2018 Rhône

This is a wine that’s overlooked at your peril. From a number of plots, such as Combe, Les Saveaux, Cayret, Les Mazards, Chaillot and Chapuzes, this is the essence of Cornas. Baked earth and rusty notes, with a wonderful deep core of fruit, this is long,

From an average of 40 year old vines, this comes from numerous plots, with half on the hill and half on the plateau. Loads of focus here, it’s beautifully detailed and wonderfully balanced. The last remaining single Côte-Rôtie estate, and it’s a stunner.

Intense and perfumed, this has such a stunning Condrieu nose. Peaches and cream, as well as saffron and other spices. The finish is so long, and so mouthwatering, with a lovely texture. Outstanding.

Notes of garrigue and ripe plums, with plenty of chalky tannins and beautiful tapenade edge. There’s wild flowers on the palate, and a focussed and fresh finish. This is delicious, but with all the constituent parts to age brilliantly.

The 2018 Beaucastel is produced in tiny quantities, but is a gorgeous wine in the vintage. Notes of blue fruit and spice, with an earthiness coming from extra Mourvèdre in the blend. One for the cellar, it’s a shame so little was produced.

The nose on this Clos des Papes is haunting, with notes of wild strawberry, plums, wild herbs, violets and crushed rocks. The palate is silky, with perfect tannins, and a sense of volume yet elegance, while the mineral, focussed finish lasts for minutes.

From a single plot near the estate, this is dark and savoury, with wonderfully fine tannins. It shows that André is just as skilled with his reds as his whites.

From a blend of Greffieux, Méal, and Bessards, this is wonderfully balanced and finessed. There’s plenty of spice here, with notes of liquorice and a herbal lift. One of Bernard’s final vintages, and it’s a winner.

Coming from a range of vineyards, including Le Plomb, Montmains, and Bas de Coteau, Les Schistes is the benchmark wine from Clusel-Roch. Spicy and textured, with lots of floral character and a blood orange note, it’s an elegant, refined, impressive Côte-R

La Vialliere is one of the best sites in Côte-Rôtie, and this is a wonderful example. This is savoury and incredibly long. A remarkable wine.

The most powerful, intense wine in the Courbis cellar. This is planted straight onto the granite, and has deep, brooding fruit, with notes of iron oxide and lots of spice on the finish. Brilliantly balanced.

From the granite vineyards that surround the house, on the Côte Blonde, this is focussed and elegant, with an unfurling finish. An excellent purchase.

Another top cuvee, made from vines planted in 1901 in Pignam and La Crau, on sand, it’s named after their father Pierre, not a reference to stone. Volume and power, yet still elegance and finesse. Bravo.

Mainly Grenache with some Mourvèdre, Carignan and Syrah, from Châteauneuf-de-Gadagne, an area to the south with a similar profile to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This is peppery and fine, with wonderful fragrance. A smart buy.

From two vineyards, this is the hidden gem of Sorrel’s range. From 60 year old vines, this has a delicate floral character, with plenty of rich fruit and a beautifully long finish. One not to be missed.

90% comes from le Méal, with the rest coming from Les Gréffieux, there’s also just 10% coplanted Marsanne in the blend. The vines date back to 1928. This is astonishing. Notes of tapenade and dark berries on the nose, and also a wonderful fragrance. There’s a mineral tang here, that coats the palate, as well as wonderfully refined tannins. So long and so impressive, this is one of the Rhône’s greatest wines.

This is grippy, with red fruit and lots of pretty floral character, and a dusting of spice. From vineyards just above Côte-Rôtie, this is the essence of Syrah.

A blend of 15 lieux-dits across Côte Blonde and Côte Brune (in total 25 plots go into it). Floral lift and wonderful dark intensity. Perfectly balanced tannins make this a brilliant Côte-Rôtie: one to stock up on.

The Rostaings only make Côte Brune in the very best vintages, and 2017 fits the bill. Wonderful nose and palate, so fine and juicy, with silky acidity and excellent purity. There’s an energy here, with guts and depth, so much structure, and also so much classicism, but opulent, too, in its own way. Incredible.

Dark and intense on the nose, it’s mineral with wonderful density. There’s a balance here, with so much berry character and silkiness and wonderful grip on the finish, with a salty tang. Outstanding.

75% Grenache with the rest Syrah, this is a powerful and intense Gigondas, but one with lovely detailing to the fruit, and fragrance on the finish.

Notes of baked earth, wild berries and lots of spice on this impressive Châteauneuf. More savoury than the Trois Sources. This is stunningly long, and very well balanced.

There’s plenty of Grenache spice and wild flowers on the Trois Sources this year, which comes from the vines across the road from the cellar. This is intense and fresh, with loads of focus. Wonderful, but needs time.

Beautiful fragrance and elegance on this stunning southern white. There’s texture and restraint here, and a finish that just makes you want to have another glass.

Wow. Intense and powerful. So complex. Words just don’t do this brilliant Châteauneuf justice: one of France’s greatest wines.

There are five different foudres here, each with a slightly different blend. The final blend will be 77% Grenache. This is pure, elegant, with stunning drive. Incredibly long, there are delicate fruits and just enough grip. Not to be missed.

A selection of the favourite tonneaux from the Crozes production. This is quite spicy and intense. There’s plenty of spearmint and apples, and then opulent spice on the finish. Powerful and ageworthy.

There’s a beautifully balanced, yet intense and powerful Cornas. Notes of blood and iron, and such an inky character. This is a brilliant wine.

80% Marsanne and the rest Roussanne, with the former from 100 year old vines. There’s plenty of spice and fragrance and texture. Very long.

From Mauves and Tournon, there’s finesse and energy to this Saint-Joseph. Dark fruit, and plenty of fragrance, the spice on the finish gives the wine lift and length.

From around the Chapelle, where the soils are poor, this is a Marsanne with tons of texture and vibrancy. It comes from the oldest vines, and is one for the long haul.

From old vines, this is a remarkable Hermitage. Intense dark fruit and tapenade, but still the fine thread of acidity we’ve come to love from Claire’s wines. Elegance and power.

A blend of countless different grape varieties, this is the 41st vintage of Mas du Daumas Gassac. And it’s one of the finest, dubbed, “one of those vintages that only comes around every 10 years” by the estate. Gentle vinification and slow ripening have crafted a wine of elegance and finesse: one for the ages. It’s not to be missed.