Rhône

Apricot and white peach, with citric hints and a whiff of mandarin, courtesy of the Muscat de Frontignan à Petits Grains. This is a wonderfully refreshing and finely-balanced pudding wine, enticingly different in style to the majority of wines in this category and gaining in popularity all the time.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Domaines Durban and Bernardins are the two leading producers of Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, but made in completely contrasting styles and both worthy of inclusion here. Durban is located, in every sense, at the top of the village, its guiding principles being elegance and harmony of flavour. Although technically something of a misnomer, the phrase ‘Vin Doux Naturel’ seems most appropriate here.

Rémi Pouizin formerly made wine at his father’s property, Domaine la Fourmente, just outside Visan. Now he has branched out on his own with Domaine Dieu-le-Fit and bought a magnificent 19th century château in the heart of the village. He has also secured biodynamic accreditation for his vineyards, though these essentially remain the same. The essence of the excellent Domaine la Fourmente still remains, albeit a little improved, plus a new, divinely inspired name.

From the excellent 2015 vintage, Native is a blend of concrete-aged Grenache and wood-aged Syrah and Mourvèdre. The Grenache’s silky tannins enrobe a pleasing dark-fruit core, with myrtle and red cherry both in evidence on the palate. Drink now to 2023.

There is more red clay underneath these vines and 85 percent of them are Grenache. The balancing Mourvèdre is grown in a vineyard which is surrounded by the eponymous scrub. The felicitous blend of soils and natural environment brings out the fresher, more linear, side to the Grenache, and is complemented by the sooty, spicy complexity of Mourvèdre. Concentration and firm tannins do not seem to contradict an engaging almost ethereal character that is very typical of this grower. Drink 2018 - 2025. 
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

Rémi Pouizin formerly made wine at his father’s property, Domaine la Fourmente, just outside Visan. Now he has branched out on his own with Domaine Dieu-le-Fit and bought a magnificent 19th century château in the heart of the village. He has also secured biodynamic accreditation for his vineyards, though these essentially remain the same. Only the legal structure and the location of the winery have changed substantially. The essence of the excellent Domaine la Fourmente still remains, albeit a little improved, plus a new, divinely inspired name.

Syrah adds polish and floral lift to this outstanding blend of Grenache and Carignan. The blue and red clay terroir of the vineyards is ideally suited to the generous vintage that was 2015. Here we enjoy ripe yet savoury notes, with a backdrop of liquorice and a touch of star anise, garlanded with Mediterranean flowers. Drink 2019-2026. 
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

Escaravailles dates from 1953 and is now in the more than capable hands of Gilles Ferran, who has constructed a new cuverie and built the reputation of the domaine into one of the leading names in the region. The property is located high in the hills behind the villages of Roaix and Rasteau, where the vines enjoy a special microclimate: here it is relatively warm despite the altitude, with exceptional expositions and soils which are dominated by red and blue clay. Escaravaille, for those of an inquisitive disposition, is the Occitane word for beetle (hence the labels) and also the term once used to describe the black-robed monks of the region, presumably from the Benedictine order.

Domaine Chaume Arnaud is one of the leading properties in the modish Southern Rhône village of Vinsobres, the very name of which, beyond its gentle oxymoronic components, betrays the region’s long-standing oenophilia. Philippe and Valérie achieved full biodynamic accreditation in 2009 and their wines sing a distinctly Mediterranean song, but with a descant of real purity.

Five percent of Roussanne is added to the traditional blend of Marsanne and Viognier, adding even more aromatic complexity to an already impressively perfumed wine. Honeydew melon, fig and quince are all evidenced, with notes of verbena and gingerbread and a hint of spice for good measure. This wine is a fantastic ambassador for all that is good in a hitherto undervalued white wine category.
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

The Chaume Arnauds are high achievers it seems; the eldest son of Philippe and Valérie , Rafael is now a full time first team  pro at Clermont Ferrand, one of the better French rugby union teams, by all accounts. Meanwhile the other son, also built like a second row forward, is helping to take the property to new heights of excellence. Full biodynamic accreditation from the 2009 vintage underlines intent and in 2012 we have a perfect showcase for the  fashionable  appellations of  Vinsobres.

