100% Carignan Gris that was raised in older barrels. It offers that classic cold steel-like character I always find in Carignan Gris, as well as plenty of citrus blossom, bright apple fruit - steely and penetrating. A real one-off. Utterly beautiful wine. This 2023 is simply thrilling, honey. Simply ELECTRIC! Buy now. That's the only advice you need.

In a nutshell: this is from St Cosme, one of the most famous ancient estates in Gigondas, widely regarded as world-class wines. Like some other forward-looking successful estates they have sought additional, cooler vineyards up in the hills. Vinsobres is an obvious choice, much like Rasteau but with elevation and cooler. Perrin-Beaucastel set up there many years ago. Tastes like a fresher version of Gigondas, costs about half. St Cosme is one of the top three Gigndas estates. The Barruol family have been in Gigondas since 1490. The house, where it foundations at least, were the original Roman villa of Gigondas. Visiting and tasting at such an iconic winery holds the inevitable risk of over-rating the wines, in a star-struck glow. Beautiful estate, pristine vineyards, epic reviews, lovely people, 2000 year-old Roman winemaking room in the basement - frankly, impressive. I tasted pragmatically with a thoroughly businesslike approach and to be fair, I'd be happy to stock every single wine they showed me, and I know our customers would love them too. It's pretty rare to score full marks across the whole range!

Possibly the last Rosé to be produced at Trinités? The wine has always been produced for the home market, for the restaurants and bars, in all the major cities. But since the market for such in the last few years has dried up/been somewhat difficult, vigneron Simon Coulshaw has decided to take a break for a while. This 2020 is unlike any previous effort, mostly explained below in Tamlyn Currin's note for jancisrobinson.com. It really is truly wonderful Rosé with real minerality, precision and class. an absolute stunner. 40% Cinsault, 40% Grenache Noir, 20% Mourvèdre. Hand-picked, organically and biodynamically farmed grapes. 100% saignée ie no pressing, just bleeding from the tanks. Winemaker Simon Coulshaw points out that the distinct difference in colour between the 2019 and 2020 (the latter being distinctly lighter in colour) is purely down to the maturity of the anthocynanins in the grapes. In 2019 he left the grapes for an hour and the colour was already dark; in 2020 it spent three or four hours and still didn't throw much colour. Bone dry (less than 0.5 g RS). "This is an outstanding rosé. If only Languedoc producers would sit up and take notice – this is what you can do with rosé. Real wine. Real depth, real texture, acidity so full and exciting and ripe that it made me want to helter skelter, go boogie on Brighton Pier, lick seashells dipped in raspberry sherbet, make cherry bombs filled with lime sorbet and eat them sitting fully clothed in the sea with salt on my tongue and fingers and toes. All of which sounds like fun fun fun, but don't be deceived. This is a serious wine, framed in spice and pink-grapefruit-peel bitterness. Very Good Value (TC)". Score 17/20 jancisrobinson.com When to drink 2021 - 2023 Published on 29 Nov 2021 Date tasted 29 Nov 2021

Francois Xavier AKA 'FX' worked with Tom Lubbe at Domaine Matassa for five years. He spent a further year with Domaine Danjou-Banessy. After such time this local lad set up in Espira to make his own wholly exciting wines which we are introducing the UK for the first time. Ninety percent Syrah (thirty years old) and ten percent Carignan (eighty years old) on schist terroir. Skin macération for seven days followed by whole-bunch fermentation in cuve and then bred in a 10hl Amphora for eight months. Just 2g/hl sulphites added just before bottling.

100% Chenin Blanc from Vouvray, one of the most famous regions for that grape variety in the world. A super smooth, well rounded example with mainly ripe apple flavours upfront, juicy acidity and there’s also a little floral feel to it too - unmistakably an off-dry wine with the ripe fruit pushing forward. A very easy sipper, thoroughly enjoyable.

100% Carignan from 80 year old vines. Complex floral aromas. On the palate the fruits, such as raspberry and morello cherry, are crunchy and fresh. There is also a very strong stony/mineral feeling. The finish is long and pure. A vibrant wine.

Bright ruby red with nose of violets and red fruits, this dry red wine from the Beaujolais region of Burgundy is bursting with ripe red berry fruit flavours. It is soft and fresh, with delicate light tannins. Good acidity with medium body, 13.5% abv and fine tannins. Flavours of bright blackberry and plum with a good length spicy finish. Very versatile food wine that can be enjoyed with meat, plant-based dishes and even fish like tuna.

A blend of 52% Semillon and 48% Sauvignon Blanc harvested from the 4th to the 16th of September, the 2019 Le Blanc Sec de Suduiraut is aged for six months, 25% in nearly all new French oak barrels, 75% in vats. The alcohol came in at 13.2%. The nose is redolent of uncomplicated poached pears and lemon meringue pie scents with touches of nutmeg and powdered white pepper. The medium-bodied palate has plenty of citrus and spice intensity with a lively line of freshness and a spicy finish.

