Northern Rhône 2020

This is one of two signature reds at the domaine (the other is the Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes). It is a fruit-driven style with density and finesse. A long, gentle maceration draws out subtle liquorice and dark cherry notes with a lovely volume.

Alain Voge’s pithy sparkling wine, Les Bulles d’Alain, is unlike anything else we have on our list. It is lively, dry, refreshing, and refined. If you’re in the mood for bubbles, but don’t want the weight of a Champagne, this is the perfect option, and a smart price too. It’s a very good example of why Saint-Péray has built its renown for sparkling wines.

This is the second of the domaine’s signature cuvées (the other is Cornas Les Chailles). It comes from, unsurprisingly, the old vines which are planted further up the slopes at altitudes ranging from 250-400m. Small amounts of whole bunch fruit (20%) add freshness and silkiness. In 2020 it benefits further from fruit that usually goes into a single vineyard cuvée, La Chapelle St Pierre, but because volumes were so small, it has been blended in here, adding extra lift and volume to the fruit. This wine shows superb old vine intensity, with density and precision in its notes of tapenade and cassis.

Alongside their impressive reds, this domaine makes wonderful still whites from Marsanne in Saint-Péray. 2020 is a year to snap up this cuvée, Ongrie, as sadly none at all has been made in 2021. The parcel sits just behind the village, near the river. The vines are over 50 years old and enjoy the clay soils here. It shows Marsanne’s satisfying bitterness and mouth-watering freshness, supported by subtle new oak, giving it a Burgundian feel. Notes of dried honey and lavender make it a stand out white Rhône.

This domaine only makes one wine, and they throw everything they’ve got at it. It is a blend of five parcels across the Côte Blonde and Côte Brune. They are the only domaine still producing just one blend in Côte-Rôtie. But they are fully justified in continuing this tradition; the quality of this wine speaks for itself. 2020 is the first vintage with talented Pierre Burgaud in sole charge, after a smooth handing-over from his father, Bernard. This vintage has deep concentration and wonderful acidity. Pierre calls it ‘exceptionnelle’, and we quite agree. He suggests it will have two drinking windows: one early on, in its first year or two, and another after a decade in the cellar.

This is a standout wine in the appellation, and one of the best value wines on our Rhône list. Stéphane Rousset’s vines are all clustered in the northern sector of the appellation on granitic soils at high altitude (between 120-300m). This 2020 has such a charming red berry fleshy fruit, sweetly scented, with fine little tannins and a refreshing acidity. All in all, a very complete, balanced and charming wine.

The south-facing schist-terraced Les Picaudières vineyard produces age worthy, expressive, sumptuous wines. The 2020 wears a little more new oak than the straight Crozes-Hermitage, and as a result has a richer depth and will require a little more patience. It is focused and vibrant, with a wonderful depth of fruit.

This Syrah comes from old vines grown on the steep slopes in the north of the long, narrow St Joseph appellation, near the domaine in Condrieu. It is dark and brambly, with a brightness and clarity on the palate of crunchy cassis fruit with a twist of licorice.

If André’s straight Condrieu is the benchmark, then this is a wine that transcends its category altogether. The vines here are approaching 70 years old, and the wine has a lifted salty aroma taking it to another level altogether. So much tension and persistence on the palate.

This is so zesty and vibrant, with a beautiful orange zest and floral scent. The palate is silky and mineral - a combination that André Perret, and now his daughter Marie with him, have a dab hand at conjuring from the Viognier grape.

This Gamay is a revelation. It’s made by one of Côte-Rôtie’s most accomplished winemakers, Guillaume Clusel, whose Syrahs are highly sought-after. Here he turns his hand to the lighter variety of Gamay, making a wine that is so juicy and sweet and full of freshness. It is far more than a curiosity. The vines are grown on the decomposed granitic soils that lie south of Lyon. Its silky tannins and a fresh acidity are perfectly balanced. Great value and utterly delicious.

This is Clusel Roch’s classic blend. Indeed, in previous years it had been called ‘Classique’. It comes from a range of vineyards across the iron-rich soils of the Côte Brune, including Le Plomb, Montmains, and Bas de Coteau. The blend has a Burgundian composure, with red fruit fragrance and a lithe, cool length. A little spice in the background gives it texture and depth.

