Château d'Aigueville Côtes-du-Rhône Villages 2016 (France) - Wine Review (Feb. 2021)

Tonight's wine review is a lovely Côtes-du-Rhône Villages red wine that is widely available at LCBO outlets across Ontario as it is a General List product.

Château d'Aigueville is the Southern Rhône project of Burgundian producer Henri de Villamont. The estate is located on a plateau between the villages of Sérignan and Uchaux, just north of Orange, and has exceptional terroir similar to nearby Châteauneuf-du-Pape with a very large proportion of pebbles. Château d'Aigueville has more than 100 hectares of vines, with the oldest vines more than 80 years old, and produces five wines from the ten grape varieties that they grow. They also have five hectares of olive groves.

This particular red wine is classified as a Côtes-du-Rhône Villages appellation wine because it's quality is superior to that of generic Côtes-du-Rhône wines. The Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan that is used to produce this wine comes from vines that are 30 years old and grown on the hills in Uchaux at 100 to 250 metres above sea level. The soils consist of pebbles and siliceous or clay limestone, while the plots are separated from each other by garrigue and olive groves. As a Villages wine, it indicates a sense of place, which in turn is also an indication of terroir and quality.

I have enjoyed the 2016 Château d'Aigueville Côtes-du-Rhône Villages on a couple of occasions now, lastly in June 2019, and it has always impressed. Back in 2019, I wrote that it still had five years of enjoyment ahead. Two years later, and five years from vintage, let's see how this bottle is tasting now...

Tasting Note:

CHÂTEAU D'AIGUEVILLE CÔTES-DU-RHÔNE VILLAGES 2016 - AC, Rhône, France (#544031) (XD) - $17.65
From 30 year old vines, this blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Carignan, and 10% other varietals has complex, medium-high intensity aromatics that are smoky, earthy, and mineral, joined by black cherry, violet, dark plum, garrigue, and spice notes. It's medium-full bodied on the slightly warming palate with smooth, refined tannins that have a supple texture. Savoury flavours of scorched earth, mineral, black cherry, black plum, violet, garrigue, and peppery spice are supported by juicy acidity. Long and savoury with scorched earth and mineral notes lingering on the finish. Versatile Rhône Red that over delivers on price to quality. Drinking great now and will hold in your cellar over the next 2-3 years. Score: 89 pts

While this is the only wine from Château d'Aigueville available at the LCBO, others can be purchased through their Agent - Eurovintage Wines & Spirits.