From a breathtaking 0.5 hectare site on Chaban at 400+ metres altitude that was passed on to the Roudier family by the retiring Jean-Marie Teysseire, a legendary figure in Cornas and Saint-Peray. The Syrah vines are 80++ yrs of age on granitic soils including a portion of the mineral baryte, a clear crystal/quartz looking mark that gives the wine its mysterious sounding name. The vines are deeply established on this steep hillside, cut into terraces and oriented East/South-East. An utterly beautiful, natural granite amphitheatre that protects the vines from the cold winds. Beautiful Syrah expresses all its power and finesse on this wonderful Cornas terroir. The debut vintage of this full-bodied terroir wine - which doesn't initially appear to be representative of the "Northern Rhone 2021" vintage - spring frost, harvest rain affected. But from what we have tasted, Cornas in general appears little affected, likely due to the elevation of the vineyards and the gradients of the slopes. So watch out for sleeping Cornas bargains like this from 2021. The wine has a fairly classic Cornas nose, on the palate it is voluminous, lush and suave but fresh and balanced with real tension and energy. The wine is pure and very long. All the fruit destemmed, no oak breeding (all in stainless steel) with a four week maceration. A true terroir wine from a great Cornas site. This 2021 is very impressive now and shall reveal its elegance and finesse over the coming years. What a wine!

There are many delightul Northern Rhone whites from 2021 and this is very much one of them. Performing very well in Crozes-Hermitage tastings in both Terres des Vins and La Revue du vin de France, well up amongst the big boys and girls of the appellation. 70% Marsanne, 30% Roussanne - half from loess soils on l'Homme at Larnage, half from loess soils on Les Pinets at Crozes-Hermitage. 90% steel vat, 10% new 600-litre oak cask fermented, raised 9 months, assembled just before bottling, malo completed. John Livingstone Learnmouth on Drink Rhone - "Fine yellow robe; the nose is neat, offers lime cordial, peach airs, hints of salt and spring flowers, a note of varnish. This drinks with direct purpose, has a restrained, firm content, gathers depth and tannin into the solid, slightly pushy finish. There is more weight than at first appears, turning it towards a table wine, up for pork dishes, vegetarian pasta, courgettes, Brie de Meaux, cheddar. Decant it. From mid 2023 until 2029-31" Rated 3.5/5 stars.

100% Viognier from Les Méjeans next to the winery on mix of kaolin white clay, argile calcaire and also decayed granite just above where the northern boundary of Crozes-Hermitage dips southward on the map, but the elevation remains high at 350m in between Gervans and Larnage, just a little to the north. Hand harvested in early morning, steel vat fermented at 18°C, raised 9 months, malo blocked. What a lovely wine from a unique, interesting terroir. A quite serious but relaxed and lovely, aromatic, floral, juicy but bright drinking Viognier with a gentle, gorgeous creaminess on the finish. Delicious as an apero or with semi hard goats cheese, peaches and charcuterie. A classy drop indeed.

A great introduction to this most exciting of estates based in Vacqueyras and Gigondas. Instead of producing a younger vine, cheaper Vacqueyras like many other top Domaines, Adrien's choice is to use such fruit in his Cotes du Rhone. In 2022 we have mostly Syrah (70%) and the remainder of Grenache Noir ALL from the Vacqueyras vineyards 100% destemmed (not usual for the estate) crushed and seeing a short infusion. 100% naturally fermented and bred in concrete for 10 months. This makes for a wonderful wine of fruit and terroir, the link to the classic Vacqueyras and Gigondas of the Domaine. An utterly delightful wine - vibrant Syrah - lifted red and black fruit, a subtle blend of sweet spices and beautiful violet blossom. Delightful and digestible,

The Fargueirol estate is named after the area of land called Fargueirol in the northern sector of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, which is known to have some of the best terroir. The Revoltier family have 15ha of vines in this lieu dit and a further 15ha in other plots. They have just 1 hectare of white grape vines planted to Clairette, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc. The grapes are pressed and fermented in stainless steel vats at 15% without malolactic fermentation to retain freshness. The wine is bottled young and can be enjoyed in its youth or up to 5 years of age. Its pale yellow color opens with a bouquet of honey and acacia flowers, notes of apricot with aromas of peaches, anise and sweet spices. On the palate, flavors of gingerbread and a perfectly round and fresh palate take over.

