This wine comes from a vineyard called "Le Ratanaud" composed of blue clay. These hillsides, located between 330 and 350m altitude have a south exposition, which bring freshness and perfect maturity to the wine. The grapes are hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard. They are fully destemmed then fermented in concrete tanks. Vatting time is between 28 to 35 days with daily grape-treading and pumping-over. Ageing is then in concrete tanks for fifteen months. Rich, plush and juicy. Coming together beautifully a few years down the line. Intense red colour. Pleasant nose of raspberry liquor and wild pepper. The palate is full and smooth, with cherry and licorice stick lift on the finish. Utterly marvellous.

Bright, primary fruit with some decent ripe tannins for structure and some crisp acidity. Stylistically like a Chateauneuf du Pape. Extremely consistent and well made.

This full-bodied, cedar and richly tannic wine finishes with flourishes of cherry and vanilla. It's a bit modern and ripe but frankly delicious. Dom. La Lôyane: The Winemaker Established at the foot of the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce sanctuary in Rochefort-du-Gard, not far from the ancient marshes drained by monks in the Middle Ages, this estate, founded in 1994 from the merger of three small holdings, has demonstrated great consistency in quality. Succeeding his parents, Jean-Pierre and Dominique, Romain Dubois and his wife, Laure, now sole proprietors of the estate, have created a new cellar and converted the 20 hectares of vines to organic farming. A (very) reliable asset.

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.

Laure Dubois runs this excellent estate with her husband Romain and has fully converted to Organic farming. The wines they produce are consistently good and elegant, mainly from the Lirac appellation, north West of Chateauneuf-du-Pape but also this Cotes du Rhone from just outside. The 2022 is the third year in five vintages that the wine has won a coveted Coup de Coeur top award in the Guide Hachette, the 'bible' of French wine. Charming, 'irresistible' and ready to drink it also offers outstanding value for money. Domaine La Lôyane was voted Winemaker of the Year in 2018 by the Guide Hachette. 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 converted 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!

A delightful, stylish blend of Clairette Blanche, Grenache Blanc and Picpoul. This wine has a bright straw yellow colour. On the nose, it reveals subtle aromas of citrus, melon, peach, with delicate notes of infused white flowers. The palate is rich and deep, both smooth and juicy, offering a beautiful balance and a cool, mineral and persistent finish. Lovely stuff.

Laure Dubois runs this excellent estate with her husband Romain and has fully converted to Organic farming. The wines they produce are consistently good and elegant, mainly from the Lirac appellation, north West of Chateauneuf-du-Pape but also this Cotes du Rhone from just outside. The 2022 is the third year in five vintages that the wine has won a coveted Coup de Coeur top award in the Guide Hachette, the 'bible' of French wine. Charming, 'irresistible' and ready to drink it also offers outstanding value for money. Domaine La Lôyane was voted Winemaker of the Year in 2018 by the Guide Hachette. 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 converted 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!

"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.

Viognier (1984-85) from 1.1 hectare on Côte Châtillon at Condrieu, raised 50-60% 22 hl large oak barrel and 40-50% steel vat, malo completed. "fine yellow robe; the nose is very elegant, composed of peach, aniseed, white plum, has an excellent floating style, grace. This is top tack! It has much suavity of texture, with very assured persistence, is refined and gliding throughout. It’s real good Châtillon, bang on the money as it should be. It bears neat iron touches, has a pear-buttery flavour, and butter-floral late moments, a dab of petrol also. Much refinement here." Jonathan Livingstone-Learmonth

Château de Beaucastel has long been regarded as one of the greatest wines in France. It is notorious for its elegance, balance and ageing potential. Beaucastel has an exceptional terroir at the Northern limit of Châteauneuf du Pape, exposed to the Mistral wind. All thirteen varieties of the appellation have been organically grown since the sixties.

50% Grenache Blanc, 40% Clairette (planted 1950) from 0.9 hectare on very stony alluvial soils at Sablet and 10% Roussanne on Gramiller at La Montagnette at Rasteau. The wine sees ferment in 80% steel vat, 20% old oak cask. Then bred for 6 months. 2,500 bottles produced. The nose is all freshly cut juicy pears and gorgeous white flowers - so pretty, utterly charming. More fruit and flowers to the palate's silky juice. This is medium-bodied, elegant and long Southern Rhone white wine with fine acid. Really jolly drinking and great with delicate fish or simply as the classiest aperitif.

