Domaine de la Vieille Julienne

Under the guidance of Jean-Paul Daumen, this estate on the very northern borders of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation is now considered to be one of the leading domaines. One of the first estates to convert to biodynamic practises when Jean-Paul took over from his father in 1990, the 22 hectares of vineyards are nearly all north facing, giving relieve from the hot summer days and lending the wines the all-important freshness. Attention to detail is everything here, with some very old plots of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault & Carignan and a wine making style more at home in Burgundy, it is clear to see why it is held in such high regard by journalists, Rhône enthusiasts, sommeliers and restaurateurs around the world.

Trois Sources is from sand-based vineyards on the lower banks of the estate and are the more approachable when young, whilst the Les Hauts Lieux come from the limestone dominated higher vineyards on the northern boundary of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and need more time to come around. In great years a Reserve wine is made in miniscule quantities from ancient Grenache vineyards. This is our second vintage we've offered from Vieille Julienne, and our excitement to be working with and shipping from this excellent domaine is ever growing; these are deeply coloured, pure and aromatic but with incredible freshness - you can buy these confident that they will richly reward patience over the next 8-15 years. They also produce an utterly brilliant Côtes du Rhône called Lieu-dit Clavin, possible the best value Côtes du Rhône in the entire Rhône Valley.

Domaine des Escaravailles

Domaines des Escaravailles was established in 1953 by Jean-Louis Ferran and his two sons, Daniel and Jean-Pierre, in the village of Rasteau.

Today it is run by the third generation of the family, Gilles, the son of Daniel. With vineyards on not only the clay, limestone hillsides of Rasteau, but also in Cairanne, Roaix, Villedieu and St Roman de Malegarde. The estate is run organically and everything is done by hand with the wines made in the cellars in the heart of the property in Rasteau.

The estate takes it's name from the Occitan word for the Scarab Beetle, which you will also find adorning the labels of the wines.

Madeline Ferran on the 2022 vintage:

'Rare are the vintages where we start harvesting in August and finish before the end of September. The 2022 vintage was marked by a historic heat wave and drought, but it surprised us in many ways. The white wines combine aromatic freshness and tension, while the reds are deep, balanced and really complex'

Domaine la Bouïssière

Thierry and Gilles Faravel's Domaine la Bouïssière in Gigondas is exceptional in many ways, apart from the personality of Thierry himself, it is the site of the vineyard, high up under the 'Dentelles de Montmirail' which makes the defining difference.

In contrast to the vines being baked on the plains of stones at the foot of the hill, the Bouïssière vines benefit from cooling air at night falling from the high peaks, and the wines retain a freshness and subtle persistence which is very different to the sometimes bludgeoning broadness and alcoholic heat of the wines on the plain.

Gilles and Thierry Faravel employ non-interventionalist practices to make wines as naturally as possible, resulting in wines of immense concentration and depth, with true vibrancy and the capacity to age for ten to fifteen years.

Thierry Faravel on the 2022 vintage:

‘It’s a vintage that has produced wines with a charming freshness, full of dark fruit character and edged with fine tannins. Our harvest took place right up until mid-October and this longer ripening period favoured more delicate aromas in the grapes. The tannins are fine but bring a firm, final tension to the wine. The vintage avoids being over-the-top and the wines all have a certain elegance, especially on the palate.’

Domaine le Sollier

Domaine le Sollier is the most westerly domaine in Duché d'Uzés in the foothills of the Cévennes based in the village of Monoblet. A largely calcareous mountainous terrain, the Cévennes enjoys a Mediterranean climate of hot days, balanced by cool nights.

What marks out le Sollier is that it lies on a fault, so the 12.5 hectares of vineyards, farmed by Nicolas Olivier and his brothers, have a mix of different soils. Sandstone, marl, limestone and dolomitic deposits are well drained and allow Nicolas to produce eye-catching wines of great purity.

Low intervention winemaking with minimal sulphur, these are beautifully detailed wines of great persistence and immense drinkability.

Domaine de Cristia

Based around Courthezon and taking the name from the lieu dit 'Cristia', Domaine de Cristia was established by Etienne Grangeon in the early 1950s with just two hectares of Grenache. His son Alain joined the domaine in the 1960s. It was Alain who slowly started to increase the vineyard holdings and plant Syrah & Mourvèdre to complement the Grenache that makes up the majority of the estate.

Today the estate is in the very capable hands of Etienne's grandchildren, Baptiste, Dominique and Florent, who joined in 1999. They have nearly 19 hectares based mainly in the sandy soils around Courthezon. All the vineyards have been certified since 2008, with a biodynamic approach also being followed.

The vineyards are mainly northeast facing so benefit from not getting too much hot sun during the early part of the day, with the sandy soils lending freshness and elegance that is the hallmark of their cuvées.

Baptiste on the 2022 vintage:

‘ 2022 was a lovely vintage for us. We had perfect grape healthiness throughout and ended up with good sugar levels and pretty ripe tannins throughout. It was a very quick harvest, as everything achieved ripeness at the same time and it was easy to vinify when we got to the winery too. The wines we are seeing are fresh, deep and balanced. ’

Domaine de la Mordorée

Started in 1986 by the Delorme family, Domaine de la Mordorée has become one of the top estates in the Rhône, with arguably the most consistent quality. The word 'Mordorée', literally 'bronze' or 'golden-brown' is one of the many poetic names for a woodcock, the symbol of the domaine. Other such names include the cuvée names - 'La Belle Voyageuse' (the beautiful traveller), and 'La Dame Rousse' (the russet lady). Founding winemaker Christophe Delorme's objective was to be unintrusive and maintain total respect for his terroir and the fruit it produces, striving to achieve a perfect balance between concentration, terroir and balance.