Chateau Fargueirol is on great form and offers traditional Chateauneuf du Pape at a superb price. Ripe and garriguey nose with impressive concnetration but a nice easy going texture and ripe tannins that means it can be enjoyed young or after 3-10 years of cellaring.

Delightful Rhone Rose from the fabulous Clavel estate. Wild Strawberry and grape jelly make this the perfect wine to sip in the sunshine. Provence might be all the rage at the moment but this is every bit as elegant and delicious.

Wonderful Rose made from a direct pressing of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah. Frederic Julien seeks a balance between the aromatic purity of the fruit and freshness. The grapes come from a place named "La Giraude" in Sainte Cécile les Vignes. The soils can be likened to "nourishing" garrigues. The wine shows pink grapefruit, red fruits and flowers, gorgeous texture and perfect weight and freshness. Fine length. Unique and wonderful. Can be drunk on its own or will match well at the table with grilled vegetables, fish and light meat dishes.

Authentic baby wine from Chateauneuf's 1st Parker-100 grower. Unfiltered/unfined, supple, herbal, warming, a cracking value quaffer.

For several generations, the Clavels have run this estate, founded in 1934 on the right bank of the Rhône, whose vast area (80 ha) allows them to offer a wide range of wines. Today, it is Claire who has been at the helm of this organic estate since 2008. Very consistent in quality and best known for its Côtes-du-Rhône and its Saint-Gervais villages. Juicy, fruity and versatile Southern Rhone red from Claire Clavel whose vineyards lie in Saint Gervais, one of the 'Villages' of the Cotes du Rhone.

Cracking value Chateauneuf from Chateau Fargueirol, whose single varietal Chateauneufs are rightly priased as some of the most exciting wines from the region. Easy to drink young and made in a fruit forward, accessible Grenachey style.

Serious "baby Chateauneuf Blanc" from the opposing side of the Rhone, 6 miles from Chateauneuf. Creamy, almost waxy, broad, dense, intense, aromatic, spiced. Almond and toast, apricot and lilies. Quite superb food wine with rich creamy sauces, roast birds, mushrooms, fish and chips. Way out of its class, a jewel and bargain from top Chateauneuf grower Sabon. Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Clairette. Minimal sulphur, cool co-ferment, unfined, vines up to 40 years old, declassified vineyard.

Always stellar value, and delightful in this fresher vintage 2021 bottling. Classic Northern Syrah nose and delicious medium weight utterly delicious and satisfying palate are certainly in check here on this, yet again, brilliant effort. The best value everyday-drinking Northern Rhone Syrah. There is good reasion why this wine has appeared 'by the glass' in many fine restaurants around the globe for many years.

A lovely red Crozes produced with fruit from the Domaine's established 50-year-old plus vineyards in eastern Les Chassis at Mercurol and in the south of Les Chassis at Pont de L'Isere. Both sites are marked with the classic Chassis terroir of red clay limestone with large, rolled pebbles. This cuvee in 2022 has elegance and lift, with suave, deep but charming fruit that has a lovely lush quality mixed with classic, complex iron notes, a nice tension and a lovely freshness. The tannins are beautifully judged here. Drinking now is a lovely experience, but this shall show well for a good few years to come. A gorgeous Crozes-Hermitage. Vendome are an established Domaine but have only started producing their own wines in the last couple of years. The wines have been very warmly received in both the French and international wine press in the debut 2020 vintage and in the following far trickier 2021 vintage. We are very happy to have struck up a relationship with the Domaine at such an early stage. The whole range is impressive across the board. Their classic red Crozes a great place to get acquainted.