Laurent’s initial anxieties about relatively low levels of acidity in the Grenache have been dispelled over the élevage period. The Vacqueyras is certainly fresh and juicy – its fruit sourced from ten parcels and dominated by the 75 percent of tank-aged Grenache. Approachable and ripe, yet discretely structured, this works very well and can be drunk in relative youth. Drink 2018-2026.
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

Flanking the evocatively named Dentelles de Montmirail, with vines on the equally evocative Plateau des Garrigues, La Bastide Saint Vincent is a delightful, family-owned wine domaine with 17th century origins. The unassuming Laurent Daniel never overworks his fruit and his fruit repays him with interest; a very subtle producer of supple wines. Laurent was happy with both quality and quantity in 2015–a vintage which he compares, somewhat against the trend, to 2007.

Damien Vache blends Grenache (70 percent) and Syrah (30 percent) in this excellent cuvée, which is fermented in concrete and matured in old wood. A Vacqueyras archetype, Les Deux Monards marries dark fruit and spice, with distinctive notes of liquorice allied to a disarming sweetness on the finish. Drink 2016 to 2019.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Damien Vache compares 2013 to 2008 and to 2001: it is better than 2008 but, he admits, not quite as good as 2001. This seems about right, especially as 2001 is one of my favourite years over the last two decades, and therefore a hard act to follow. Irregular flowering and a late harvest were the key features here, as elsewhere. Minimal intervention and diligent aging have ensured the quality of the wine, which will give great pleasure in the short to medium term.

Very well received in the restaurants of London and further afield, Laurent’s Gigondas does not sit at the tarry, rustic and tannic end of the spectrum. Its style is more inverse nostalgia, inclining towards an expression of dark cherry fruit, Asian spice, firm yet fine tannins and a generous mouth-feel. The 2015 excels in all of these areas. Drink 2019-2026. 
Simon Field MW-Wine Buyer

Flanking the evocatively named Dentelles de Montmirail, with vines on the equally evocative Plateau des Garrigues, La Bastide Saint Vincent is a delightful, family-owned wine domaine with 17th century origins. The unassuming Laurent Daniel never overworks his fruit and his fruit repays him with interest; a very subtle producer of supple wines. Laurent was happy with both quality and quantity in 2015 – a vintage which he compares, somewhat against the trend, to 2007.

Everyone’s favourite Côtes-du-Rhône, and usually the first to sell out from this hugely popular Domaine, the  Coudoulet style is perfectly suited to this most stylish vintage. Ripe forward fruit, then velvety tannins and the gentle persuasion of soft spice on the finish to remind us of both provenance and unrivalled quality.
Simon Field MW Wine Buyer

This year it is Floureto’s turn to inspire the eponymous cuvée (the name rotates between Serge’s three daughters) and a very good year it is too. As usual, the blend is 70 percent Grenache and 20 percent Syrah, with small touches of Mourvèdre and Cinsault to complete the picture. Poised and elegant, the wine is a notch lower than sometimes on the alcohol barometer-no bad thing in these parts. In this instance the lower alcohol allows the exuberant black-fruit profile a full and glorious expression.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

One of the best properties in the appellation of Vacqueyras, and certainly the bestnamed, Le Sang des Cailloux is located on the limestone escarpment which divides the villages of Vacqueyras and Sarrians. The idiosyncrasy betrayed by Serge Férigoule handle-bar moustache reveals an approach to winemaking which is as individual as it is successful. His unrivalled experience allows him to compare 2013 with 1983, when there was also coulure in the Grenache, but when there were also some very nice wines made.

Clay-limestone soils and 50-year-old vines are the progenitors of this exemplary blend, which is made up of 60 percent Grenache, and 40 percent Mourvèdre, with, unusually, no Syrah in 2014. Pumping over for 12 days, followed by nine month’s ageing, have yielded a gloriously fruity wine, with hints of soft spice and leather in the background and spicy subtle tannins even further in the background.
Drink 2018-2020.
Simon Field MW – Wine Buyer

Domaine Combier is based on the plateau of La Roche de Glun, its vines located at the foot of the hill of Hermitage. The Combiers came to Pont de l’Isère in 1962 and concentrated on growing fruit and apricots. It became clear that some of their land was adjacent to that of a young vigneron by the name of Alain Graillot. The transition to vines has been wholly successful and Laurent’s wines are now considered every bit as good as those of his great friend next door.