Escaravailles rare top end white we are very lucky to see an allocation of. Even with a hot, short vintage Madeline has produced a very fine, elegant, juicy long and fine Rhone wine.

Jancis Robinson 18/20 Cask sample. Deep cooper colour. Not star bright. A very distinctive look. A divisive wine. Technicians might reject it while naturophiles would admire it. Honey and cooking apples on the nose. Tastes as though there was some skin contact and there is still a little residual sugar and there is masses of chew. Very exciting and distinctive wine. Seems to have been made from very ripe oaked Marsanne. One of those wines in which astringency does the job of acidity. (JR) Parker  Wine Advocate RP (89-92) Reviewed by:     Jeb Dunnuck Release Price: NA Drink Date:     2015 - 2021 Tasted out of barrel, the 2014 Saint Péray Fleur de Crussol is the top white of the estate and checks in as 100% Marsanne that’s brought up all in barrel, with plenty of lees contact. It offers lots of golden fruits, buttered lemon, dried herbs and a kiss of minerality to go with a medium-bodied, nicely balanced, textured style on the palate. I was able to taste this twice, in a larger appellation tasting and then during my visit at the domaine, and in both cases, the lees component really stood out. Nevertheless, I suspect it will come together nicely once in bottle and have 5-6 years of longevity. This is another terrific lineup from Albéric Mazoyer and Alain Voge, and this estate continues to make a number of sensational Cornas, and more and more, a bevy of top Saint Pérays. The three Cornas releases include the les Chailles, the Vieilles Vignes and the flagship Vieilles Fontaines. The les Chailles comes all from the same named lieu-dit and includes some of the younger vines of the estate. It’s aged mostly in two- to five-year-old barrels. The Vieilles Vignes release comes from a selection of old vines (eight to nine different parcels) and is aged for roughly 20 months in 15% new French oak. Lastly, the flagship release is the Les Vieilles Fontaines, which is only made in top vintages (it was not made in 2013 or 2014). It comes from the Vieilles Fontaines lieu-dit, the oldest vines of the estate, and spends 24 months in 25% new French oak. As I’ve said before, the style here seems slightly modern, but this is due more to purity of fruit than oak elevage, as even the top cuvee only sees 25% new oak. In addition, they continue to move to larger and larger formats for aging. As to the vintages reviewed here, the 2013s have a classic feel and show the fresher, prettier style of the vintage, yet back it up with the fruit, texture and purity that’s the hallmark of this estate. The 2014s look to be at a similar level of quality, yet should be more approachable in their youth.

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 2022, so grab it now before it gets snapped up soonest.

Paul Vincent Avril at Domaine du Clos des Papes makes one of the most sought-after wines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This Southern Rhône estate has been in the Avril family for three generations, gaining in reputation from wine critics and drinkers alike. 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. "Leather and spiced notes, pure with good fresh vivacity on the nose. The palate is ripe and seductive, layered with forest fruits, dark spiced figs. Attractive refreshing acidity, red fruits and a wild garrigue savoury Mourvèdre note – the tannins are supple and silky – dark forest-fruits finish which is broad, ample and opulent but always with a finesse of tannins and a savoury liquorice mineral note." 2027-2042 18 Pts Alistair Cooper MW, JancisRobinson.com, September 2022 "While production was down 40% due to the frost, Vincent was able to make a beautiful 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape that readers will love to have in the cellar. All about finesse and elegance, it reveals a classic Clos des Papes nose of both red and black fruits as well as tons of floral, pepper, and spicy notes. These carry to a medium-bodied 2021 that has good ripeness (the alcohol is 15%), a supple, silky mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's not far off the style of the 2020, and while it doesn't have the density of a top vintage, it nevertheless has balance, complexity, and elegance, and will have 15+ years of longevity." 93/95 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, November 2022

Drinking beautifully. Resolved, lifted and nicely complex. "65% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre. Concentrated and bold with a core of sweet raspberry and cherry fruit with some warmth, finishing with exotic Provençale herbs and a slight stoniness. Has some evolution". 89/100 Jamie Goode, wineanorak.com

An absolute classic. Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe is a family owned and operated estate and is one of the preeminent producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Though one of the largest landowners in the region, they only produce three red and two white wines.