Natural, biodynamic and vegan. Grenache, Carignan and Mourvedre from 80 year old vines, Made without filtering or fining. Pale but gorgeous mid red colour. At first on the nose, you are like "What even is that?". Whatever it is, you know that you like it. Elegant, subtle fruit is intermixed with gentle herb, earth and savoury characters. Deep and wonderful. On the palate the wine is elegant and deep again, but not heavy in the slightest. Ruffled fruit and savoury notes with minerality and real finesse. These wines are like no other from the Roussillon. Outstanding.

A delicate, fresh and fruity champagne. Apples, pears and apricots are followed with characteristic hazelnut, brioche and spice notes as the palate develops. Surprisingly weighty. A superb match with all types of shellfish.

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!

Figure Libre Freestyle is the name given to an ambitious range of wines designed to shake up conventions and break new ground for expressing the inherent style of Languedoc and Roussillon. Ruby red with some purple highlights. Vibrant, expressive nose of red and black fruits, pepper, spice and "garrigue."

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.

Deep purple, almost opaque in colour with an expressive nose of black fruits, pepper, cinnamon, spice and violets. A seductive palate of dark hedgerow fruits, very open and welcoming with an explosion of fruit and spice. Mineral undertones.

From Yves Falmet: My ‘Aramon’ label is made entirely from this grape variety. Among my Carignan vines, the oldest in my vineyard at over 80 years old, there are still a few Aramon vines. This is because the custom at the time was to mix a few grape varieties within the same plot. Aramon used to be one of the most ubiquitous grape varieties in Languedoc, but it has been almost eradicated in recent decades. Like Cinsault, is has been completely discarded in favour of other grape varieties regionally. However, in a quality site such as the Terres Falmet vineyard, when carefully grown, harvested at the peak of ripeness and skilfully vinted, it produces a beautiful, subtly tannic red wine that is fresh and fruity.

Pale yellow colour. Expressive Riesling nose typical from limestone origin: citrus, light mineral notes, stony flavours, honey. Vivacious palate, crisp, amazing acidity and freshness. This is a very classic Roche Calcaire that finishes bone dry with a lacy texture. This wine will still need some time to open up and it is highly recommended to decant it in the first years after bottling.

Slight copper hue, spicy, ripe fruit, crème brulée, full-flavoured but delicate & charming. Fine persistent mousse. Totally enjoyable and quite typical of the black-grape dominated Montagne de Reims style.

Classically made Champagne with grapes sourced from Premier Cru vineyards in the Marne Valley, a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Côtes des Blanc. This wine spends 3 years ageing prior to disgorgement. Top quality Premier Cru Champagne with full flavoured intense developed citrus and floral aromas.

This champagne has a special place in the history of the House. It is from a family plot of Pinot Noir in Cumières that this precious red wine comes, giving our blend an unique personality. First you will find red fruits, with wild violet and liqourice notes to follow. Ripe yet racy, with beautiful length. Fine and full on the palate, with a touch of mint on the finish.

Made by Simon Coulshaw of the minimal-intervention school. Biodynamic farming although not certified. 100% Roussanne planted on their highest vineyards, a steep north-facing slope in the foothills of the Cévennes mountains. Isolated vineyards surrounded by herbaceous shrub and woodland on schist and basalt boulders. Hand-picked at 20-25 hl/ha, Five days' on skins then 48 hours of cold settling before racking. Spontaneous fermentation, no enzymes, no fining, minimal sulphur and sulphites. Carbon dioxide nap used to avoid oxidation.

Another great but unsung white wine of the Roussillon. A blend of Grenache Blanc and Maccabeu. Outstanding wine that is intense and tangy from the high elevation vineyards. This cuvee ages gracefully for 10++ years. A bargain bottle from breath-taking vineyards that are beautifully worked by the master Eric Laguerre.

The Lurton family that owns the property has also made it their home and HQ for their brilliant stable of wines now headed by Jacques Lurton. A crystal clear wine with with pure fruit aromas and crisp acidity, this is immediately refreshing. The wine's freshness is infectious

70 % Sangiovese, 30% Syrah, is amongst the very best in the Languedoc. Intense color, pretty aromas of white flowers. With a nice roundness, this wine will accompany your grilled fish, garnished summer salads, crustaceans etc.

Natural Petit Verdot raised in amphora by vigneron Simon Bertschinger. The winery is based in Fos, but the vineyards are just south of Faugeres in the clay foothills. Simon is doing some remarkabke stuff with some interesting grape varieties. Bright and vigourous but with depth and focus. Brilliant wine.

