Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1037369
{ SOMMjournal.com } 81 Al Buchanan of Geneva Wine Bar in Geneva, IL, says he's "very fortunate" to have Certified Sommeliers Elizabeth Kowal and Timothy Campbell (pictured) on staff. "I started this business because of my passion for wine, not for the money," he says. "The adage, 'If you want to make $1 million in the wine business, then start with $5 million,' applies. I've now returned to a full-time business litigation practice with a large rm in the Chicago Loop, and I continue to oversee the wine busi - ness from afar. My capable, highly quali- ed, and extremely hard-working staff keeps the operation running, and I'm very fortunate to have Elizabeth and Timothy on staff." What's one wine category Buchanan and his employees could talk about all day? You guessed it: Côtes du Rhône. For a relatively small shop, they boast a fairly robust selection, carrying roughly 15 reds and ve whites ranging in price from $12 to $28 per bottle. According to Buchan - an, "most are AOC Côtes du Rhône." "At this moment we have only one single- village Côtes du Rhône Villages on our shelves—the 2016 Domaine Juliette Avril Cuvée Mailys from Cairanne—although in the past we have also stocked wines from the villages of Sablet, Laudun, Plan de Dieu, and Visan, and expect to be do - ing so again," he adds. One of the staff 's "standout" favor- ites, Buchanan says, is the Château de Saint Cosme Les Deux Albion Côtes du Rhône Rouge. To produce it, estate- owned, Biodynamically farmed vineyards primarily situated on hillsides provide Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, and Clairette grapes from three villages surrounding Gigondas: Cairanne, Plan de Dieu, and Saint-Maurice. "We have yet to taste anything from Saint Cosme that we don't love," Buchanan adds. When it comes to Côtes du Rhône wines in general, Buchanan posits, "What's not to love about them?" "In the Midwest, California Cab is king and many custom - ers are new to French wines," he contin- ues. "Red Rhônes are great because they represent a mid-point between tannic young Bordeaux and delicate Pinots from Buchanan says he loves when customers who insist that they "never" drink white wines try Côtes du Rhône bottlings of Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, or Viognier for the first time—it "almost certainly won't be their last."