Ah, the 2023 Vieux Clocher Côtes du Rhone — brought to us by the Arnoux family, who’ve apparently been “pampering” their vineyard since 1717. That’s over 300 years of grape babysitting, and all I got was a poetic back label promising to bring me “the taste of our soils.” Look, I’m all for terroir, but I spent half my childhood snacking on mud pies and playground sand. I don’t need to revisit my gritty youth in a wine glass.
Now, the wine itself? Pretty much what you’d expect from a decent French Côtes du Rhone. Medium dry, nice body, and just the right touch of that classic “puckeryishness” (™ pending). It didn’t blow my socks off, but it also didn’t make me regret my wine aisle choice, which, frankly, is my baseline for weeknight wine.
Now for the pairing. I went full class and paired this centuries-old French red with Mexican Elotes. That’s right, fresh roasted corn slathered with mayo, chili, lime, and Cojita cheese like the gourmet I am. And guess what? It worked! Maybe not in the “Michelin-starred food and wine pairing” way, but in the “it’s Tuesday night and I’m hungry” kind of way. Surprisingly, the wine held its own and just politely nodded and got along with the spicy corn chaos like a true diplomatic Frenchman.
At $7.99, it’s a budget-friendly bottle with enough charm to keep in rotation. It’s like that reliable coworker who shows up on time, doesn’t overshare about their cat’s allergies, and brings donuts on Fridays.
To paraphrase the wise French taunters from Monty Python and the Holy Grail:
“I fart in your general direction, overpriced Napa reds. Your mother was a hamster, and your wine tastes of elderberries!”
But not this one. This one was fine.
