Under £30 per bottle in bond

This beautiful old vine red from the Mont Ventoux is made predominantly from Grenache (90%), with some grippy back bone added by a small splash of Syrah and Cinsault. It is made by intrepid winemaker Even Bakke, who likes to practise extended ageing before bottling, only doing so when the wines are at the perfect point to start drinking. This 2015 has a wonderful tannic impact, with a long peppery finish. Having been given plenty of time to mature, the tannins and fruit are now perfectly matched, and what’s more, there are delicious tertiary flavours of spice and forest floor on full display.

It’s hard to express how much we love this cuvée. It’s a juicy, pure, light-footed, and expressive Syrah that comes from vines planted just beyond the limits of the Côte-Rôtie appellation. It is fragrant and open, with vivid cherry and cranberry notes. There’s a deliciously leafy freshness, with the scent of peonies woven through the fruit. Fresh, bright, and appetising. Stock up. This has fast become a Lay & Wheeler favourite.

This classic, old-school Châteauneuf from Jean-Paul Versino is one of the bargains of the list. It comes from a blend of 27 plots, making for a balanced, complete, and inviting Grenache-based Châteauneuf. It is dry and savoury, with the gorgeous combination of red berry fruit, dried herbs, spice and just a hint of licorice. It will drink well from early on, and evolve into an earthy, complex wine in the cellar.

This is the Barrot family’s flagship wine. It is rich and woven-through with ripe tannin and forest fruit flavours. It has a muscular body and a bright, red-fruit-driven finish.

Alain Graillot has long reigned as Crozes-Hermitage’s most respected grower. His sons Maxime and Antoine now run the ship and are making Crozes par excellence. This 2022 is sweetly fruited, with excellent depth. It always sits in the red spectrum of fruit, where all the best Crozes find themselves. It has structure, but also an effortless tenderness, thanks perhaps to its whole bunch fruit (the influence of Alain’s training at Domaine Dujac?).