"I knew our terroirs very well, and knew that we could exploit them to the full. With Romain’s experience of vinifications all around the world, I was happy to launch the domaine". 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. 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% Marsanne (1950s-late-1990s) from sandy-loess soils on Les Védias at Erôme & Gervans, hand harvested, whole bunch pressing, 3-4 day pre-fermentation maceration at 6°-8°C, vinification in steel vat until 1060-1050 specific gravity, then transferred to 3-10 year 228-litre oak casks, lees stirred at the end of fermentation, raised 9-10 months. 5,500 bottles produced". Wonderfully idiosyncratic. A lovely delicacy and intricacy, one is almost unsure the varietal is Marsanne, such is its elegance. The aftertaste is really delicious and where the wine really comes into its own - savoury, saline, nutty with a note of marzipan and, oddly, a touch of aromatic hops. Brilliant from the young star Romain!

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.

50% Grenache, 50% Mourvèdre. Vinified in stainless-steel tanks. Aged for 18 months in demi-muids (20%) and stainless-steel tanks (80%). "Tasted blind. The nose is shrouded in sweet oaky notes and raspberry compote. The palate is succulent, dense and concentrated, with firm and very fine tannins. Layered and fine, very well put together and beautifully judged oak on the palate. Very long and will age beautifully". Score 17.5/20 Alistair Cooper MW on jancisrobinson.com When to drink 2030 - 2042 Date tasted 5 Oct 2023 94-96+/100 Jeb Dunnuck

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.

100% Grenache (1920s) from sandy, clay-limestone galet stone soils on Pignan (N-E), destemmed, 5 week vinification at up to 28°C, cap punching and pumping overs, steel vat raised 18-20 months, unfined, unfiltered, 4,000 bottles produced. **** 2022 John Livingstone-Learnmonth on Drink Rhone "Quite a full red; the nose carries spice, with a crushed red berries core, a gentle floral grace. The palate is finely tuned, very true to its place, has an elegant coating that clads it in a supple texture all through, gives a true portrait of its sandy soils from this excellent lieu-dit. It gains a little correctly increased depth into its very calm finish, is well tuned. The finish brings in blood orange, iron notes. There is complexity to be accessed here over time. From 2027 or so to 2047-49". Tasted Oct 2023 "Tasted blind. Some bacon and meaty notes of reduction on the nose. Rich and weighty mid palate and chewy tannins. Good concentration of fruit and a lively red-raspberry finish. An attractive, savoury note alongside the raspberry notes. Elegant and fine, with a saline note creeping in on the end. Sculpted and elegant". 17/20 Alistair Cooper MW on jancisrobinson.com When to drink 2030 - 2040 Date tasted 5 Oct 2023 "An elegant and smooth style of Châteauneuf, ripe but not overly concentrated, with balanced (if gently warming) alcohol and acidity, some sandy mineral notes and precise berry fruits. The super-fine tannins are pure and expressive. It’s not a powerful style, but an intense one, with a long finish. Pure Grenache from vines aged more than 100 years old, from the sandy soils of Pignan nord; all aged in stainless steel". 95/100 Tasted by: Matt Walls for Decanter Magazine Drinking Window: 2027 - 2035 95-97+/100 Jeb Dunnuck 94/100 Vinous

80% Grenache, 20% Syrah Cotes du Rhone Fruits Rouge is made from Grenache from the commune of Sainte Cécile-les-Vignes and Syrah grapes from the garrigues in Tulette. These combine to produce a bright, clear wine, with a beautiful aromatic character - the wine is fresh, refined and delicate. A little beauty by this great vigneron.

"I knew our terroirs very well, and knew that we could exploit them to the full. With Romain’s experience of vinifications all around the world, I was happy to launch the domaine". 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. 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% Marsanne (1950s-late-1990s) from sandy-loess soils on Les Védias at Erôme & Gervans, hand harvested, whole bunch pressing, 3-4 day pre-fermentation maceration at 6°-8°C, vinification in steel vat until 1060-1050 specific gravity, then transferred to 3-10 year 228-litre oak casks, lees stirred at the end of fermentation, raised 9-10 months. 5,500 bottles produced". Wonderfully idiosyncratic. A lovely delicacy and intricacy, one is almost unsure the varietal is Marsanne, such is its elegance. The aftertaste is really delicious and where the wine really comes into its own - savoury, saline, nutty with a note of marzipan and, oddly, a touch of aromatic hops. Brilliant from the young star Romain!

