Southern Rhone

This is one of our favourite C?tes du Rh?ne villages wines, thanks to being a great producer and a complex blend of grapes, including 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre. This lovely blend provides this wine with its dark colour, deep rich concentrated fruit flavours and impressive structure. All of which makes Cassagnes de la Nerthe a wine to age as well as to enjoy right now.

It is made from grapes grown in S?rignan du Comtat, 20 kilometres north of Ch?teauneuf du Pape. 

This is a top wine from an excellent producer - worth keeping or enjoying. Better still, buy a case of it and do both. 

Sang des Cailloux Vacqueryas is a labour of love and tastes like it. It's a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourv?dre and Cinsault and named after the daughters of Serge F?rigoule: Floureto, Doucinello, and Azala?s. 

All grapes are hand harvested and fermented with natural yeasts in cement cuves with daily pumpovers then moved into 450 litre barrels for 12 months' maturation before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

This is a delicious, full bodied dry red from one of the great appellations of the Southern Rhone Valley in France. 

Beautiful dark and juicy flavours in this lively Cotes du Rhone, which offers great value for money and also offers a complex look at the smooth, appealing structure and velvet mouthfeel of wines from the southern Rhone Valley. 

Even more appeal, the Chapoutier wine team now seals with lovely red with a screw cap to ensure it tastes just the way it did when it was made at the winery. 

How is it possible to roll all these flavours into one affordable wine? Ask the Famille Perrin, one of the great winemaking families in southern France, who create this complex, fruity, earthy and fresh Cotes du Rhone from a blend of Grenache (mainly from their Pr?bois vineyard in Orange), Syrah from further north in Vinsobres and Mourv?dre. While many less interesting Cotes du Rhone are made from a straightforward blend of Grenache and Syrah, the addition of the dark, mocha-like flavours of Mourv?dre add depth, richness and smooth soft velvet mouthfeel. 

The grapes in this wine were destemmed and fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks between 150hl and 190hl. Extraction is done by pumping over and the frequency is determined by tasting. The separate component wines are transferred partly to oak barrels and partly to stainless steel vats for a year's maturation, prior to blending. 

The result is outstanding dry red wine flavours with rich soft fruit appeal and a long finish; all to be hoped for from the family who own Chateau de Beaucastel.

This is a great young red with medium term ageing ability and especially fresh and consistent thanks to being sealed with a screw cap.

The Alary family's involvement in viticulture and wine production dates back as far as 1692. The estate now comprises 29 hectares of vines of which 26 hectares are Grenache dominant and 3 are Rousanne dominant - with holdings in Rasteau and Cairanne.

The wine is a deep red colour and opens with a nose of dried fruit, ripe plums and savoury notes. The palate is broad and rich with dark plum fruits and good tannin structure leading to a long mineral finish.

Unfined, unfiltered and organic.

Burgundy-trained St?phane Ogier is a northern Rh?ne wunderkind, says Master of Wine Jancis Robinson. He makes this full bodied, fresh southern Rh?ne blend of about 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah from vines substantially grown in Viol?s on Le Plan de Dieu supplemented by some from Visan. Soils are a mixture of limestone and blue clay. Average vine density is 7,000 vines per hectare with the average age a very heartening 30 to 50 years. Vines are hand-harvested ? yields averaging 40 hl/ha ? before being sorted in both vineyard and cellar.

 Ogier joined his father Michel in 1997 to work the family vineyards and built a glamorous new winery just south of Ampuis overlooked by the steep C?te R?tie terraces. And he has now built a second winery in the southern Rh?ne to make wines like Le Temps est Venu without having to ship the grapes too far.

 Old vine Grenache (50-80 years) with Syrah, Mourvedre, Vaccarese and Counoise

"Charvin may indeed produce the Richebourg of Chateauneuf du Pape.? - Robert Parker. Laurent Charvin runs this small family estate located in the north of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The domaine has vineyard holdings of just 8 hectares in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and 13 hectares in Cotes du Rhone. The average age of the vineyards is over 50 years old with the oldest being nearly 80 years of age. Laurent Charvin describes his vineyard site as being ?cool? for Chateauneuf as their vines are mostly planted on sandy north facing slopes.

