The Southern Rhône: New releases

This is one of the most celebrated blends of the southern Rhône, notable for its high proportion of Mourvèdre. This variety gives it cool cassis fruit, structure and length. Grenache adds sweet berry tones and a supple texture, and Syrah a dark, powerful concentration, with liquorice intensity. The 2021 is pure and charming, with bright, juicy fruit and a lithe, refreshing feel.

This is a perennial favourite at Lay & Wheeler, and invariably sells out quickly,such is the quality on offer for the price. The 2020 has such a precise peppery nose, with mouth-coating fresh berry fruit on the palate. The Coudoulet vineyard lies right next to Château de Beaucastel’s main block, and is in fact a continuation of the same soil features. That it lies just beyond the limit of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape boundary, and made by one of the southern Rhône’s greatest winemaking families, means it might just be the best Côtes du Rhône money can buy.

Made from Beaucastel's 85 - 100 year old vines with half of the wine matured in oak. These low yielding vines have produced an incredibly concentrated 2021, with warmth and musky complexity on the palate. Enjoy it's aromatic freshness now or leave for 15+ years to develop complex, honeyed flavours.

From just over the border of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Coudoulet is one of the hidden gems from the Beaucastel stable. This blend of Viognier, Marsanne, Bourboulenc and Clairette is . charming and elegant in this slightly cooler year, with delicate floral character on the nose, and lovely fresh acidity.

Made from 80% Roussanne, this is rich with a slightly creamy texture and nice freshness on the finish, reflecting the cooler vintage. Impressive already but tightly wound with subtle aromatics.

Baron Louis is Montfaucon's flagship red, and is a testament to Rodolphe’s efforts to preserve local traditions and old rare varieties. The base is a classic 50% Grenache. But the other half is made up of floral Cinsault, powerful Mourvèdre, fresh Counoise, and fruity Carignan. The fruit is rich and creamy, with black plum, cherry and bramble. There's a purity of fruit this year but some subtle woody herb hints on the palate. The good value for money here cannot be overemphasized.

Comtesse Madeleine: a brilliant white from Lirac, based on Marsanne, grown on limestone, and Clairette, whose vines are an impressive 140-150 year old. It is salty and mineral, with juicy stone fruit, some chalky notes and a refreshing and charming finsh.

Made from 18 grape varieties, white and red, all picked when ready and fermented in the same tank, meaning a long continuous ferment. This results in a very complex wine with layers of spice, truffle and earth. One year in barrique before resting in concrete and bottle.

This unique and exciting wine is produced from 140-150 year old Clairette vines It is waxy and concentrated, with a leesy, savoury character combined with saline depth and notes of dried honey and summer flowers. It is without question the greatest Clairette you will try.

Ripe and velvety, with a lithe, fresh feel. Leathery, earthy, licorice spice along with dark plum and cherry fruit. Red berry acidity and a garrigue note on the finish.

The 2021 whites from Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc are fantastic, with elevated freshness and a drive and precision not always evident. This is a great example of the vibrant, crisp style of this vintage alongside ripe pear, stone fruit and white flower flavours. Layered, textural and fresh.

Ripe and velvety, with a lithe, fresh feel. Leathery, earthy, licorice spice along with dark plum and cherry fruit. Red berry acidity and a garrigue note on the finish.

This classic, old-school Châteauneuf from Jean-Paul Versino is one of our favourites. It comes from a blend of 27 plots, making for a balanced, complete, and inviting grenache-based Châteauneuf. It is dry and savoury, with the gorgeous combination of red berry fruit, dried herbs, spice and just a hint of licorice. In 2021, there's a charming, easy-going feel to the wine, with only 14% alcohol and plenty of lifted, fresh acidity. This will drink well from early on, and evolve into an earthy, complex wine in the cellar.

Only made in the better vintages Jean-Paul thinks around 10% of the wine this year has gone into Cuvée Félix, from their 27 plots across 16 hectares. It contains 30% Mourvèdre which lends a musky, cool blackcurrant character. Finely packed tannins coat the mouth and there's a lot of dark fruit concentration on the palate. Floral hints and fresh acidity builds to a fine finish, this should be fantastic with a few years in bottle.

This is Julien’s flagship wine. It is rich and woven-through with ripe tannin and forest berry flavours. It has a silky body and a bright, red-fruit-driven finish.

The domaine might have 15 hectares in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but a wine you shouldn’t miss is this cuvée, from lesser-known Châteauneuf-de-Gadagne just to the south. The name is a nod to their ability to throw off the constraints of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape regulations in this peppery and fragrant wine. It is mainly Grenache with some Mourvèdre, Carignan and Syrah thrown in for good measure.

Pure is 100% Grenache, all from 100 year old vines on sandy soils. The result is very intense, and, as the name suggests, pure. There's tons of black fruit here, surrounded by rich, chocolately textures and spicy flavours. This needs time in bottle to weave together, but already impresses.

This comes from gnarled 70-year-old vines in neighbouring Gigondas. Its 70% Grenache base gives it a juicy fluidity and composure. 15% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre add their peppery spice and frame to the win beautifully. In 2021 this is full of bright, fragrant red berry fruit with a juiciness in the core and subtle spices. There's plenty of structure here but it already feels like it's softening and broadening out in a generous, balanced wine.

There's a hefty dose of Syrah here, giving a richness and black olive character to the wine. In 2021 there's some tighter, crunchy red fruit and some sappiness to the acidity. But the depth of flavour is there making it plummy and generous.

Clos des Cazaux's old vine Vacqueryas offers great value, with elegant peachy fruit, white flowers, salinity and charming freshness. There's no oak but the old vine character lends some delicate spice and texture to the wine.

Thierry and Gilles Faravel make wines from various appellations, and numerous single vineyard or special cuvée labels, but by far and away the focus and priority of the domaine is this, their blended Gigondas. Its flagship position is well deserved. It comes from the first vineyards planted by their father in the 1960s. The 2021 has soft, fragrant berry fruit, with blackberry, blueberry and damson. There's delicate exotic spice and a juicy freshness to the finish. The tannins are fine, already well integrated and add texture and a gourmand quality.

From grapes grown just north of the boundary of the Châteauneuf appellation, surrounding the winery, this has to be one of our greatest hidden gems. Don't let the Côtes du Rhône label fool you, this is so much more than your average Côtes du Rhône. In 2020 it is full of brambly fruit and peppery garrigue notes along with dried flowers and savoury spice. There's lots of texture building on the palate but it feels tightly coiled now with restraint. As it opens it shows more generosity with fresh fruit and dry spice, with a very subtle hint of truffle.

This is from the lowest slopes at Vieille Julienne, a great site for Grenache, which loves its sandy, pebbly soils. The vines have an average age of 75+ years, and the wine is concentrated but poised. The Grenache gives generosity and breafth, and 10% Counoise brings some softer notes, freshness and balances the natural power of the wine. Lots of plush dark fruit flavours and firm structure, with a crunchy, red fruit accent and a minerally, stony finish.

Made mostly from Grenache Blanc and Clairette, with the remaining 30% made up of other local varieties co-planted. This is fragrant, textural and mineral-driven with a stony finish. Subtle hints of reduction amongst the fresh stone fruit and fresh lemon.