This is the top wine of this old estate in Chateauneuf du Pape, produced from a single block of their oldest vines, many of which being over 100 years old.  Very concentrated and hedonistic wine.  100% Grenache,  undergrowth, truffle, toast, light notes of vanilla; red fruit: redcurrants, raspberries, sour cherries, maintaining a fresh acidity and endless length. The complexity of a fine Pinot Noir but the power of a mighty Rhone wine.

Chateauneuf du Pape is definitely the most famous and arguably the most prestigious of the Southern Rhone 'Cru' wine appellations, covering 3,200 hectares of vines across 5 communes (about three times the size of Martinborough).

Wine was made here from Roman times, but became famous with the Papacy in town and beyond to royal courts. The best vineyards are on gentle hill slopes, with deep clay & limestone soils with large rounded river stones 'galets' on top. By rules inacted in the 1920s, no vineyards were to be planted on land that was not arid enough to support plantings of both lavender and vines.

Domaine Juliette Avril is a family winery of four generations in the heart of Chateauneuf town - growing for centuries in the region and helped to create the rules of the appellation in 1928.  The vineyards are the classic mix of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and small amounts of the other 10 grape varieties permitted. An impressive half of the vines are over 50 years old.

Winemaking

Temperature controlled ferment in steel, aged in high quality demi-muid (600L) barrels for 12 months, with a light filtration.  The top wine of the estate - from a single estate of old vines.

This wine has biodynamic certification with Demeter and is a dark and complex dry red made from 50% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre and 25% Syrah. It's from the Lirac appellation in the southern Rhone Valley, which is famous for its high quality reds as well as dry pale rosés.

A great Syrah from the northern Rhone appellation of Cornas, famous for its staunch full bodied dry flavoured reds and long ageability of wines made from here. This powerful red from Ferraton Pere & Fils has dark black fruit flavours, strong spicy aromas and a hint of black pepper, tar and earthiness all adding great complexity to an outstanding and youthful wine. 

Drinks well now, if decanted, and begs to be cellared for up to and potentially beyond 10 years. 

Produced from an assemblage of different plots in the commune of Ampuis, the white Cotes du Rhone from Domaine Jamet is northern in character. Mainly produced from Marsanne and Viognier grapes, this wine is fresh, with minerality, and provides immediate enjoyment.

Appelation - Cotes du Rhone
Geology - Schist and clay-limestone soil
Grape varieties - 60% Marsanne, 30% Viognier, 7% Roussane, 3% Grenache Blanc
Vinification - Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation partly in barrels and partly in tanks
Maturation - 50 % oak barrels and 50 % stainless steel tanks
Plot - Lezardes, Cognet, Plomb, Tartaras, Champrond.

A great Syrah with black plum, blackberry and ripe red cherry notes from French winemaker Jean-Baptiste Souillard. 

This spicy full bodied red is new in store and offers great drinking now as well as ageing potential for up to a decade, potentially beyond. 

This cuvee is made up of a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, from the Garrigues plateau located near the village of Sarrians. This wine is highly perfumed with aromas of ripe red berries and smoky minerality. The generous palate offers intense red berry and lavender flavors and a touch of white pepper.

Burgundy-trained Stéphane Ogier is a northern Rhône wunderkind, says Master of Wine Jancis Robinson. He makes this full bodied, fresh southern Rhône blend of about 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah from vines substantially grown in Violès 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 Côte Rôtie terraces. And he has now built a second winery in the southern Rhône to make wines like Le Temps est Venu without having to ship the grapes too far.

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

This is a stunning new addition to our southern French wine range and comes from winemaker Xavier Vignon. Xavier has become internationally known for being the winemaker of several of the best domaines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the Rhone, such as Le Nerthe, Marcoux and Grand Veneur.

This Cotes du Rhone is his own take on the traditional southern French theme with its smooth, spicy, juicy flavours, over delivering on style, quality and price - as is typical of the best Cotes du Rhone reds.

50% Grenache- 40% Mourvèdre - 5% Cinsault - 5% Syrah

80 % Grenache and 20% Syrah. Nice freshness in the nose with herbal and wild blackberry notes. The palate is fruity and spicy with wild raspberry, rosemary and thyme notes. This is a balanced, well-structured and mineral Rhone red.

70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre from the Rhone. A rich, well structured wine. Full of plum and stewed fruit aromas. No oak results in pure fruit expression on the palate. 

Château Maucoil’s vineyards are located in the northwest of the Châteauneuf du Pape area, on the left bank of the River Rhône. 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.

Now we're talking next level. 

Domaine de la Solitude Chateauneuf-du-Pape is an exciting dry, full bodied, ageworthy white wine from the Southern Rhone's most famous appellation. It's a blend of Roussanne 40%, Clairette 30%, Grenache Blanc 20%, Bourboulenc and Picpoul 10%. Approximately 40% of the wine was aged in barrels on fine lees for 10 months and its smooth, full body and savoury flavours are beautifully balanced by the high acid components in the blend, namely Roussanne and Bourbolenc. 

Here is a wine to enjoy in a large glass right now or to age further for at least six to seven years, potentially beyond that. It will reward short, medium and long term drinking.