The Rhone: Beautiful South

Domaine Font de Courtedune – for now, at least – is something of an insider’s secret. With vineyards right next door to Château Rayas, and sharing the same sandy soils, this tiny Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate produces outstanding wines that are a fraction of the price of those of its famous neighbour. The vineyards have long been owned by the Charrier family, but the fruit was sold to the local co-operative until 1997, when René Charrier established the domaine. Today his children Caroline and Frédéric are in charge.

Everything here is joyously traditional. The old vines (some of which are over 100 years old) are all farmed sustainably, with as little intervention as possible; a philosophy that follows through into the winery. Everything is whole-bunch, fermented and aged in concrete vats, with no oak to be found in the winery at all. They work almost exclusively with Grenache, with just a splash of Mourvèdre, Counoise, Cinsault, and Terret Noir to add extra spice and body to the wines.

An outstanding 2021 Chateauneuf ethereal and fresh, super sleek and wonderfully pretty. It's all about the pure fruit, lilting, sweet cherries, crushed raspberry and a touch of white pepper spice sprinkled in all the right spots. Lovely wine.

 

Soft and silky in style, enjoyably full-bodied, this is ripe, with ample fruit, balanced alcohol and good acidity. Altogether harmonious and very drinkable, this is an elegant style of Vacqueyras that comes highly recommended. DECANTER

Ripe peach, apricot, honeyed white flowers, and some mineral notes all define the 2022 Côtes Du Rhône Temps Est Venu Blanc, a medium-bodied, round, fleshy, nicely textured, balanced white that will have lots of flexibility on the dinner table.

All destemmed and made in concrete tanks, the 2022 Cotes du Rhone comes from two small parcels of vines. Mainly Grenache, with smaller amounts of Mourvèdre and Syrah, it's a terrific value this vintage, offering up loads of black cherries and blackberries, garnished with an appealing waft of garrigue. Full-bodied and soft, it's awfully easy to drink and enjoy. JOW CZERWINSKI, The Wine Advocate

Raisined fruit, fruitcake and prune on the nose with a hint of leaf tea. It’s exceptionally sweet and concentrated, with strong acidity and quite robust, ripe tannins. The balance and freshness is likely to see this age for a very long time. A leviathan of a wine that will probably last forever. 95g/L residual sugar. MATT WALLS, Decanter

Crafted primarily from Grenache, the 2022 Pigeoulet Vaucluse offers a gourmand, fresh bouquet of dark cherries, garrigue and wild dark berries. Moderately weighted and with a lovely juiciness, it's both balanced and elegant, featuring bright acidity and a long, mouthwatering finish. The grapes are sourced 80% from the Ventoux region, with the remaining 20% coming from alluvial soils in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. YOHAN CASTAING, The Wine Advocate

A vivid, juicy yet serious red with notes of cherries, strawberries, crushed raspberries and some roasted black pepper. Medium-bodied with fine tannins. Lively and spicy, with pure fruit character at the center and some dried herbs lifting the finish. Drink now. JAMES SUCKLING

A blend of 90% Grenache (sourced on galets roulés) and 10% Mourvèdre on sandy soils, the 2022 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Piedlong is a stunning wine. Evoking aromas of rose, violets, spices, garrigue and red berries, it’s medium to full-bodied, round and structured with bright acids, a long, delicate core of fruit and a mouthwatering mineral finish.

Taking its name from the lieu-dit Piedlong, this Brunier family project spotlights Grenache Noir cultivated on sandy soils and galets roulés that define the La Crau plateau. The typical blend for Piedlong comprises 90% Grenache from le Pied Long and 10% Mourvèdre from Pignan. This results in a lighter-hued wine that is more refined in expressing Grenache and Châteauneuf-du-Pape yet retains considerable aging potential. The 2021 vintage stands out as particularly successful despite the challenging conditions, tending toward an earlier drinking window, while the 2022 release represents a superb effort by the Brunier family within the vintage’s context. YOHAN CASTAING, The Wine Advocate