2018 Rhône

Only made in the best vintages, this is intense, powerful and unbelievably long. The vines here are over 80 years old, and produce a monumental wine. A real privilege to try this.

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,

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.

Very juicy and elegant in 2018, with excellent energy and a very pure, focussed character. This is very long and very impressive for this price.

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.

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.

All from granite slopes, the 2018 Champelrose is a beautifully pure, lively expression of Syrah. Aged in around a quarter new oak, this has a touch of spice supporting the intense fruit, and a textured finish that lasts an age. Punches well above its price point.

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

Les Triotes comes from three parcels on the Côte Blonde: Lancement, Le Combard and Les Triottes. This is open and intense, with a very savoury, long, silky finish.

The Garons’ only bottling from the Côte Brune (hence the dark label), this parcel borders the legendary lieu-dit La Landonne. Plenty of opulence and sweetness here, and also a blood orange and spice note on the finish.

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.

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.

There’s quite a lot of Mourvèdre in the blend here, and it’s spicy, grippy and very intense, with plenty of complexity and length. It just needs some time to come together fully.

Grippy and deep, with plenty of tapenade and a lovely garrigue, herbal character. Very long indeed, and just so deliciously drinkable. Don’t overlook its ability to age, however.

From 70 year old vines, there are notes of strawberries and liquorice, with just a hint of blood orange, too. Very juicy and charming, these wines are so delicious in 2018.

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.

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.

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.

Finessed and pure, this is a wonderful introduction to the wines of Côte-Rôtie. Essence of raspberry and lots of floral character, with plenty of mineral notes on the finish.

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.

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.

Over the past few decades, Gros' Noré has emerged as a top Bandol address, rubbing shoulders with its famous neighbour, Tempier. Their powerful Mourvèdre blends are rich, spicy and impressively ageworthy, and as with all great Bandols, retain a salty, herb-infused freshness. This has a deep and chewy structure, with the scent of roasted spice and a beautiful thread of acidity running through it.

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.

The 2018 Vieux Télégraphe is a lesson is brilliantly balanced Châteauneuf. Notes of bramble and garrigue herbs on the nose, with tapenade and just a hint of ripe citrus adding lift and energy. The palate is structured and fresh, with a coolness that lasts. Brilliantly focussed.

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.