The domaine consists of 55 Hectares, on 38 different parcels, providing a rich, wide range of soils and micro-climates. The whole domaine has been certified organic since 2007.

Following Christophe's untimely death in 2015, his wife and daughter, Madeleine and Ambre, have taken on the running of the domaine, ably assisted by Rémy Chauvet, who was the cellarmaster under Christophe. As Jeb Dunnuck has put it in the Wine Advocate, 'the estate is obviously still in incredibly capable hands'.

Ambre Delorme on the 2022 vintage:

‘Stunning in all three colours. With beautiful freshness, remarkable complexity, and exceptional minerality. The wines have a rich and generous aromatic palette with great concentration and balance. It has good aging potential but will bring immediate pleasure.'

Domaine de la Vieille Julienne

Under the guidance of Jean-Paul Daumen, this estate on the very northern borders of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation is now considered to be one of the leading domaines. One of the first estates to convert to biodynamic practises when Jean-Paul took over from his father in 1990, the 22 hectares of vineyards are nearly all north facing, giving relieve from the hot summer days and lending the wines the all-important freshness. Attention to detail is everything here, with some very old plots of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault & Carignan and a wine making style more at home in Burgundy, it is clear to see why it is held in such high regard by journalists, Rhône enthusiasts, sommeliers and restaurateurs around the world.

Trois Sources is from sand-based vineyards on the lower banks of the estate and are the more approachable when young, whilst the Les Hauts Lieux come from the limestone dominated higher vineyards on the northern boundary of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and need more time to come around. In great years a Reserve wine is made in miniscule quantities from ancient Grenache vineyards. This is our second vintage we've offered from Vieille Julienne, and our excitement to be working with and shipping from this excellent domaine is ever growing; these are deeply coloured, pure and aromatic but with incredible freshness - you can buy these confident that they will richly reward patience over the next 8-15 years. They also produce an utterly brilliant Côtes du Rhône called Lieu-dit Clavin, possible the best value Côtes du Rhône in the entire Rhône Valley.

Domaine des Escaravailles

Domaines des Escaravailles was established in 1953 by Jean-Louis Ferran and his two sons, Daniel and Jean-Pierre, in the village of Rasteau.

Today it is run by the third generation of the family, Gilles, the son of Daniel. With vineyards on not only the clay, limestone hillsides of Rasteau, but also in Cairanne, Roaix, Villedieu and St Roman de Malegarde. The estate is run organically and everything is done by hand with the wines made in the cellars in the heart of the property in Rasteau.

The estate takes it's name from the Occitan word for the Scarab Beetle, which you will also find adorning the labels of the wines.

Madeline Ferran on the 2022 vintage:

'Rare are the vintages where we start harvesting in August and finish before the end of September. The 2022 vintage was marked by a historic heat wave and drought, but it surprised us in many ways. The white wines combine aromatic freshness and tension, while the reds are deep, balanced and really complex'

Domaine Élodie Balme

The rise of Domaine Elodie Balme is a story that is becoming increasingly familiar, and not only in the Rhône valley. A small family-owned vineyard that grows fruit and used to sell the harvest to the local cave cooperative is taken over by a more adventurous, commercially minded and less risk adverse child, who decides to leave the financial safety blanket that the cooperative provides. Striving to make a name for themselves, creating a label and a following that will lead to proud parents congratulating themselves for the wise decision to take the risk and pass on the family estate to the care of their sons and daughters.

This is certainly a story that has reaped rewards with Domaine Elodie Balme in the Southern Rhône appellation of Rasteau.

Grenache is the key player in these parts along with the usual suspects Mourvèdre and Syrah, although this variety is playing less of a role with each passing vintage. Elodie has a slightly new approach that marks her wines out against a lot of very good domaines. She has a very particular 'fruit forward' style, with emphasis very much on the freshness of the wine. A quick walk around the vineyards surrounding the estate and you can see why, some lovely blue marl which is excellent for water retention and therefore helping grapes reach full maturity in a hot environment, all the 28 hectares are farmed organically and have a beautiful aspect looking south toward the Dentelles de Montmirail that dominates the skyline.

The winemaking is kept very simple. Why complicate things when you have such great source material, such beautifully ripe grapes? Fermentation takes place in concrete with a little of the wine aged in old barrels and small foudres. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to walk around a winery and not have the winemaker gush enthusiastically about the 'barrel room' where the wines are aged. I counted maybe 8 barrels, increasingly this is becoming the norm in the southern Rhône as winemakers seek balance and freshness and age wines mostly in tank to help preserve this.

Élodie has been highlighted by respected wine journalist Matt Walls as 'one of the rising stars of the appellation' Whether you like the Vin de France, a wine with a splash of Merlot to give it body, or the Rasteau, a delicious drop of Grenache-infused Rhône delight, or the more serious Roaix (the neighbouring appellation) with a touch more spice, you can rest assured these are some of the finest wines being made in Rasteau and the southern Rhône and extremely good value.

Rasteau is one of the modern success stories of newly elevated 'village' that has attained Cru status and has not looked back since gaining elevation in 2010, but success can only really be judged by the public awareness and recognition of the names backed up in no small part by sales, something that thankfully Rasteau has managed to achieve in little more than a decade. Roaix may be less well-known, but the wine is well worth discovering.