Côtes du Ventoux is the name for the large and diverse area in the Southeastern corner of the Rhône Valley that ecompasses all of the land affected by Mount Ventoux, by far the tallest and largest geographical feature in the South of France.  Because of the cold air sliding down the sides of the mountain, this area is cooler and sees more rain than neighboring areas of the Rhône and Provence, and has much cooler nights after the still-blisteringly hot days in the middle of the summer.  The area is also sheltered from the Mistral (the cold, persistent wind that blows from the north down the Rhône Valley in the fall, winter and spring and stunts the growth of everything).  The resulting wines are similar to those in the rest of the Rhône, but with more delicacy and fresher fruit.

Caravinserail is a second project of Raphaël Trouiller, the proprietor of the currently very in vogue, biodynamically farmed, Domaine de Cascavel also in the Côtes du Ventoux.  Raphaël has almost single-handedly made the Côtes du Ventoux a sought-after wine region by making beautiful, hand-crafted wines from old vines, with catchy names (and big price tags).  With Caravinserail, he has taken the same formula, using younger grapes and less respected varieties, and only a little less flash, and come up with something that is also incredibly delightful.  The names of the wines, in fine, mean “to conclude” in Latin, and it’s almost as if he is saying to all of the other winemakers, after his wild success at Domaine de Cascavel, “and to conclude: even using young vines and inferior grape varieties I can make great wine from this region.  What have you been doing?”

in fine Blanc is made from Clairette, Ugni Blanc, Grenache Blanc, and Bourboulenc that is hand harvested from sustainably farmed grapes.  The wine is fermented and aged in traditional concrete tanks (very common in this part of France).  This wine possesses a nearly magical combination of rich and crisp flavors, mixing citrus with stone fruit and tree fruit, and hitting spices, herbs, and even a bit of creaminess along the way.  A great wine for all sorts of white fish, chicken, salad (yes, a salad wine) and hard cheese.  This is a wine to drink now, but it should hold well for a couple of years.  Drink now – 2011