Red wines from Rhône

Gold medal, Concours des vins Orange 2014

From the west of the Rhône and just opposite Châteauneuf du Pape, Lirac yields some really delicious red wines. In fact, we're finding it difficult to persuade some devoted fans to try anything else.

The Manissy vineyard is south facing, producing a flamboyant and full-bodied wine, smooth and silky with tremendous black fruit, oak and spice. It's a natural match for grilled or roasted meat, and it's organically produced to boot.

The Manissy estate was built in the middle of the 18th century and belongs to the Congregation of Missionary Fathers of the Holy Family, who planted the first vines in 1916, working the land and making wine using biodynamic methods.

In 2004 young winemaker Florian André was appointed to take charge. He carries on the traditional way of winemaking for the 'Tête de Cuvée' but modernized the cellar and developed new products to expand the range. Since 2012, all the estate's wines have been certified organic and the range includes two kinds of Tavel, a red Châteauneuf-du-Pape, two types of red Lirac, and Côtes-du-Rhône red, white and rosé as well as an IGP Gard made entirely from Syrah.

Supple and ripe with juicy flavours of plum jam, liquorice, Mediterranean herbs and cocoa. Medium-to-full body, with moderate acidity and light tannins.

Mas des Bressades was one of our first acquisitions, and Cyril Marès's wines have not failed to delight us in each successive vintage.

The Costières de Nîmes, the Rhone’s southernmost appellation, was previously called Costières du Gard before a name change in 1989. Until 2004 it was considered part of the Languedoc but today it is included in the Rhone.

Mas des Bressades makes appellation-level wines from Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and Cabernet (reds and rosés); top-tier whites are produced from Grenache blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier.

Robert Parker has said of the estate’s winemaker, ‘Young Cyril Marès crafts some well-concentrated bargains both red and white and an ambitious, flamboyant, but modestly-priced Cabernet-Syrah blend.’

The Costières de Nîmes was settled by veterans of Julius Caesar's campaigns in Egypt, and today's bottles from the appellation bear the unlikely symbol of the Roman settlement: a crocodile chained to a palm tree.

Full-bodied and expressive, with silky-sweet blackcurrant, pepper, liquorice and thyme flavours.

1. What the critics say ...
Jancis Robinson MW: "Lively crimson. Extremely sweet, candified nose. The Pomerol of the southern Rhône? Clean palate scrub on the end. Real energy."

Wine Advocate: "Cairanne tends to produce cool climate, earthy wines with a lot of pepper and spice notes, and, in this case, notions of raspberries and sweet, dusty cherries. There is a nice interaction between sweet and sour cherries in this medium to full-bodied, cool climate styled wine."

2. CAIRANNE was one of the first Côtes-du-Rhône villages to be singled out and allowed to use its name on labels. Its 848 hectares make it the largest of the named villages. Most reds from this southern part of the Rhône Valley are made from the same raw materials: grenache, syrah and mourvèdre with maybe a little cinsault, carignan or counoise.

A serious charmer, cherry red in colour with a rich, enticing nose of spices and ripe fruit. The concentrated red berry flavours are balanced by notes of cherry, blackberry and spices with just enough structure and pleasing length.

Serve this attractive red from the prestigious Perrin stable at a comfortable room temperature for effortless pleasure, with or without a special meal in mind.

This 2017 vintage will be remembered as the year of all records: the driest year in thirty years and non-interventionist vineyard work before optimal harvest conditions and a very small yield.

Though this is a wine for immediate enjoyment, it can certainly age for a while if necessary.

Located just 8km from Chateauneuf du Pape, the appellation of Gigondas is geographically very diverse and benefits from cool air from the Dentelles de Montmirail.

Grenache reigns supreme here, especially on the sandy soils that give its unique elegance and aromas of cherries, chocolate and blackberries. The wine is complemented by Syrah that brings spice, violet and smoky flavours to the blend.

