The Southern Rhône: New releases

Made from Beaucastel's 85 - 100 year old vines with half of the wine matured in oak. These low yielding vines have produced an incredibly concentrated 2021, with warmth and musky complexity on the palate. Enjoy it's aromatic freshness now or leave for 15+ years to develop complex, honeyed flavours.

Only made in the better vintages Jean-Paul thinks around 10% of the wine this year has gone into Cuvée Félix, from their 27 plots across 16 hectares. It contains 30% Mourvèdre which lends a musky, cool blackcurrant character. Finely packed tannins coat the mouth and there's a lot of dark fruit concentration on the palate. Floral hints and fresh acidity builds to a fine finish, this should be fantastic with a few years in bottle.

This is from the lowest slopes at Vieille Julienne, a great site for Grenache, which loves its sandy, pebbly soils. The vines have an average age of 75+ years, and the wine is concentrated but poised. The Grenache gives generosity and breafth, and 10% Counoise brings some softer notes, freshness and balances the natural power of the wine. Lots of plush dark fruit flavours and firm structure, with a crunchy, red fruit accent and a minerally, stony finish.

As the name suggests, this is higher up than the surrounding vineyards, and its elevation affords it a freshness and also a heightened concentration. The 2020 is musky, fragrant and full of garrigue notes. Rich with blackcurrant fruit at the core, with more aromatic bramble and exotic spice as the wine opens up.

This is from the lowest slopes at Vieille Julienne, a great site for Grenache, which loves its sandy, pebbly soils. The vines have an average age of 75+ years, and the wine is concentrated but poised. The Grenache gives generosity and breafth, and 10% Counoise brings some softer notes, freshness and balances the natural power of the wine. Lots of plush dark fruit flavours and firm structure, with a crunchy, red fruit accent and a minerally, stony finish.

This is made in tiny quantities, from vines well over 100 years old. The soil is pure sand, and the resulting wine is very concentrated, with ripe fruit and layers of complex spice. It's long and precise, with very fine, densely packed tannins.

Dark bramble fruit with herbal notes and earthy, savoury spice. The tannins are tightly packed and fine, with a powerful, muscular structure. Warmth on the palate but with lifted, juicy red berry acidity.