May 8, 2019 Wine Tasting in Tain -Cloze-Hermitage

We need major shopping this morning, and the day will be rainy, so we have decided an afternoon trip to visit a northern Rhone winery is in order.

But first we dodged the rain to hit up the market in Monteux. We've never been to this market before and it is really small. But we found some vegetables and fresh strawberries.

Why is everyone at LeClerc on Wednesday morning?

We'll get the rest at the giant supermarket, LeClerc.

waiting in line to check out

A few chores, early lunch and we're ready to head for Tain where there is a wine cooperative for Hermitage and Cloze-Hermitage, and Côtes du Rhone (from the northern Rhone valley).

I had booked online for a 2:30 English tour of the winery. It's an easy 1 hr trip up the toll highway.

Since we were 40 minutes early, we followed signs for a belvedere overlooking the vineyards and Rhone. At first the road was good - 2 lanes with a dividing line. Later not so much.

vineyards on either side as we ascend the hill looking for the belvedere

Luckily we didn't meet any other cars on our ascent up the back side of the hill as the road got smaller and smaller. Luckily there was a place to park at the top.

Looking down on the Rhone River

Hermitage vineyards and the Rhone River below

Rain clouds made the view a bit gloomy and the wind was cold and strong on top of the hill. After a brief look around, we headed back down to the Cave de Tain.

This cooperative was begun in 1933 by Louis Gambert de Loche who noticed that since WWI, wine growers were barely eking out a living. He thought that by working together, they could improve their standing and improve their markets. Today, Cave de Tain produces 50% of the northern Rhone Côtes du Rhone, including Hermitage, Croze-Hermitage, Pérnay, Cornas, and St. Joseph.

We toured their facility and were blown away with the technologies, the expertise, the care and passion, and the sheer size and complexity of their operation.

a modern pressoir

stainless tanks are stacked 3 high

The room filled with cement tanks

these foudres are used for wines where they don't want much oak.

We learned that the steep hillsides produce the best wines. Also that these vineyards are worked by horse on the lower slopes and by people on the upper slopes. No machinery would manage those slopes.

It's a long way up!

After the tour, we tasted some of their mid-level offerings, buying only a couple of bottles, since we need to drink the wines we already have before Janis and Clark leave next week.

An hour to home with rain beginning. Aperos in the living room tonight.