‘…the 2015 Gigondas La Gille (80/20 Grenache and Syrah) offers classic Gigondas character in its framboise, ripe cherries, spice and floral aromas and flavors. It’s medium to full-bodied, has a light, elegant texture and is beautifully balanced, and it’s going to keep for 7-8 years.’91/100
Jeb Dunnuck - 19/10/2017

The power and body of the Rhône but with a higher register too, of spice and floral notes. The palate is fresh, with herbal and cocoa-tinged flavours alongside its vigorous black fruits. This is a relatively racy incarnation of Vinsobres, but it's a serious contender nonetheless when it comes to rich, savoury meals that demand something substantial in the wine department.

Vinsobres is the most northern appellation of the southern Rhône, so it is well suited to Syrah. In ‘Les Cornuds’, the Perrins use the maximum allowable percentage of Syrah, given that appellation laws stipulate Vinsobres must be at least 50% Grenache.

‘One of two releases from Vinsobres, which is located in the northern, cooler part of the Southern Rhône Valley. From higher elevation and cooler sites, the 2015 Vinsobres Les Cornuds is a 50/50 split of Grenache and Syrah. It should end up being an outstanding wine and offers lots of black fruits, pepper and garrigue in a full-bodied, seriously textured and layered style.’
89-91/100The Wine Advocate

‘From a vineyard at the northern edge of the southern Rhône, this evokes cooler climates in its lean, peppery red fruit. And yet the wine feels substantial, a firm minerality lending it breadth and length. Pair it with juicy, rare steak.’
90/100Wine & Spirits 01/02/2017

Cyril Marès' mighty Syrah ‘Excellence’ from the Mediterranean end of the southern Rhône has everything you could ask for in a robust, concentrated dining wine.

Like the other wines from this remarkable estate, it's a regular medal winner and the 2016 vintage scooped not only gold at the 2018 Nîmes concours, but also the judges' special prize: in effect, a double gold.

A deeply coloured, densely powerful glassful that explodes with black fruit and spiciness, this is one to open well in advance, and decant if you can, to give full expression to the layers of flavour wound up inside it. With subtle tannins and wonderful structure, it's an experience that should not be missed when there is a rich red meat or game dish to accompany it.

‘…rich, chocolatey, spicy, with a touch of Agen prune. Fab’
Tom Doorley, Irish Mail on Sunday, May 2020

‘This darkly coloured, pure-Syrah cuvée has a rich, fruitcake-like scent and vivid, luscious ‘pull-out-all-the-stops’ flavour. It wasn’t the subtlest wine in the tasting, but for anyone who enjoys a new world style from an old world location, this luxury mouthful is worth a look. The beefy finish sees off the oak.’
88/100 Andrew Jefford, Decanter.com, April 2018

Fruity, spicy black fruit aromas introduce a generously flavoured dry red that combines the complementary characters of the the four grape varieties in the blend to give a powerful, rounded wine with attractive length and a delicate, fruity softness in the finish. Elegant, complex, and satisfying.

This delicious dinner wine meets all the requirements of the Sablet division of the Côtes du Rhône, and so is eligible for bottling in the village's special crested bottle.

Limited to one per customer. Further details to follow or on application.

The Manissy estate was built in the middle of the 18th century and belongs to the Congregation of Missionary Fathers of the Holy Family. They planted the first vines in 1916, working the land and making wine using biodynamic methods.

In 2004 young winemaker Florian Andre was appointed to take charge. He carries on the traditional way of winemaking for the 'Tête de Cuvée' rosé, which was used as Mass wine and greatly appreciated by connoisseurs of rosé wines, but has modernized the cellar and developed new products to broaden the range.

Since 2012, all the wines are certified organic and the range includes two kinds of Tavel, one red Châteauneuf-du-Pape, two types of red Lirac, and Côtes-du-Rhône red white and rosé as well as an all-Syrah IGP Gard.

The estate’s motto is: Auspice clara Manissy stella, meaning: 'Under the protection of the bright star of Manissy.'

Aromatic and generous with plush aromas of blackberry, chocolate and fig, with a ripe-tannined, full-bodied palate of liquorice, violets and pink peppercorn.

Drink it if you have the chance with venison, fillet steak, or barbeques, good-quality sausages and root vegetables.