"This has some interest; a little spicy kick on the finish that brings character and complexity. There?s a good sense of freshness and it?s very concentrated, with ripe black cherry flavour. The alcohol is on the high side, but this is classic stuff. Has some depth of gummy texture and an intense muscular grip to the tannins with a long, resonant finish. Charvin rarely shows well from barrel, so this could be very good indeed when it's mature. Organically grown at the north-west of the appellation, lieux-dits Cabri?res and Maucoil, galets roul?s and sand. It's fermented and then aged for 21 months in concrete using indigenous yeasts, then bottled unfiltered." Drink 2022 - 2030 . 93/100 Decanter, Matt Walls

"Tasted blind. Attractive combination of stemmy, herbal aromas with rich black fruit. Lots of pepper and clove character too. Strongly spiced, possibly at the expense of fruit, but I like its distinctive and definite character. 82% Grenache, 5% Syrah, 5% Mourv?dre, 4% Vaccar?se, 4% Counoise. Aged for 21 months in concrete. Tank sample. (RH)."  17/20 JancisRobinson.com, Richard Hemming

This fresh, aromatic southern Rhone red blend offers excellent value. Fruity and soft, with a medium body and a smooth texture. The nose shows a red fruit character with a herbal nuance. Ripe fruits dominate the palate with a peppery edge and balanced acidity. Domaine Charvin uses organic farming methods.

The Domaine des Espiers is located in the heart of Vaucluse, between the banks of the Ouv?ze and Dentelles de Montmirail. This is an excellent value Cote du Rhone with smooth tannins, warm berry fruit flavours and a medium body. 

Domaine du Pegau is owned by the Feraud family, who have 21 hectares of top quality vineyards in the famous southern Rhone appellation of Chateauneuf-du-Pape as well as 25 hectares of Cote du Rhone Village vineyards, 5 hectares of Cote du RHone and 19 hectares of more humble vineyards that go into vin de table wines. The name Pegau was created in 1987 by Laurence Feraud, when she had finished studying wine and returned home to work with her father, Paul, in winemaking. The 2016 was such an outstanding vintage that many critics globally have described it as vintage of the century; as in, possibly the best in the past 100 years. 

We agree. We have been lucky enough to taste and enjoy a vast number of 2016 southern Rhone Valley wines - and they're worth snapping up as these beauties highlight the strengths of this great but under rated wine region. They provide great pleasure now and will continue to for many years to come, for those with wine cellars and willpower.

Domaine Bou?ssi?re covers 9 ha of Gigondas, 5 ha of Beaumes-de-Venise and 2.6 ha of Vacqueyras and is owned by brothers Thierry and Gilles Faravel who are considered one of the leading artisan winemakers in Gigondas, if not in the whole southern Rh?ne valley.

This wines is made with 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah grown at soem altitude on the granite slopes of the Dentelles de Montmirail. It is juicy, racy and harmonious with integrated tannins and will evolve beautifully over the next five or so years.

This Grenache dominant blend comes from certified organic vineyards in the southern Rhone. This wine offers excellent ripe red fruit notes and great structure. The palate is spiced, complex and rich. Charbonniere Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2016 is fresh enough for drinking young, yet promises to age gracefully.

Jeb Dunnuck - 94 Points 

"Mostly Grenache with 15% Syrah brought up in foudre and old barrels, the 2019 Côtes Du Rhône Les Quartz tastes like a Châteauneuf du Pape as opposed to a Côtes du Rhône and offers a powerful bouquet of red and black fruits, melted licorice, and peppery garrigue. With loads of Provençal charm, full-bodied richness, and supple tannins, it's already hard to resist, and I see no need to delay gratification. Drink this beautiful Côtes du Rhône over the coming 5-7 years."

Ch?teau Maucoil?s vineyards are located in the northwest of the Ch?teauneuf du Pape area, on the left bank of the River Rh?ne. This wine consists of Grenache blanc (90%) Bourboulenc (8%) Clairette (2%). This wine is clean and bright. Rich and fine on the nose with pear and citrus aromas. The palate is mineral with notes of green apple and lemon.

Sourced exclusively from 2 family farms that are increasingly practicing sustainable farming. Most of the fruit is sourced from the right bank of the Rhone River. 50% Grenache Blanc, 20% Marsanne, 20% Viognier, 10% Bourboulenc. A lively mineral-laced Rhone white, with wet stones and laser pure white fruit in a lip smacking and succulent white. Delivers the elegance and texture of the finest cool climate white wines.