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.

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.

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 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.

The final ever vintage from Bernard Faurie, as he finally settles into his well-deserved retirement. And what a way to bow out, with this spectacular 2020 vintage. It is a blend of Greffieux, Méal, and Bessards, three of Hermitage’s finest sites. Full of gorgeous, luscious, fluid fruit density, with mineral detail, light-footed, silky tannins, and a superbly sustained finish.

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 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.

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 is one of the finest sites of the Côte Blonde, and it produces a wine of huge elegance and subtlety, although you’ll want to tuck it away for a few years before pulling the cork.

This is a fantastic site on the Côte Brune, shared between just three growers. The vines were replanted in 1980 and 2001, and their youthful vigour produces a juicy wine, with a rounded balance. 30% whole bunch and 30% new oak add silkiness and depth.

This has fast become a Lay & Wheeler favourite. It’s a juicy, pure, light-footed, and expressive Syrah that comes from vines planted just beyond the limits of the Côte-Rôtie appellation. The 2020 has a poised cassis character with a leafy freshness, and a perfume of violets and peonies. Smooth and appetising. Stock up.

Le Gréal is a unique and special blend, and the signature wine of the Sorrel domaine. 90% is drawn from the lauded Le Méal parcel, at 10% from Les Gréffieux, on the Hermitage hillside. There is a small amount of Marsanne co-planted amongst the Syrah that makes it into the blend, adding freshness and mollifying the tannins. These Sorrel vines date back to 1928 and produce exquisite concentration, making it a wine that rewards cellaring.

This comes from old vines planted in the historic vineyard of Rocoules. It is powerful and deep, and will certainly benefit from a few years in the cellar.

This is a blend of two parcels and is the hidden gem of Sorrel’s range. 20% comes from Bessards, and 80% from Les Plantiers, just below Le Méal. These vines produce fruit with real power, and this wine has a great presence. But the floral tones and salty fruit make it more accessible than the Gréal, and mean it should start to open up a little earlier.

Although Domaine Ogier is based in Ampuis in the Northern Rhône, Stéphane has made one very savvy investment in the South. From a site near Cairanne he produces this brilliant value Cotes du Rhône. It delivers fantastically juicy, lightly grippy length, with an abundance of sweet red fruit flavours, thanks to the 60% Grenache in the blend, which is filled out with 40% Syrah. It has smooth, attractive tannins thanks to the high proportion of whole bunch used in its fermentation.

This Vin de Pays comes from vineyards situated just behind the hillside of Côte-Rôtie, on the same granitic soils as the famous slope. It is a floral and dark-berried with a glossy freshness. It’s a great introduction to Stéphane’s Northern Rhône range. A mini-Côte-Rôtie.

As you move up through the Ogier wines, the amount of whole-bunch fruit used in their vinification climbs. Here, it starts to show in the creamy, dark, cassis-drenched fruit, with layers of black olive tapenade. The wine is dense and dark, with silky tannins and a long poised finish.

Pierre only started bottling this vineyard separately in 2016, and it has since proved it’s a cuvée well-worth following. It comes from a half hectare parcel just north of La Landonne which is home to 80-year-old vines planted by Pierre’s grandfather. He decided to isolate the parcel as he says every year these vines make such a pure and quintessential expression of Côte-Rôtie they deserved their own spotlight. In 2020 it is stridently Syrah, with dark cassis fruit and an aromatic freshness.

This is one of the most sought-after wines in the Rostaing stable, and only produced in tiny volumes, It displays a decadent nose, with a palate of ample structure and volumes. It will need time, but this has a promising future ahead.

This is quite possibly Côte-Rôtie’s most famous vineyard. In Pierre Rostaing’s hands this 2020 is dense and grippy, with a sophisticated restraint. Powerful and captivating.

This cuvée was first bottled separately in 2019, but is actually the first vineyard that Sylvain rented when he struck out on his own in 2007. So it holds a special place in his heart. The vines are 50-60 years old on south-facing terraces. It has a salty grip, and a deep, rich dark fruit weight on the palate.

This is a blend of 15 different parcels around Cornas, which Stéphane vinified separately, only blending at the final moment before bottling. This makes for a complexly layered wine that is defined by its silkiness and luscious length, as well as its great freshness.