‘Dark crimson. Spicy, leathery nose. Big and bold and full of life.’
Jancis Robinson MW

‘The opulent, voluptuously textured, dense, rich 2010 Vacqueyras Cristins (reveals) lots of Provencal herbs as well as blackberry and black cherry liqueur notes in its full-bodied, intense, luscious personality. This impressive Vacqueyras should drink well for 10-12 years.’
Wine Advocate

Vacqueyras is a Southern Rhône appellation for red, white and rosé wines. Until 1990, it was one of the Côtes du Rhône villages, before the consistent performance of its red wines earned it a promotion.

The reds must contain 50% classic southern Rhône variety Grenache. The remainder of the blend is made up of Syrah and Mourvedre, with an additional 10% of any of the other Côtes du Rhône varieties (except Carignan).

In terms of climate, the area is Mediterranean (the sea is just 80km away) and is therefore blessed with a long, hot, dry growing season, ensuring maximum ripeness for its grapes. This, combined with a generally south-westerly aspect, results in unusually big and powerful wines.

‘The young vines from Beaucastel contribute fruit to this bottling, but the 2017 Châteauneuf du Pape les Sinards deserves to stand on its own. It’s a complex, floral, seductive blend of roses, raspberries, cherries and blueberries. Fullbodied and lush, it should be consumed over the next decade or so.’
92–94/100 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate 31st October, 2018

The grapes for this wine are partly flash-heated, as with Beaucastel, and partly vinified in the traditional way after destemming. The wine is aged in foudres for a year, and bottled after fining and light filtration.

Cyril Marès's father first grew Cabernet Sauvignon in the Haut-Médoc with his own father, then decided to try it out in the Costières de Nîmes a generation ago.

The Bordeaux grape makes a powerful, complex blend with the south's native Syrah, resulting in a wine that isn't eligible (because of the Cabernet component) for AOC status, but that demonstrates just how rewarding some of the experimental vins de pays from grower estates can be.

There are sweet black berries on the nose, and concentrated, generous ripeness. On the mid-palate there are suggestions of cedar and cigar box around a core of complex dark fruit, and there's a long plum & chocolate finish.

This substantial red offers exceptional value in a wine that is very different from the AOC and that makes for interesting comparisons with serious expressions of the same blend from Australia and South Africa.

Supple and ripe with juicy flavours of plum jam, liquorice, Mediterranean herbs and cocoa. Medium-to-full body, with moderate acidity and light tannins. A delicious, unoaked, dining or party wine that makes a perfect match for steaks, burgers and barbecues, but has so much fruit character that it's very easy to enjoy just on its own.

The Costières de Nîmes is the Rhone’s southernmost appellation, and was previously known as the Costières du Gard before a name change in 1989. Until 2004 it was considered part of the Languedoc, but today it is included in the Rhône region, which makes sense considering the predominance of Grenache and Syrah in its red wines and the galet-strewn Châteauneuf-du-Pape-like soils on which they grow.

Robert Parker has said of the estate’s winemaker, "Young Cyril Marès crafts some well-concentrated bargains both red and white and an ambitious, flamboyant, but modestly-priced Cabernet-Syrah blend."

Costières de Nîmes was settled by veterans of Julius Caesar's campaigns in Egypt, and today's bottles of wines from the appellation bear the unlikely symbol of that time's Roman settlement - a crocodile chained to a palm tree.

“Dark red with purple highlights...steeped red fruits and spicy nose. Good volume, generous matter (full of fruits) and silky tannins in the mouth. Excellent aromatic persistence, really succulent, enjoy now!” In Vino Veritas

‘Youthfully reticent, but warm and polished in feel, with a large core of cassis, raspberry and cherry puree notes lying in wait for now. Threads of red licorice, warm stone and singed mesquite and cedar emerge steadily through the lengthy finish as the fruit unwinds slowly. Concentrated yet precise. Sock this away in the cellar. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Counoise.’

97/100 Wine Spectator, September 2019

‘Being bottled the day of my visit, the 2016 Chateauneuf-du-Pape checks in as a blend of 30% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and the rest a mix of permitted varieties. It offers a ripe, sexy, rounded style that quickly shows more structure, minerality, and tannin with time in the glass. Blackberries, blueberries, smoked earth, violets, and garrigue all give way to a full-bodied, deep, structured Beaucastel that’s going to benefit from 5-7 years of bottle age and keep for two decades. It reminds me of the 2001.’

