A pure fruited, natural wine without additional sulphites. Shimmering fruit backed up by gorgeous savouriness and delightful floral notes - this is a real star for those who like a little restraint and class in their glass (only 13.5% abv). This is an utterly delicious take on Côtes du Rhône with Grenache leading the way backed up by Carignan and then Syrah. Beautiful balance and real elegance. Vigneron Frederic Julien has some talent!

Syrah 50% from Mercurol (1970s) & 50% from Larnage (early 2000s), destemmed, 21-25 day concrete vat vinification at 26°C, pumping overs, 2 x part vat empting/refillings, concrete vat raised until March, then raised 1-2 year 600-litre oak casks another 9-10 months, unfined, filtered, 2,000 bottles made. "This is from loess soils in Larnage and granitic soils in Erôme, aged 6 months in concrete and 1 year in barrel. Fresh and vivid with nice brightness to the juicy red fruits. There’s also some red cherry and a bit of plum. Hints of olive and black cherry, too. Very fine and expressive". Jamie Goode on wineanorak.com 94/100

The Le Mollard leu-dit produces elegant, refined wines which are Burgundian in style. Very fine wine indeed. For those that love lifted Syrah with real class and elegance. Bravo Xavier!

100% Gamay (mid-1980s now grubbed up), from galet stone on red-brown clay soils at 350 metres at Givors, 50-100% destemmed, 15-16 day vinification, a little pumping over, then cap punching, aged 1-6 year 228-litre casks 12 months, unfined. 2023 is the very last vintage produced of this lovely, unique take on Gamay from Givors. Grab it while you can, it's a great vintage and shall last 10-15 years (as is usual). A real charmer. Wine to enjoy with friends. Dark red, purple tints; has a strawberry jam aroma. This has a good, firm attack, holds dark red, mulberry fruit with life in it, and a late saline note. There’s crunch in the tannins (this is 50% whole bunch) and it’s very drinkable, shows a touch of late power, is good for la table. Its length sustains on red fruit, raspberry, is good and upbeat.

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. Wow, if the 2021 showed some of the extraordinary potential of this incredible Cornas site, this 2022 shows it a good deal more - it is without doubt, an outstanding wine. This time the wine has been aged in 500l. demi-muids, with 25% new. Beautiful floral aromatics on the nose with glorious lifted fruit. on the nose. Dense and multi-layered fruit on the palate that finishes with mineral and iron notes. Beautifully knit tannins wrap all this up wonderfully. Huge potemtial here.

"I like wines that are direct, with tension, a vertebral column, for both the reds and the whites". Romain Delhome "This is an interesting newcomer to the ranks in the northern sector of Crozes-Hermitage, with vineyards in the communes of Crozes itself, Larnage, Gervans and Erôme. There are almost 11.5 hectares of Crozes across 20 plots, Romain is the fifth generation; his great-grandfather Flavien Delhome had vineyards, while, on his mother’s side there were vineyards under her family in the shape of Severin Habrard, so there are two old roots at play here. Father Gérald took over the domaine in 1993, and concentrated on apricots and vines, the grape harvest sent to the Cave de Tain. Son Romain came on to the domaine in 2018; he had worked locally at Gigondas and in the Ventoux at Chêne Bleu, as well as in Virginia in the USA. The cellar was built in 2019. The domaine is HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) registered, a green credential, and the 2022 harvest will be officially organic. 100% Syrah (average age 40 years) from south-facing sanded granite soils on Les Sourdets at 300 metres at Larnage next to the cellars, granite fragments on flat ground at bottom of Le Caire at Gervans, hand harvested, destemmed, pre-fermentation cold maceration at 8°-10°C "to seek red fruits, especially from Gervans", 20-25 day steel vat vinification at 24°-28°C, pumping overs, part vat emptying/refilling, raised 75% 3-10 year 228-litre & 600-litre oak casks (85% 228-litres, 15% 600-litres), 25% steel vat 11-12 months". This is excellent Crozes Hermitage with good structure with what feels like perfect extraction - wonderful texture and depth. But the Boreal is ultimately all about the fruit, though, which is charmingly wild in character and quite dark. Blackberry, the beginnings of mulberry and a bit of liquorice in there too. A wonderful offering.

"Of all our vineyards, the kaolin on Château de Larnage is the top site - it’s a unique terroir, maybe 20 hectares of it, giving wines with real style, breeding, powerful and good finesse for both red and white, the whites there more recently planted. Our neighbours there are Desmeure (Remizières), Belle, Olivier Dumaine, Dard & Ribo, Sorrel, the Cave de Tain". Gérald Delhome "This is an interesting newcomer to the ranks in the northern sector of Crozes-Hermitage, with vineyards in the communes of Crozes itself, Larnage, Gervans and Erôme. There are almost 11.5 hectares of Crozes across 20 plots. Romain is the fifth generation; his great-grandfather Flavien Delhome had vineyards, while, on his mother’s side there were vineyards under her family in the shape of Severin Habrard, so there are two old roots at play here". 100% Syrah (1950s) from kaolin, white clay soils on Château de Larnage at Larnage, hand harvested, destemmed, 25 day steel vat vinification at 24°-28°C, pre-fermentation cold maceration at 8°-10°C "to seek red fruits", 20-25 day steel vat vinification at 24°-28°C, pumping overs, part vat emptying/refilling, raised 5% new, 95% 3-10 year 228-litre oak casks 11-12 months, wide bottle, 4,700 bottles produced". John Livingstone-Learmonth, Drink Rhone Outstanding Crozes Hermitage from a wonderful site on kaolin (bright white clay) at 330m elevation on Château de Larnage at Larnage. A beautiful, elegant nose but with plenty of concentration - quite a dark style with a gorgeous floral lift. The fruit is pure and direct, and the balsamic note gives the wine real character which is quite unexpected in a wine so young. This 2022 shall do really well a few years down the line, but it is undoubtedly utterly delightful right now. Again, outstanding.

