ventoux, Dom les Herbes Blanches, Southern Rhône
PHP 2,200
The Ventoux (formerly Côtes du Ventoux) appellation lies between the area designated as Côtes du Luberon (now Luberon) in the south and the massive Mont Ventoux to the north. It is a large appellation covering some 50 communes over an area of 5800 hectares and producing over a quarter of a million hectoliters of wine annually. Reds and rosés are primarily made from the following grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsaut, Carignan and Mourvèdre.

2002 Costières de Nîmes, Ch. d’Or at de Gueules, Southern Rhône
PHP 1,500
Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre must together account for some 60% of the blend, the remainder consisting of Carignan and Cinsault. Costières de Nîmes terroir consists of gravel deposited by the Rhone and Durance rivers. The outstanding drainage properties of the gravel mean that water is quickly shed even in heavy downpours. The wine is fruity, spicy, wild, smooth, floral and rich.

2001 Cornas Côteaux Tardieu-Laurent, Northern Rhône
PHP 5,500
The most southerly of the Northern Rhône red wine appellations, Cornas is tiny. The granitic south/southeast-facing slopes are planted with just one grape, Syrah. It’s the earliest-ripening of the Northern Rhône appellations – the first to be harvested each year – and the resulting wines are often rich, chunky and tannic, requiring time in bottle to show their best. 2001 produced some excellent wines in Northern Rhone, both reds and whites, all well balanced, long-keeping with found acidity, rewarding long cellaring.

2000 Vin de Pays de l’Herault Selection Pol Molleau, Languedoc
PHP 1,900
Herault is located on the Mediterranean coastline, bordered by the Aude to the south-west, in the large Languedoc-Roussillon wine regions which is the epicenter of excellent Vin de Pays wines. Grapes from l’Herault also go into wines bearing Faueres and Minervois on the labels. The wines are made predominantly from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignon, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

1999 Tavel E. Guigal , Southern Rhône
PHP 2,500
TAVEL, a town of 1,600 perched at the edge of the Languedoc, on the brink of Provence, is the veritable cradle of French rosé, a favorite of Louis XIV. The low rainfall, the summer heat, and the protective winds of the mistral make for rich and hearty grapes. These rosé wines – fondly called Rosé of Kings – are bone dry. The wines offer classic, refreshing dry roses for summer drinking. Grenache reigns as the primary varietal for the Tavel blends. Cinsault, Mourvedre, Syrah & a few other Rhone varieties are often used in smaller amounts. Flavors found in good Tavel wines are spice & berries. Perfect for a hearty meal on a hot night, or an apéritif on a warm afternoon.

1998 Minervois, Domaine Des Causserels, Languedoc
PHP 2,500
Minervois is part of the huge Languedoc-Roussilon wine regions of France. Red wines can be made from a blend of many grape varieties including Grenache, Syrah, Mouvèdre, Cinsault etc. They are typically a little hard and tannic when young but soften up and acquire a silky texture with age. Enjoy these matured red wines with delicate meat dishes, poultry and game also.

1998 Vacqueyras, Domaine de l’Espigouette, Bernard Latour, Rhône
PHP 3,200
Vacqueyras is located toward the southern end of the string of Rhône villages, just north of the southernmost, Beaumes-de-Venise. The wines are often labeled as an affordable version of Châteauneuf-du-Pape enjoying the same remarkable freedom of choice among 13 grape varieties for the final blend. Usually quite hard, dense and tannic in youth, it takes years to grow out of its ugly duckling adolescence but once that’s over with, the wine is charmingly bold and concentrated, smooth enough to enjoy with stews, braised meat or a nice steak.

1998 Cornas Côteaux Tardieu-Laurent, Northern Rhône
PHP 6,500
It is the combination of power and grace that enables the wines of Northern Rhone to age well. This Cornas was a bit edgy in youth, not exactly your crowd pleaser, but it has turned the corner nicely. Today at its peak and drinking beautifully, this is a wine that one can enjoy on its own or pair up with game, grilled meat and wine reduction sauces.

1997 Côteaux du Languedoc, Abbaye de Valmagne, Languedoc
PHP 3,400
In addition to being a famous abbey-turned-winery, the Abbaye de Valmagne is actually an architectural marvel. Quite uncommon even in the very liberal region of Languedoc, an old variety called Morastel is revived here, providing a really nice lift with a dash of fresh acidity to its basic GSM Rhône Blend. Cooked jam, chocolate, caramel and orange peel on the nose lead into a well integrated wine with matured distinction, smooth mouth feel that blends swimmingly with smoked meat, grilled red meat and steaks.

