Chaume Arnaud
Chaume-Arnaud are such nice folk. Marion and I intended a brief visit in September this year. We escaped after winery tour, tasting, lunch and vineyard visit. They gave us 4 hours of their time, mid harvest! Hospitality off the scale.
The estate lies at the upper end of the Southern bit of the Rhone valley, about 40 minutes drive North East of Avignon in the South of France. The family owned and run estate has been going for slightly longer than Great Grog. Valerie initially rented a few hectares of vines off her parents in 1987. In 1989 her husband Phillipe joined the enterprise, but only in 1999 did they fully take over from Valerie’s parents upon their retirement.
I first met Phillipe in the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh at a Rhone roadshow tasting. His wines were stand out quality. I believed their wines were better than anything that Oddbins were offering at the time (my then employer). After trying to tell the Oddbins buyers they were missing a trick and getting told “are you trying to teach us our job” I handed my notice in and Great Grog was born (Fraser was a year later). As an old customer once said, “you like a challenge!”
Don’t just take my word for it. John Livingston-Learmouth is the foremost writer and authority on Rhone wines in the world. I remember reading his books on the Rhone when studying for my wine diploma back in the early 90s. This year he rated Chaume-Arnaud’ wines amongst the top wines in the Village (Vinsobres) and indeed the whole region. www.drinkrhone.com
Purity of flavour, elegance, finesse and blatant balance. You know you have got a good bottle of wine on your table when the last glass tastes better than the first. Check out the soil! Amazing…Rocky or what?
