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Anthony Gismondi on Wine
Thursday, July 30 2015

Chateau de Montfaucon

By: Jim Tobler
The irrepressible Rodolphe de Pins

He finds it impossible to contain his delight in pouring wines from his home region, the Lirac, near the right banks of the Rhone River.

Rodoplhe de Pins made his first wines here in 1995, after spending years at Henschke in Australia, and at the illustrious Chateau Vieux Telegraphe, in the Rhone. Whether he is pouring his Chateau de Montfaucon Côtes du Rhône Villages, or a more serious Comtesse Madeleine or Baron Louis, it is all the same in terms of his affection for these wines.

Syrah, grenache, mourvèdre, counoise are all part of the equation for reds, with many of the vines exceeding 75 years of age. Marsanne, viognier, picpoul, clairette and grenache blanc all play roles in the white wines. Rodolphe enthuses about the vines and the soil. “Up until 1995, the grapes were all sold to a co-operative,” he says. “So what I work with now tends to be very old vines, all in all about 60 hectares. I find these wines very expressive of the soils they are grown in, and I love the idea that we can proudly put the Montfaucon name in front of the world.”

The Côtes du Rhône red is a great example of how Rodoplhe approaches his craft. It sees no oak whatsoever; it is fermented  and aged in concrete, and is a pure expression of what the fruit in the vineyard has to offer. Bright, fresh, berry flavours, a great food wine. The final word: “I think of these wines as ideal for  a nice dinner with family and friends, easy to drink but still something to think about as you drink them.”

*The last time we tasted a Chateau de Montfaucon wine at GOW was back in 2011. Here is what we said:


89  Château de Montfaucon Baron Louis Côtes du Rhone Grenache - Syrah - Mourvèdre - Cinsault 2007
Côtes du Rhône, Rhone Valley, France
Big peppery, black liquorice, gamey, meaty, tobacco nose with garrigue and black cherry jam aromas. Warm, round, supple, juicy palate with light tannins. Black cherry jam, chocolate, peppery, thyme fruit flavours flecked with garrigue and gamey, meaty, smoky, tobacco notes. Good intensity and fruit that will easily age a year or two. AG

Written By: Jim Tobler
Jim Tobler
Jim Tobler

Jim Tobler is Editor of MONTECRISTO Magazine.  He has previously been Editor at NUVO, at Kiwi Collection, and Executive Editor of dearly departed Wine Access. Jim has co-written, with the chefs, three cookbooks: West, Blue Water Cafe, and Araxi. He has written multiple articles about wine, food, travel, and music, for, among others, CHQM Radio, The Globe and Mail, and FOX News.