When the last leaves in Ohio fall, my fickle wine-love turns back to red. It’s not quite cold enough for zinfandel or cabernet, and so my new favorite French thing under $20 (It’s $13 in Ohio) is the Kermit Lynch Cuvee 2007 Cotes-du-Rhone, a blend of grenache, cinsault, mourvedre, and syrah. It’s expansive, soft but not flabby, finely-honed but not sharp. It has such an elegant scent that at first I worried it wouldn’t have that particular southern wet leaves-and-mushroom character, but it does, just woven with plum and black pepper and iron and leather. I suggest cancelling any plans for the evening in favor of The List and the Cotes-du-Rhone.
The List, Rosanne Cash
Just when it seems that the most haunting goose-bump inducing vehicle for this woman’s voice was Black Cadillac (or was it Rules of Travel? Or Interiors?), she releases this, a stunning collection of some of the best American/roots songs ever written, as if they were meant for her voice alone. She’s joined by Rufus, and Bruce, and yes, Neko. It’s crystalline, clear, and resonant. Be sure to get the itunes version, as it’s currently the only way to get the track with Neko Case, which is worth the price of the album.