Cracking value Chateauneuf from Chateau Fargueirol, whose single varietal Chateauneufs are rightly praised as some of the most exciting wines from the region. Easy to drink young and made in a fruit forward, accessible Grenache-y style.

Another perennial favourite, this is an old vine Syrah-dominated cuvee that comes from vines around the village of Roaix, which is northeast of Gigondas. Its vibrant ruby color is followed by terrific notes of blueberries, blackberries, pepper and resinous herbs, and it has a kiss of vanilla that will be completely integrated by the time this sees the inside of a bottle. This is a medium to full-bodied, ultra-pure beauty.

Delightful Rhone Rose from the fabulous Clavel estate. Wild Strawberry and grape jelly make this the perfect wine to sip in the sunshine. Provence might be all the rage at the moment but this is every bit as elegant and delicious.

A blend of Clairette 70% and Grenache 30%. 80 year old vines are planted in mixed soils of red sand, clay and round pebbles. Grapes are hand-harvested and vinification takes place in 100% old wooden casks. The wine is matured in large ‘demi-muid’ barrels for 6 months on the lees. Domaine La Lôyane was voted Winemaker of the Year in 2018 by the Guide Hachette, France's wine bible. La Lôyane refers to the place where the estate is built, a place formerly occupied by wolves! The estate, founded in 1994, is located in the south of the Rhône Valley, near Avignon in the Lirac cru. The Dubois family has been cultivating its 20 hectares of vines there for 4 generations! And the last, with Romain Dubois, has cnverted the estate to organic farming. An extremely precise estate, which is constantly moving upmarket and producing wines from vines that are sometimes more than a century old!

Classic southern Rhone white, made from Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Viognier. Fresh and floral with full, round stone fruit flavours and a lithe lick of minerals. Delicious.

A stunning single site Rasteau from organic vigneron Frederic Julien whose name is on everybody's lips. 80% Grenache (1960), 20% Syrah (2002) from south east facing blue clay, galet stone covered limestone, red soils, loose gravel at 250 metres on 'Gramiller' on the route de Saint Roman, a fresh zone, 70% destemmed, 3-4 week vinification at 25°-26°C of varieties apart, small daily pump overs, no press wine added, concrete vat raised for 6 months, unfined, filtered. Certified organic wine. 6,000 bottles produced.

A beautiful, precise Rasteau wine. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre woven together to produce a very elegant style. A complex nose of baked plums, blackberry, garrigue herbs and hibiscus flowers. Very fine balance on the mid-weight palate. Simply irresistible and utterly moreish. Bravo!

Has to be one of the best-value most impressive French red wines on the UK market. Special edition made for us by famed Chateauneuf grower Roger Sabon, the wine-maker is esteemed Didier Negron. Charmingly honest, hearty (15%!), herbal, dense and punchy, juicy red from the classic southern varieties of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault & friends. What a beauty, what a bargain. Although full-bodied the wine has soft tannins and a silky texture - this is the beauty of Southern Rhone reds, ready to enjoy as soon as they're made, unlike Bordeaux or Burgundy. Grenache in this hot sunny heaven gives ripe raspberry and black cherry notes and depth, Syrah gives a classic black pepper spice and dark-chocolate grip. A cool fennel / mint edge and lift. 'Declassified' as Vin de France, but this is not a 'negoce' wine made from bought-in grapes: all the grapes come from Sabon estates, and winemaking is by Didier Negron, as per their top wines. About Roger Sabon: Domaine Roger Sabon came into being in 1952 when the family vineyards were split into three distinct entities (the other two being Domaine Chante-Cigale and Clos Mont Olivet). Robert Parker, who awarded their 1988 vintage a perfect 100 rating, the first Chateauneuf-du-Pape so honoured, has this to say about Domaine Roger Sabon: “This estate has been at the top of its game for many years and any partisan of Rhone Valley wines… who has not yet tried a wine from Domaine Roger Sabon should make every effort to do so... This estate has been making exceptionally high-quality wines for years, but recent vintages seem to have risen to a new level of quality.”