Jean Louis Chave Cotes Du Rhone Mon Coeur 2022

.. the bouquet engages immediately, with an open, busy offer of cooked blackberry, a note of sweetness in it, like a coulis, and a touch of licorice from the Syrah. The palate glides along from the off, is a gourmand affair, with its sweet flow central to its appeal. It offers a Villages level Côtes du Rhône with ample content and good, dark berry fruit throughout, the tannins polished and in the wheel, just a note of grain from them on the close. There are threads of freshness that are vital for its movement. It's a free and full runner now, with the ability to loosen up a little over the next couple of years. JOHN LIVINGSTONE LEARMONTH

Its charismatic, black-hearted core wrestles your palate, offering a kaleidoscopic burst of blue, black and dark red berries. Ripe licorice flavours mix with earthy inky tones and then a suave tail of tannins guides you to the finish line. This is a Cote du Rhone with attitude and gravitas - buyer beware, you're in for a wild ride with this. GABRIELLE POY