The Guimberteau family has owned the Château Franc-Baudron estate since 1923. This is a vineyard on a human scale where each generation has left its footprint on the family heritage. Since 2010, the new generation of Château Franc-Baudron, Charels and Sophie Foray, have embarked on an environmental approach by converting the entire vineyard to organic farming. The area hosts bee-hives, uses plants for treatments (horsetail, nettle and ferns) and seeds flowers to encourage biodiversity of wildlife in the vines. They have begun implementing new winemaking techniques by using minimal inputs to express at its best the nature of the grapes and the type of soil. Most of the family’s plots of Montagne Saint-Emilion are located on a clay-limestone plateau. Certified Organic. 14.5% ABV Deep ruby. Pretty aromas of cherry and blackberry, vanilla. Medium -bodied and appealing, good light extraction leaves the fruit and acid to the fore and will be accessible young. Excellent value.

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.

This Syrah blend with soft black fruits and spice has been shaped by the sunbaked rocky soils of the Languedoc hinterland. A herbal, spicy bouquet is followed by youthful red cherries and supple mineral character derived from the schist rich soils.

A True Blouge has arrived. In our opinion, the very best of the light red/mixed grapes/blouge style. It’s sappy, herbal and aromatic, the fruit is lythe, alive, long and lifted. Colour is extraordinary, but with the interest and complexity in the wine - it’s not just pretty coloured glou glou - it’s really vinous and interesting. Serve cool. It's made by Vincent Chansault who's day job is to make the brilliant Domaine Gayda wines. This is from his personal project in Minervois La Liviniere. It's a co-ferment of a single, 70yo co-planted vineyard in La Liviniere Minervois of Cinsault (red), Bourboulenc (white) and Grenache Gris (pink). Fermented wild in whole-bunches. 2,000 bottles produced. We have a nice chunk, but it won't last forever. One of the wines of 2025. Definitely the wine of the summer!

When Zind-Humbrecht acquired the Clos-Saint-Urbain vineyard on the Grand Cru Rangen in 1977, about half of the land wasn’t under vines and needed to be planted. This very steep vineyard requires a lot of hard manual work and some surfaces were left abandoned in the middle of the 20th century. Most vintages, the vines planted in the 70s and 80s are separated from the very old vines that qualify as Grand Cru. This wine clearly show all the originality of a volcanic geology which is unique in Alsace. They are also cultivated the exact same way as the older vines (ploughing with a winch for example). The biggest difference would be on the crop size. The Roche Volcanique is made with low yields, but the older vines produce even less! For these ‘younger vines’ they aim for very healthy grapes (no noble rot) in order to achieve a dry wine. Bright pale-yellow colour. Expressive fruity and smoky nose (smoked ham, grilled hazelnuts). The palate has a velvety texture, lots of depth and length without too much power. Gentle balance showing a saline acidity on the finish. Very easy wine to enjoy today. Dry, but with a certain softness due to a good dry extract that brings volume on the palate. Obviously Rangen in taste…

Proper Crozes-Hermitage style Syrah - nice bright berry fruit, a bit of a dark chocolate bite, nice crisp acidity and tannin, tastes almost cool/minty. A satisfying meat wine.

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.

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.

M 3.0 Le Mauzac is a traditional method sparkling wine with no added sugar at any of the 3 stages of production. The only thing fermented and added (twice more) is organic Mauzac juice. This cuvée is without doubt the finest representation of Limoux's indigenous grape variety. First planted by the Romans, it is particularly well adapted to the climate and requires much less water than Chardonnay. This pure Mauzac has been aged for 36 months in bottle, then disgorged. It is a particularly impressive and very elegant take with fine, persistent bubbles. A real 'wow' that you NEED to know about. "A remarkable balance is revealed on the palate between a full, mellow body, fine tension and the freshness of the fruit, with the added bonus of a long finish of green apples that is the hallmark of Mauzac." Two Stars in Guide Hachette 2025

New cuvee from Soulanes. 100% younger vine Grenache Gris in 100% new oak barrel. Reductive, classy, Burgundian and wonderful, A measly 24 bottles available for the UK in this debut.

Grenache Noir and Carignan Noir from a single vineyard in a lieu-dit in Maury that is aromatic, expressive, lifted and pure. Seamless but focussed Maury Rouge from the master Daniel Laffite.

A lovely pure and fresh Chardonnay with lovely length and character. A real bargain.

Just very slightly off dry. A style much loved in France as aperitif but sadly under-rated in Britain. Or try it with fishy starters.

Explosion of red fruits on the nose, including raspberry, cherry and ripe strawberry. The palate is smooth and rich with very soft tannins and clean acidity. This is medium bodied with a pleasing finish.

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

A new cuvée for 2020 from our favourite Champagne House, and created by new MD Benjamin Fourmon who says, 'from the start I set out to create an extra-pure, sugar-free and very expressive champagne. We chose the exceptionally fresh 2013 vintage and aged it for 72 months to produce roundness, power and perfect balance. 35% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Meunier. Reserve wines constitute 24% of the blend, Dosage 0 g/l. Disgorged '2020'.