96+/100, Jeb Dunnuck, August 2018

‘The nose is tightly wound for now, but shows fresh black fruits and an underlying herbal seam. It’s full-bodied but immediately lifted and fresh on the palate, with powerful fruit and a dense lattice of ripe tannins. It is beautifully textured, very straight in style, with great length and energy. It’s already very well integrated and balanced. Tight, refreshing, mineral and intense. A truly excellent Beaucastel.’

96/100 Matt Walls, Decanter, October 2017

‘This is a stunning Beaucastel. A classic! Has a superb array of fruit, ranging from red, through to blue, darker purple and black. Nuances of dark, stony minerals, spices, wild flowers and herbs. So fleshy. This has impeccable balance, super-silky tannins and an extraordinarily long finish. This has decades ahead of it. Drink or hold.’
99/100 James Suckling, August 2018

‘Bouquet, floral, raffiné et complexe. Elégant en bouche, toucher délicat. Plus structuré que le 2015. Style complet et sensuel. Grande finale, en fraîcheur, retour sur la peau de cerise. Un très grand Beaucastel.’

18.5/20 Guide Bettane et Desseauve des vins de France, September 2018

‘Some reductive notes on the nose. Floral and rich on the palate with gorgeous spice mix and effortless balance. A great wine, with great pedigree – you can taste this in the sheer elegance and intensity.’

18/20 Jancis Robinson, November 2017

The magnum format is two bottles' worth, so not too big, but it still makes sure there's enough to go round when there are guests.

The La Vieille Ferme range, from the Perrin family who make the celebrated Châteauneuf-du-Papes of Beaucastel, is meant to offer genuine winemaking and an authentic Rhône style at an everyday price, and in our view it succeeds—the whole range is reliable, tasty+ and offers the best of what a wine brand should be.

This is a fruity, medium-bodied red with aromas of red fruits and moreish cherry freshness in the mouth. There's a little tannin for structure, but it's a pleasure wine first and foremost, welcome on any occastion where a dependable, not too big-bodied red is called for.

The rich, intense quality of good Châteauneuf du Pape is balanced here with a lively, juicy freshness that may be due to scrupulous organic methods, or maybe it's just great winemaking.

This bold red comes from grapes grown in the east of the appellation in a variety of soils: the typical rounded pebbles, galets, sand, sandstone and red clay. Each parcel brings its own characteristics to the final blend, which is partly aged in concrete tanks and partly in big demi-muids barrels before six months in bottle.

The Cascavel wines are polished, authentic and very fairly priced for their quality.

A fine, fresh expression of pure Syrah. This is an inky-dark wine with delicate bramble and currant aromas and hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. It's concentrated but at the same time mouthwatering, with perfect balance and subtlety in keeping with the best of what the vintage had to offer.

"Although the hot spring and cool, wet July of 2011 made for some challenges (yields were down 50 percent from 2010), this is a lush and inviting vintage of Beaucastel. It stands out not only for the exuberance of its cassis flavor but its purity; if that flavor were a color, it’d be cadmium red. While it should hold well in the cellar for a few years, it is so appealing now it’s hard to think of a reason to wait.".
Wine and Spirits93/100

"Inky ruby. Powerful, expressive aromas of red- and blackcurrant, cherry and licorice, with suave anise and floral overtones. Juicy and precise, with tangy red and dark berry flavors, supple texture and a strong mineral note on the back. Spicy on the finish, which shows very good focus and length. This is impressively elegant and should be drinkable on the young side."
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar91-93/100

"Reminiscent of a lighter weight 2009, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape offers up a sweet bouquet of spiced black cherries, plum, truffle, saddle leather and underbrush. Coming from tiny yields (which were down 50% from 2010), this medium to full-bodied 2011 is gorgeously textured and has solid mid-palate depth, terrific purity of fruit and ripe tannin. Relatively approachable and enjoyable even now, it should nevertheless evolve gracefully for 15-20 years."
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate94/100, 11/01/2013

