Spent a few days last week getting acquainted with the fascinating old Chateauneuf du Pape property of Nalys. This is one of the oldest of the appellation and in the top 6 in terms of production, yet has kept a low profile as far as UK/US wine drinkers are concerned. Their very “sympa” and  knowledgable commercial director- a fellow ex-WSET student - Isabelle Ogier showed me around and treated me to an extensive tasting.In the last century Nalys was famous for being run by Chateauneuf’s favourite doctor -  Dr. Phillip Dufays - who when not tending to his patients built a reputation as one of the great modernisers.Up to his death in 1978 he led the move towards carbonic maceration vinification - a technique which softens tannins and produces a relatively lighter fruity wine approachable very shortly after bottling. A bust of Dufays is the first thing you see as you approach the tasting room.Today Nalys is owned - like many great Bordeaux estates - by a commercial giant, the insurance company Groupama. Does this bode well? Well, my visit seemed to confirm that the tradition of experimentation is alive and kicking under the new management. They continue to cultivate all 13 grape varieties permitted by the AOC and regularly test different blends; the cave contains an amazing variety of maturation vessels from concrete tank through different sizes of wood: demi-muid,  foudre, barrique to an ultra trendy unlined concrete egg - a bizarre experiment, it looks like something from Tintin’s “Destination Moon”.  Nalys owns part of the famous La Crau plateau - familiar to many from the label of Vieux Telegraph - and Isabelle and I went for a stroll. Huge rust galets surround 50 year + Grenache vines - this is as dramatic a landscape as you could hope to find in the region. On a fine day you can enjoy not just the sight of these majestic, tangled vines but spectacular views west to Mt. Ventoux, south to the Palais du Papes at Avignon and east to the village of Chateaneuf.  But when the mistral is up I wouldnt want to be one of Nalys’ pruning team - the site is brutally exposed to the elements.The range of wines is simple at present : a classic cuvee red , the 2004 and 2005, and in white three vintages 2004 to 2006. A special cuvee is being worked on. The reds are round , generous and  fruity with a touch more licorice and spice in the 2004 - the tannins are ripe and soft. The whites here have always enjoyed a special reputation. They are elegant wines showing greater complexity with bottle-age - notes of whiteflowers, candied orange peel and citrus with a pleasing glycerol fatness. Unlike some other whites from this appelation - of equal standing - these achieve a subtle richness without resorting to overt use of oak. In his 1987 ‘Wines of the Rhone valley” Robert Parker praised Nalys but concluded they were the “perfect picnic Chateuaneuf du Pape” . The current obsession with quality , the potential of their site, and clear evidence from my tasting suggests this is a property about to become more serious - definately one to watch over the next few years.

      Hi ! I’m lily but you can call me Lil’s . I go to school in Malaucene which is a nice little place ,well I’m sure my dad (Philip) has talked about it. I’m 10 and my birthday was very nice it being here even if none of my friends were here. i’ve missed Brighton so much but its nice here. its nice when my family come here and my parents friends especially when my friends come !! it mite be nice if i get to know people if they come here we a bit busy these days but it will be a success i hope yeah it will be. if some one would like to email me via the “contact us” section of the web-site please do.  

England in the Rugby World cup final…..surely not! What an amazingly dogged  effort from , lets face it,  not exactly England’s finest. Who knows we might even go all the way. Just glad I made the decision to watch it at home last night rather than join the rowdy lot in the bar at Malaucene…not sure I’d have made it back. 

As the nights draw in  here …albeit we are still seeing afternoon temperatures of 21 degrees, thoughts turn to autumn comfort food , a beef casserole perhaps or a venison daube,. To accompany?… what better than a  classic Chateauneuf du Pape. Yesterday I visited Domaine de la Solitude, an estate that lays claim to being one of the oldest of the appelation. The family can trace their origins back to a family that served the Avignon popes, and as early as 1827 “Le rouge de la Solitude”was a favourite amongst customers of Greenwood and Butler in London. The property itself is quite modest though the old , rather sombre tasting rooms exudes gravitas. Francoise Lancon , wife of one of the two brothers who now manage the estate , talked me through the history of the Martin/Barberini family and their wine making philosophy. The range covers Cotes du Rhone,  from a seperate holding in the Gard - the red is about as fine an everyday CduR as you could hope for; a red and a white “classic cuvee” Chateauneuf du Pape; and two prestige cuvees, red and white Barberini and a super concentrated Reserve Secrete. The reputation of Solitude had fallen somewhat in the 70’s and 80’s but since 2000 there has been something of a renaissance. The red has wonderful briary , mocha notes on the nose and a rich full bodied herb-like palate. The white has 25% Roussanne which results in a honeyed,  viscous, intense wine which lingers deliciously. Robert Parker rated the Reserve Secrete 2003 as a 97 pointer , placing it within the top 30 wines worldwide. But at a whopping 100 euros a bottle - at cellar door prices - I’m not sure I wouldnt opt for a half case of the wonderful classic cuvee to keep the cold out this winter.

Watering in the garden yesterday did a double take when I spotted what looked most like a plastic toy …the sort of “made in Taiwan” plastic snake/insect etc of my childhood ( and my kids)…it resembled a medium sized lizard, much bigger than our standard  gheckos….but with amazingly bright yellow spots. Lovely looking creature……ran off to look it up : the answer - the Fire Salamander. What I dont get is the role of the bright yellow …..surely coloration is all about disguise….the Fire Salamander positively shouts ” I’m here…look at me!” 

Saint Peray probably qualifies as one of the Rhone Valley’s least known appelations…its located in the Ardeche in the Northern part of our region and borders the better known Cornas. The appelation is exclusively for whites made from the Marsanne grape blended with some Roussanne. This is the classic combination that makes white Hermitage such a delicious wine when made by conscientious producers. Saint Peray it has to said is of humbler stock…even if , alegedly, Richard Wagner ordered 100 bottles of it as he was composing Parsifal in 1877. On the strength of our tasting last night Wagner lacked some discernment, at least when it comes to white wine quality,  if not opera! The sample we tried was from the usually reliable Tain L’Hermitage co-op - we have had some excellent Hermitage and some very acceptable Cornas from here before - but the wine,  though at first promising on the nose had a rather tired, bready character on the palate and lacked for refreshing acidity. It’s possible it  suffered by comparison from a white we had tasted earlier - Chateau Pelaquie - a wine of even humbler origin, it being a Cotes du Rhone Villages from the village of Laudun. This comprised the usual eclectic cepage of Clairette, Bourboulenc, Grenache blanc, Viognier, and Roussanne. From a village just up the road from Lirac this is a wine that shows much the same pedigree as the prestige wines from that area - Mordoree for example - but for a fraction of the cost. A wine showing elegance, intensity of white stone fruit, and  near perfect balance. For the next few weeks at least this will be our house white…..until the next discovery.