1997 Côte Rotie, Brune et Blonde, de Guigal, E. Guigal, Northern Rhône
PHP 13,000
Cote Rôtie Blonde et Brune is a classic wine for the appellation. Its dark garnet/ruby/purple color is followed by a jammy nose of pain grille, white flowers, black raspberries, olive, and pepper. Firmly structured with a rich, fleshy mid-section, and plenty of tannin in the finish, this gorgeously seductive Cote Rôtie is one of Marcel Guigal’s finest Blonde et Brune since the 1991.

1997 Saint Joseph, Boiysset Chol, Northern Rhône
PHP 2,500
St. Joseph is the second largest appellation in the Northern Rhône with 50 growers producing wine from over 600 hectares of vineyards.. It was created in 1956. Unlike Cornas, Hermitage and Cote Rotie, the style of the red wine of St. Joseph leans towards something lighter and more elegant and approachable when young.

1995 Côte Rotie, Bernard Guy et Frederic, Northern Rhône
PHP 4,500
This is an elegant yet authoritatively powerful wine that is a bit chewy and deep. The wine has a medium- to full-bodied, surprisingly good acid levels for such ripeness and power, and only a moderately tannic structure. This is a fragrant wine offer with bouquets showcasing scents and flavors of cassis, black raspberries, smoke, bacon fat, violets, olives, and grilled meats.

1995 Gigondas, Les Hauts de Montmirail Domaine Brusset, Southern Rhône
PHP 2,900
Gigondas—located less than 10 miles as the crow flies northeast of Châteauneuf-du-Pape—is considered by many to be a mini version of the Southern Rhône’s premier appellation, but in a more rustic vein. In reality, however, its terroir is quite different, and its best wines offer distinctive character as well as welcome value. 1995 produced wines that were too tannic to enjoy when young. With bottle age, the wines have softened up to become enjoyable.

1988 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Cabrieres Tete de cru prestige, Southern Rhône
PHP 4,900
While the history of Chateau Cabrieres dates back to the fifteenth century, the modern era for the winery begins when it was purchased by the Arnaud family. With a terroir of gravel, sand and quartz pebbles, Chateau Cabrieres is one of the few Chateauneuf du Pape properties to plant 13 Rhone grape varieties. The combination of 3 distinctive terroirs and 13 varieties allows Chateau Cabrieres to produce a myriad of wines from the Rhone Valley. This Cabrieres Chateauneuf du Pape is a blend of 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Mouvedre and 10% Cinsault. 1988 was a dry and temperate year which resulted in wines that are very powerful, too tannic to be approachable when young, needing many years of ageing in bottles to mellow down.

1983 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Les Arnevels, Quiot, Southern Rhône
PHP 4,900
The Famille Quiot is the unique owner of this plot "les Combes d’Arnevels" located in the north-west of the appellation. Last century, this place was a hunting shelter, that means a place where men meet together to share their mind and to spend a good time with friends. The plots are located on stony terraces, very-well exposed to Mistral Wind, which improve the sanitary quality of the grape. The vines are surrounded by several dozen hectares of woods offering an exceptional micro-climate. The soil, which is made up of chalky white rocks constitutes a real curiosity and gives the wine its individual character. Sun light is very important and the grapes reach very nice degrees of maturation.

1983 Gigondas, Château De Montmirail, Archimbaub, Southern Rhône
PHP 2,900
Gigondas is well known among fans of Rhone wine to be a more affordable alternative to the expensive but famous Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Typical GSM blend of three Rhone grape varieties produces a full-bodied red wine with strong flavors. This is a rare treat for fans of Rhone wine to taste a matured vintage wine, enjoying it with ribs and good steaks preferably.

1978 Minervois, Château De Gourgazaud, La Liviniere, V.D.Q.S., Languedoc
PHP 3,400
Minervois is part of the huge Languedoc-Roussilon wine regions of France. Red wines can be made from a blend of many grape varieties including Grenache, Syrah, Mouvèdre, Cinsault etc. They are typically a little hard and tannic when young but soften up and acquire a silky texture with age. Enjoy these matured red wines with delicate meat dishes, poultry and game also.

1973 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Thorin-Chambert, Southern Rhône
PHP 4,300
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the largest and most important wine appellation in the southern Rhône. There are over 300 hectares of vineyards and over 80 growers and more wine is produced in Châteauneuf than the whole of the northern Rhône put together. This 1973 vintage Châteauneuf-du-Pape is fully matured, still rich and vibrant, a testament to the longevity to the famous wine from this region.

April 1st, 2014 in Sommelier's Notes and Recommendations, Wine Lists