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.

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

Delightful pet nat from Gramiller. So fine, fruity, fresh and elegant. 50% Clairette and 50% Ugni Blanc. Pear, white flowers and cut grass on the nose. The palate unfolds with these flavours whilst being juicy but oh-so fresh and very fine and elegant Pet Nat. An outstanding effort.

A classic Northern Rhône Syrah, aged for 24 months in 10% new oak barrels. Full of dark fruits, black pepper and toasty spice.

A blend of Viognier 40%, Roussanne 40% and White Grenache 20%. 20 year old vines are planted in mixed soils of clay, limestone and round pebbles. Peachy aromas, with a fresh and expressive palate that's juicy and very pleasing. More peach flavour from the Viognier and a weighty mid-palate from the Roussanne. Excellent value for money. Grapes are mechanically harvested and vinification takes place in temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks, with regular stirring of the lees. This preserves the freshness and fruitiness of the wine. 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!

The Dentelles de Montmirail (from the Latin mons mirabilis, ‘extraordinary mountain’) is a small, jagged mountain chain that forms a natural amphitheatre around the sandstone village of Gigondas and its surrounding vineyards. Roman legionaries chose this beautiful, protected site to plant their grapevines. Located mid-slope at 300-400 metres above sea level, the Famille Perrin vineyard is amongst the most historical vineyards in Gigondas. It benefits from a flow of cold air which blows through the valley situated to the west of the village. The vines grow on limestone, calcareous marl and sandy soils, giving the Grenache immense finesse and elegance with unique aromas. Some old plots of Grenache planted on sand have pre-phylloxera vines.

Grenache dominant wine produced on very clay rich soils with stones from the Ouvèze river. "Beautiful dark and shiny color. The nose is very expressive, pure and aromatic with great mineral notes. The palate presents a structure of great finesse, elegant with ripe fruit. The tannins are rich, noble and silky." Famille Perrin

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.

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 2023 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. "Fair red robe; the nose has a smoked, pumice stone air, a leafy intonation, with discreet raspberry on the inside, is a calm opening. The palate carries a note of iodine, salting, that freshens it, is nicely droit, gives perfumed red fruits with a little vegetal tang that isn’t discordant. This fits together agreeably, has some of the crispness of the northern sector, its clarity. It can gain, amplify with another year or so, has commendable detail, some subtlety". **** John Livingstone-Learmonth on Drink Rhone "13% alcohol. Organic. Concentrated, fine and layered with a core of sweet berry and cherry fruits, with some peppery detail and also some subtle iodine and blood notes. Very fine and detailed, combining sweet fruit with some peppery framing and good energetic flow across the palate". 94/100 Jamie Goode wineanorak.com

A rather unusual 100% Marsanne from a small appellation in the Northern Rhone. Textural, concentrated, impressive. Terrific wine. From the website of UK agent Thorman Hunt: A top star domaine. Yves Cuilleron took over the reins as the 4th generation vigneron in 1987. He is based in Chavanay, just south of Condrieu and has built up a formidable reputation in recent years. Always developing new ideas and cuvées, our tasting here each year is mightily impressive. We are lucky to have the allocation we do. Having started with Yves’ stunning Vin de France, we now have access to his amazing range of Grands Vins. He now owns and leases over 75 hectares. We think they are all great wines and they are all in the style of Yves Cuilleron – lingering, rich white wines and big rich minerally reds.

Deep, juicy, weighty but fresh and textural 100% old vine Clairette fermented and bred in clay amphora with no additional sulphites at any stage. Really pure and elegant - pears, honey and white flowers on this full bodied Southern Rhone white wine. A triumph. A future classic. Bravo Frederic Julien!

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

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.

Not only is the magnificent Gigondas estate 500 years old, it's owned by Daniel and Frédéric Brunier. Know the name? They are behind Châteauneuf's leading estate, Vieux Télégraphe. Meting out the same care, they produce this rich, old-vine Gigondas. And Daniel reckons that 2019 is his best vintage to date. A perfectly balanced wine, finely poised and with great length.