Organic Wine

This is such a juicy, inviting delight. It has wonderfully primary floral notes, and Cabernet Franc’s structured freshness. Zappy and delicious, and brilliant if served a little chilled.

Casimir is a blend of fruit from the younger vines of the domaine grown across a few parcels. Like the Chaillot it is made with 100% whole bunch fruit, and aged in old oak barrels, using minimal sulphur dioxide additions. There is plenty to get excited about here, particularly if you like the wilder side of Cornas, as this cuvée plays with volatility in a beautiful way.

This is the pinnacle of the Balthazar cellar - a Cornas that defines Franck’s style for making complex and ethereal Cornas from old vine fruit. The 2021 shows impressive tension, with a superbly long, silky finish. This is Cornas at its very best.

This village wine is 100% destemmed and has a sapid, redcurrant, spiced pomegranate character, with long, lightly structured tannins holding it together. This is a great entry point for one of Pommard’s most promising new voices.

Franck Balthazar is making some of the most exciting and sought-after wines in the Northern Rhône, gaining an army of fans for his low-intervention, whole-bunch, cool and balanced Cornas Syrahs. Franck buys organically grown fruit for this Côtes du Rhône from the southern Rhône village of Séguret. It’s a classic blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah. It shows incredible intensity for a wine of this level, and as a result is mind-bogglingly good value.

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 parcel sits at the bottom of the Hermitage hill on alluvial soils. In 2022 it is fleshy and full, with notes of fragrant red and black fruit, game and cracked black pepper. It is detailed, pure, elegant and complex. Utterly charming.

50-year-old Syrah vines grow in the high terraces of shingle and clay on the Hermitage hillside. This is rounded, with a voluminous texture and superb notes of dark fruits, black cherry, smoked meat, leather and a hint of dried rose petal. There is impressive complexity, with layers that build and build.

Coming from a 65 year old parcel, on the all-granite soils of lieu-dit Les Bessards, Le Pavillon displays cassis, blackberry and cracked black pepper notes. On the palate, the tannins are fine and swept along with fresh acidity, underpinned with a lovely, smokiness. This is a captivating Hermitage.

Les Varonniers comes from Chapoutier's oldest vines (60+ years) in Crozes, grown on south-eastern facing granitic soils. The elegant palate is packed full of cassis, black pepper and smoky notes and despite the cooler nature of the vintage there is wonderful ripeness of fruit. Drinking beautifully now, but with the capacity to go on.

Baron Louis is Montfaucon's flagship red, and is a testament to Rodolphe’s efforts to preserve local traditions and old rare varieties. The base is a classic 50% Grenache. But the other half is made up of floral Cinsault, powerful Mourvèdre, fresh Counoise, and fruity Carignan. The fruit is rich and creamy, with black plum, cherry and bramble. There's a purity of fruit this year but some subtle woody herb hints on the palate. The good value for money here cannot be overemphasized.

Made from 18 grape varieties, white and red, all picked when ready and fermented in the same tank, meaning a long continuous ferment. This results in a very complex wine with layers of spice, truffle and earth. One year in barrique before resting in concrete and bottle.

100% whole-bunch lifts this village Pommard up a notch or two. It’s such a fragrant and appetising style, and the best we’ve seen from Joannes since he took over in 2019. It is a great entry point for one of Pommard’s most promising new voices.

Tasted April 2023. 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Complex and energetic with lots of layered aromatic blue fruit and raspberry. Red cherry, black cherry and plum make a juicy, concentrated mid-palate and there are cooler, saline notes towards the finish.

Tasted April 2023. 100% Merlot. Anne-Laurence, who makes Chateau Marsau, has further increased the use of foudres this vintage to 80%. The remaining 20% is in old barrels, amphora and vats. There's an incredible amount of texture and savoury-tinged fruit on the palate as a result. Fragrant and lifted on the nose, and linear with lots of the chalky, refreshing salinity we love in Marsau. Ripe and focused tannins, present but fine and silky. Yields here were low but the wine really shows the benefits of their regenerative approach in the vineyard. This is a very expressive wine that sings of its people and place.

Tasted April 2023. 100% Merlot. Anne-Laurence, who makes Chateau Marsau, has further increased the use of foudres this vintage to 80%. The remaining 20% is in old barrels, amphora and vats. There's an incredible amount of texture and savoury-tinged fruit on the palate as a result. Fragrant and lifted on the nose, and linear with lots of the chalky, refreshing salinity we love in Marsau. Ripe and focused tannins, present but fine and silky. Yields here were low but the wine really shows the benefits of their regenerative approach in the vineyard. This is a very expressive wine that sings of its people and place.

Tasted April 2023. 100% Merlot. Anne-Laurence, who makes Château Marsau, has further increased the use of foudres this vintage to 80%. The remaining 20% is in old barrels, amphora and vats. There's an incredible amount of texture and savoury-tinged fruit on the palate as a result. Fragrant and lifted on the nose, and linear with lots of the chalky, refreshing salinity we love in Marsau. Ripe and focused tannins, present but fine and silky. Yields here were low but the wine really shows the benefits of their regenerative approach in the vineyard. This is a very expressive wine that sings of its people and place.

Tasted April 2023. One of the hidden gems of the vintage. This is full bodied, layered, plush with black berry fruit and licorice. There's a great, lifted rose petal aroma too and minerally freshness. Balanced and well-proportioned, punching well above its modest price point.

Tasted April 2023. A lovely silky feel on the finish with more fresh mint notes on the finish keeping it lively and appetising. Ripe blackberry, plum and some red cherry flavours, with a bay leaf, sage herbal quality.

Tasted April 2023. Complex and energetic with lots of aromatic and floral character. Dark berry fruit and blueberry, with lavendar, dried herbs and some more lifted fresh mint towards the finish with salty notes. Dark chocolate richness but vibrant and fresh on the finish.