This vineyard was planted in 1945, and the old vines are treated with huge respect in the Courbis cellar, where Laurent applies a generous 50% new oak to the wine, that is more than matched by the natural density of fruit. This is a big, powerful, broad-shouldered wine. Its 250m elevation helps it retain freshening acidity, which offers a great foundation to the statuesque density of the wine.

This is the most intense and refined of the Cornas wines in the Courbis cellar. It comes from a vineyard planted in 1990, and the vines have produced such a balanced freshness and smoky depth in 2020. It has great ageing potential if you have the patience, but also great driven freshness if you choose to approach it early. Hugely elegant.

This comes from fruit grown on granitic slopes in the heart of Cornas. It is always the most floral and forward of the Courbis Cornas wines. The 2020 has a lovely dark berry lift on the nose, and a rich mineral depth on the palate. Salty and wonderfully poised along its length.

This bursts with green pineapple perfume. Both exotic and vibrant. It has a silky, textured palate. It comes from a single vineyard in the south of the appellation, in St Pierre de Boeuf. The east/north-east aspect makes this site cooler than many, and its granite and gneiss soils results in superb mineral tension to the wine.

This comes from a blend of grapes from Chavany - which give the wine a fruity profile, and grapes from Vérin - which add minerality and tension. It has a detailed nose of nettle freshness, with a great mineral length on the palate. This is a highly accomplished Condrieu blend, and great value for money.

This site is in Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône, just south of Château Grillet in the heart of the Condrieu appellation, where the quartzite mica-schist soils make wines of length and finesse. It is smoky, firm, and energetic, and clearly has plenty to give over the years to come.

Sybarine comes from vines very close to the Garon cellar on the Côte Blonde. Its granite soils make for an open, refined, and silky Côte-Rôtie, and is the earliest drinking of the four Garon cuvées. No new oak is used here, and the 2020 has 10% whole bunch fruit. It is peppery and sappy, it is an upfront and bold style of Syrah with black fruit character and savoury length.

This comes from four neighbouring lieux-dits on the Côte Blonde: Lancement, La Triote, Le Combard and Le Mollard. They share a high proportion of white schist in their soils, making for an intense, savoury, and long expression. It has 20% whole bunch, and the fruit is glossy and deep.

This is perhaps the wine that needs the most explanation in the Bott cellar. The name may sound unfamiliar, but it’s one to remember. There are great hopes Seyssuel will be elevated to full cru status within a matter of years. The vines are planted just a 10 minute drive from Ampuis on schist and gneiss soils that glisten in the sunlight. There’s no granite here on this side of the river, and the Syrah is floral and pinot-esque, with an elegant texture and a spicy, salty undertow. Kamata is the Maori word for rock or stone, and a nod to Graeme’s Kiwi origins. Much more than a curiosity.

When winemakers talk about tending their vineyards like their gardens, we understand what they mean, but take it with a pinch of salt. In this case, these vines literally are Graeme and Julie’s garden, which sits between Coteau de Chéry and Château Grillet, below their house in Vérin. They bought the house a few years ago, and on discovering their garden was in fact prime AOC Condrieu, they not only decided to plant it with vines, but also to start their own domaine. So it’s where their story really begins. 2019 was the first release, and 2020 sees them really hitting their stride. The five-year-old vines have made a superb wine that comes in at just 12.5% abv. It smells of dried honey and lavender, and the palate has delicious freshness, with the richness of baked shortbread in the background. This is a special wine indeed.

This is a poised and energetic Condrieu. The Botts are not looking for richness and ripe alcohols in their whites. To that end they pick fairly early. This is a very balanced and restrained 13% abv, and is packed with vibrant fresh fruit flavours and a touch of almond. There is depth but no heaviness here. Julie says the granitic soils of Condrieu gives the wine minerality and freshness alongside natural ripeness. It should be superb after a year in bottle.

This fresh, bright, early-picked Viognier encapsulates Graeme & Julie’s skill at handling this grape. Where their Condrieus are emerging as some of the most interesting in the appellation, this ‘First Flight’ is a great value window onto their style. The vines are grown in granite soils at 300m altitude. The Botts are confident that 2020 is their best vintage for whites so far (they started in 2016) and this little gem is a bargain you won’t want to miss.