"The 2011 Beaucastel, which is an identical blend, is the result of an incredibly severe triage because of the irregularity of ripening essentially across all varieties in 2011. The wine displays some tannin, is medium to full-bodied, with lots of Provencal herbs, pepper, incense, blueberry and black currant fruit. It seemed to me that the Mourvedre was showing through strongly when I tasted it. The wine is long, rich, not one of the great vintages by any means, but still very well-made. This wine will need 2-3 years of cellaring and drink well for 15 or more."
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate89-92/100

"Very sleek and refined despite the obvious heft, featuring steeped red and black currant fruit studded with bergamot, blood orange, sweet tobacco and alder notes. The long, racy finish has a lovely echo of singed mesquite. Best from 2015 through 2027."
James Molesworth, Wine Spectator94/100, 17/11/2014

«Une Famille redécouvre sa maison à la fin des vacances de printemps. La robe est grenat sombre. Le bouquet est encore légèrement sucré, plein des souvenirs d'exhalaisons minérales, de transats taillés dans le chêne et d'océans de cerises Burlat. Sur le palais, de modernes parfums de bonbons accompagnés de tanins moyennement corsés, songent aux fragrances d'herbes de Provence et d'encens qu'ils ont laissées en rétro-olfaction. La finale est riche, sans excés. Du poivre, du cassis et des bleuets l'accueillent avec bienveillance. L'un des "Grand Cru" de l'appellation.»
France Art de Vivre92/100, 31/10/2013

Château de Beaucastel has long been regarded as one of the greatest wines in France, celebrated for its elegance, balance and ageing potential. Beaucastel has an exceptional terroir at the northern extreme of Châteauneuf du Pape, exposed to the Mistral wind. All thirteen varieties of the appellation have been organically grown since the sixties, and Beaucastel grows all thirteen grape varieties authorised by the appellation. Château de Beaucastel is 110 hectares in a single plot at the north of the appellation. The terroir is typical of the best terroirs in Châteauneuf: rolled pebbles on the surface and sand, clay and limestone deeper down. The vines are old and have been organically grown for 50 years, which has allowed the roots to grow particularly deep. Each variety is harvested separately and manually. Vinification takes place in oak fermenters for the reductive varieties (Mourvèdre, Syrah) and in traditional enamelled concrete tanks for the other, oxidative grapes. When malolactic fermentation is complete, the different varieties are blended and the blend aged in oak casks for a year before bottling.

‘The 2010 Beaucastel is a tour de force, brilliantly combining espresso and
black olive notes with bright raspberry fruit, while dark earthy notes provide
a solid base. The feel on the palate is ample, with tannins that are a bit dusty
but not tough or chewy. The long, mouthwatering finish bodes well for the future.’
96/100 Wine Enthusiast

‘Nearly black in colour. The nose is very delicate and powerful at the same time, with red fruit, blackcurrants, blackberries, spices, thyme and lavender. Very dense and meaty on the nose. Appetising and no shortage of flesh but no heavy sweetness or alcohol. Really quite racy! Complex. Real lift and line through it.’
18/20 Jancis Robinson, December 2011

‘This is a gorgeous wine, a classic blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the balance the other permitted varietals in the appellation. Deep purple, with loads of bouquet garni, beef blood, blackberry, kirsch, smoke and truffle, this wine is full-bodied, rich and showing even better than it did last year. I still think it needs 3-5 years of cellaring, and it should last for 25-30 years, as most of the top vintages of Beaucastel do.’
95/100, The Wine Advocate, October 2012

‘The most famous Châteauneuf, Beaucastel comes at a scary price, but it tends to age beautifully, developing glorious complexity with 15 to 20 years, a big reason for the premium. The ripeness here is perfect, and there’s no trace of the love-it-or-hate-it funky barnyard quality that has come to typify the organically farmed brand. It is handsomely structured, with cherry and licorice up front and nuances of herb and beef jus’
93/100, The Globe and Mail, November 2012

‘It is another wine collectors love to own, but give this to those who have the patience and perspicacity to appreciate a work of art in progress. It is so finely tuned and effortless and reserved that it would be easy to overlook its flirtation with perfection, especially in terms of its ripeness.’
David Lawrason, October 2012