The older vines fared a little better in the somewhat complicated conditions of 2014, and those with a relatively more northerly location, benefiting from a little more granite in the soil maybe, have provided the bedrock of this cuvée in 2014. The wine is aromatic, floral and generous, with a silky come-hither appeal and a gentle, dignified finish. Drink now to 2018.

Jean-Michels’ vineyards are just to the north of Tournon, and are suitably precarious and difficult to farm. Industry is more than rewarded by this most appealing example, fairly forward, as is the style of the vintage, but with no shortage of peppery red and black fruit at its heart. A cool , engaging finish completes the edifice, finely constructed and beautifully decorated.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Three specific sites have been favoured this year, and the different ages of barrique or demi-muid employed pre-assemblage just about justifies the name of the cuvée. A powerful wine with a fine tannin-acid equilibrium, the 2013 bears the hallmarks of low yield diligence and minute attention to detail.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

An unwelcome hailstorm, allied to the usual refrains about the late season and apparently delayed harvest, ensured that 2013 was not the easiest of years for Emmanuel. This, of course, has not dulled the spirit of a man who seems to maintain his youthful enthusiasm for all things vinous. His naturally inquisitive mind has now been refined by experience and his use of oak is less ambitious—no bad thing in an appellation where the primacy and purity of the fruit itself should always be key.

For Emmanuel, 2015 was a relatively dry year – unusual in the sense that his vineyards are in Roche le Glun and therefore fairly near to the river. The sécheresse is not evidenced in the finished article, however. The low yields and coaxing alchemy of a gentle but persuasive extraction have ensured harmony; plenty of plummy, damson weight; fine, upstanding, youthful tannins; and signature aromatics of tapenade and Indian spice. This one will harmonise very agreeably over the short to medium term. Drink 2018-2023.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

A fabulous vineyard with extraordinary terroir, complete with its own decorative pagoda, Florentin is currently being rejuvenated by no lesser a personality than Jean-Louis Chave. This fully mature example demonstrates the ageing capacity of the Marsanne varietal; lemon zest, orchard fruit and hints of beeswax make this a good match for rillettes, say, or a pungent cheese such as St Nectaire.
Simon Field MW – Wine Buyer

Christophe Delorme describes 2013 as “atypical”, citing parsimonious yields of eight hl/ha for the Grenache in his Châteauneuf vineyards and a reduction in volume of his Lirac of over 50 percent. Such things make cash flow hard to predict, let alone manage; the prospect inspires a Gallic shrug and the observation that quality must be maintained, even with volumes which are far from profitable. This, it seems, has been achieved.
His parting shot is to describe the wines as “rare – but great”.

A nose of stone fruit (peach and apricot), pear and violets is followed by a palate that contains all the hallmarks of premium quality white Rhône, namely an opulent and waxy texture, re-assuring weight and a long finish. This is lovely now but will be happy in the cellar for at least a couple of years.
A nose of stone-fruit (peach and apricot), pear and violets followed by a palate that contains all the hallmarks of premium quality white Rhône, namely an opulent and waxy texture, re-assuring weight and a long finish. This is lovely now but will be happy in the cellar for at least a couple of years-should you prove stoical in your patience.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Christophe Delorme describes 2013 as ‘atypical’, citing parsimonious yields of eight hectolitres per hectare for the Grenache in his Châteauneuf vineyards and a reduction in volume of his Lirac of over 50 percent. Such things make cash flow hard to predict, let alone manage; the prospect inspires a Gallic shrug and the observation that quality must be maintained, even with volumes which are far from profitable. This, it seems, has been achieved. His parting shot is to describe the wines as ‘rare – but great’. A fabulous white, Mordorée’s 2013 Lirac La Reine des Bois Blanc checks in as a blend of just about every permitted white variety, including Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Picpoul and others. Aged all in stainless steel, it exhibits beautifully clean, mineral-laced notes of citrus rind, pear, honeysuckle and white flowers. This flows to a medium-bodied, refreshing, pure and elegant white that has integrated acidity, plenty of fruit and a classy finish. Drink it over the coming 2-4 years.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 (Part 2) Jan 2015