100% Marsanne from loess soils at Larnage that abut Hermitage. Vendome's name for plot is "Chapelle". Grapes are hand-harvested then destemmed, pressed, steel vat fermented until specific gravity 1040, then new 228-litre oak (steamed not toasted) cask fermented, raised 10 months, malo blocked, first year 2023, wide bottle, organic wine, 2,500 bottles produced. "Yellow robe; the nose has a walnut aroma up front, a peach, infused herbal tea backdrop, discreet cooked lemon. The palate opens with elegance, holds attractive gras, is a little locked away for now, but the quality of the gras - its relaxed nature - bodes well for the future. The length works well, is refined and sure. This is classy, serene. Decant it. 13°. 100% Marsanne. 2030-31 Oct 2024 ****(*) on Drink Rhone, John Livingstone-Learmonth "Pure Marsanne grown on loess next to the Hermitage Hill. Fermented in 500 litre new French oak, but this is steamed, not toasted. Bold pear and peach fruit with lovely density, showing richness but also freshness. Has a fine spicy dimension with beautiful weight and balance. Amazing texture to this wine". 95/100 Jamie Goode on wineanorak.com

From a beautiful new northern site of Saint-Joseph on beaitiful granitic soil. A small allocation in 2023, so grab it now before it gets snapped up soonest!

From a beautiful northern site of Saint-Joseph on beaitiful granitic soil. This wine is the geeks secret. We have a little more allocation in 2023, so grab it now before it gets snapped up soonest.

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. "Dark crimson. Smooth, rich, lightly gamey and herbal. Straight to Provence with these flavours! Tannins kick in on the end. But this is just one of hundreds of wines that prove what a lot of artisanal bargains the southern Rhône has to offer. Good value". Jancis Robinson MW 16.5/20 jancisrobinson.com

Xavier Gerard's baby Condrieu made from Viognier from Vérin, above Condrieu. 80% steel vat, 20% 300-litre & 600-litre oak cask fermented at 15°C, raised 6-8 months away from its lees in 22 hl large barrel & steel vat, malo usually blocked, first wine 2006 (600-litre cask, the oaked part of it, malo not completed) yellow colour; pear, apricot feature in a bouquet that is nicely funnelled. There’s a good run of spiced fruits along the palate. That carries a nice bit of weight, nice detail.

From a pebbly vineyard located on the sandy banks deposited by the river Ouvèze. A beautiful mix of indigenous, rare and wonderful grapes (Grenache Noir, Aramon, Counoise and Oeillade) vinified whole-bunch with a short maceration and then 6 months breeding in concrete vat produce a relaxed, supple, savoury and classy drinking and tapas wine. A great introduction to this most exciting of estates based in Vacqueyras and Gigondas. Serve cool (16c).

Pale gold coloured wine with light green reflections. Elegant and precise nose of white peach, pear and then honey and pine kernel. Pure and flavourful palate with a contrasted balance between Mediterranean roundness and fresh finale. 100% Clairette Rose whole-bunch pressed, from sandy, galet stone soils on Pignan (N-E, 0.8 hectare, 1979-80) & Bédines (N-E, 0.2 hectare, 1982, 1984), Saintes Georges (N-E, 0.2 hectare, 1960s), 50% steel vat, 50% 1-year 228-litre oak cask fermented at up to 17.5°C, raised 5-6 months, 1-2 lees stirrings a week, malo blocked, 1,000 bottles only.

The Le Mollard leu-dit produces elegant, refined and Burgundian styled wines. Very fine wines indeed. For those that love lifted Syrah with real class and elegance. Bravo Xavier!

Xavier Gerard is one of the most exciting young winemakers working in the Northern Rhône. He is a young grower who took over his family's small domaine in earnest in 2012 and in no time has turned out incredibly elegant and traditionally made Syrahs and Viogniers.

A pure fruited, wonderfully fluid natural wine without additional sulphites. Shimmering fruit backed up by gorgeous savouriness and delightful floral notes - this is a real star for those who like a little restraint and class in their glass (only 12.5% abv). This is an utterly delicious take on Côtes du Rhône with Grenache leading the way backed up by Carignan and then Syrah. Beautiful balance and real elegance. Vigneron Frederic Julien has some talent!

Fruit! Glorious fruit! Oh my, what a delicious wine made up of Alicante Bouschet 70% and Grenache Noir 30%. The very friendliest Alicante we have ever tasted. Dreamy, sweet blueberry and fresh blackberry fruit that is pleasingly aromatic, juicy, seamless that sits just right on the palate. Perfect for when you want the pleasures of gorgeous fruit with nice depth and presence but with a delightful lightness of touch because of the moderate alcohol (only 12.5% abv) and pleasingly light, soft tannin. Utterly great on its own or with lighter meat dishes. Wonderful and unique. "Rhonejolais", if you will.

A new white wine from Eric Bonnet's negociant business, linked to his excellent Domaine La Bastide Saint Dominique. All peach and mirabelle plum, with decent weight coming on medium to full with a deeply gorgeous texture. Absolutely delicious wine and SCREAMINGLY good value.

Xavier Gerard is one of the most exciting young winemakers working in the Northern Rhône. He is a young grower who took over his family's small domaine in earnest in 2012 and in no time has turned out incredibly elegant and traditionally made Syrahs and Viogniers. The 2022 Côte-Rôtie is a highly acclaimed, elegant, and vibrant Northern Rhône Syrah, characterized by bramble fruit, pepper, and savory, grippy tannins. It is produced by a rising star in the region, offering great aging potential with excellent value