One of the main myths debunked by Rioja’s spectacular (and exciting) shake-up since the turn of the millennium, is that the region is synonymous with Tempranillo.

The ubiquity of high-yielding Tempranillo clones, replacing field blends where multiple varieties had grown alongside each other, is relatively recent; a process that happened in the last third of the 20th century.

It’s unsurprising, therefore, that with the backlash against the Rioja region’s ‘industrialisation’ coupled with renewed interest in origin and terroir came an interest in the vineyards and varieties of yore, and in the once-dominant Garnacha in particular.

And it’s certainly not by chance that many of the Vino de Municipio or Viñedo Singular wines submitted for tasting for this year’s report were either single-varietal or Garnacha-led blends – you’ll find plenty here.

Nuance & precision

And it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Garnachas being produced in Rioja are marked by nuance, precision, delicious drinkability and an ever greater sense of place.

Those are, ultimately, the purposes of the renewed interest in the variety.

‘It surprises me that Garnacha from Rioja continues to surprise – if that makes sense!’ says Beth Willard.

‘There’s been a focus on Garnacha for quite some time and there have been wonderful wines bubbling away under the surface. Perhaps the really interesting, more recent development is the advance of more specific identities for different sub-regions, even different towns.’

Handled by mindful winemakers, Garnacha has a notable transparency, expressive of both origin and winemaking philosophy.

The realisation has impacted on the region’s wines more broadly – there are echoes of this newfound fragrant lusciousness in the finesse and genius loci (‘spirit of place’) gained in recent years by the Crianzas and Reservas (and to an extent even Gran Reservas).

Reversing genetic and historical erosion is not only a tale of Garnacha: it also explains Rioja’s ‘White Revolution’ , as well as the exploration of other red varieties.

Mazuelo once again performed well in our tastings, with standout examples really showing the grape’s balance of elegance and rusticity.

And we had a surprising flight of Maturana Tinta wines: a modest but clear prelude of better things to come.

‘There are many really interesting Maturanas, but it is a variety that still has a way to go in terms of finding its identity and a connection with the final consumer,’ concludes Willard.

The wines we tasted suggest that it’s a worthwhile quest.

Garnacha & friends: Highlights from the 2026 Rioja Report

Garnacha

Mazuelo

Maturana Tinta

Full score table coming soon

More from the report

It’s certainly not easy to carve a place as a region predominantly of red wines while sitting adjacent to Rioja – whose northeastern edge indeed lies within the autonomous administrative region of Navarra.

But the DO of the same name, its landscape and people all have a dramatically different character to that of its hegemonic neighbour.

Their respective wines and historical frictions will tell you as much.

Today, Navarra is strategically aligning its proposition with a redefined identity forged from those differences, one that has unearthed ancestral viticultural traditions (namely, the dominance of Garnacha), while also leveraging an important (pre-modern) French influence.

Navarra wants to be known as the region of benchmark Garnachas and characterful rosados that it undeniably is.

But it’s also worth exploring – and understanding – some of its other gems, such as characterful red blends and exquisitely balanced sweet Moscatels.

Mountain soul

In a rush to respond to Rioja-driven consumer recognition, Tempranillo plantings in Navarra grew rapidly during the 1990s, making it the most planted variety.

Yet the grape with the longest tradition in the Navarra landscape – and the one known for being best adapted to it – is Garnacha.

In the past decade the region has sought to realign itself with this heritage by carving a place within the ongoing Spanish Garnacha renaissance.

And in an interesting turning of the tables, Rioja producers are now looking at Navarra for clues as to what role Garnacha can play (again) in their own region; the variety was once Rioja’s most-planted variety, too.

As highlighted by the selection that follows, Navarra’s Garnachas have a character very much of their own – earthier and more assertive than the celebrated, more ethereal examples from Gredos in the mountains west of Madrid.

They represent the other end of the spectrum of the variety’s diverse, fascinating potential in Spain – so different in structure and aromatic profile yet equally balanced and world-class.

Most of the Navarra region’s top producers define their expressions as ‘mountain Garnacha’; an apt way to describe the wines’ profile.

Perhaps one could even be more specific: ‘Pyrenean Garnacha’ might be even more accurate.

This applies to both reds and rosés, the latter showing a textural moreishness and aromatic nuance that truly sets them apart (not least in the superb oak-aged iterations).

Beyond Garnacha

Although Navarra expresses itself best through its Garnachas, with their elegant rusticity and tannic poise, other red varieties benefit equally from the region’s rugged sophistication.

The longstanding presence of international varieties might have hindered Navarra’s position in both the domestic and international markets in the late 20th century, but these – and Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in particular – have long been more than a curiosity.

Unlike other regions across the Iberian peninsula, their presence in Navarra in numerous cases pre-dates the craze of the 1970s and ’80s.

Chardonnay, for example, is thought to have arrived in Navarra, from Burgundy, as early as the 1200s.

Some ‘Navarra blends’ bring out the same rustic, textured tannins and mountainous depth in Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – some hailing from vineyards tended to by the same families for several generations.

This is an interesting if challenging moment for Navarra, against the backdrop of tough market conditions, at a time when bigger retailers are consolidating their portfolios in favour of the ‘usual suspects’.

But this is also a time when opportunities open for the kind of no-nonsense, authentic wines the region’s best producers deliver – wines with a sense of place and a strong Navarrean soul.

A selection of Navarra's finest

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When researching articles, I’m often surprised that winemakers are so willing to share their professional secrets. Even my cheekier questions are usually answered with candour.

There is one estate that has always remained inscrutable, however: Château Rayas.

Scroll down for notes and scores for 12 incredible wines from Rayas and Fonsalette

On 18 November 2025, I hosted a tasting of Rayas and its sister property Château de Fonsalette at London private members’ club 67 Pall Mall. We tasted the 1998, 1999 and 2000 red from both estates, and the same vintages of Pignan and Fonsalette Cuvée Syrah.

One week later, I received sad news. The owner, Emmanuel Reynaud, had passed away, at the age of just 61. Social media continues to bear witness to bottles being opened all around the world to toast his life and work.

Emmanuel was kind enough to let me taste from barrel every year. He didn’t have to; the wines all sold out on allocation so he didn’t need to spend time with journalists.

Yet despite his willingness to answer questions, I never cracked the code – the secret to this estate’s unique style. I’m not sure anyone has.

But over the years I’ve gleaned some insights into Reynaud’s way of working, and got to know the different styles from his three estates.

An estate apart

Despite its arcane reputation, Château Rayas is not an old estate in the context of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It was founded in 1880 by Albert Reynaud after he went deaf, changing careers from notary to winemaker.

The two subsequent generations to manage the estate, his son Louis Reynaud and grandson Jacques Reynaud, were eccentric characters, and they rarely welcomed visitors. Jacques died suddenly and without children in 1997, so his nephew Emmanuel Reynaud took the reins.

Unlike Bordeaux and Burgundy, Châteauneuf has no official classification system. This didn’t stop Louis from printing ‘Premier Grand Cru’ on labels for Château Rayas, much to the exasperation of local authorities.

But he had a point. Château Rayas is indeed a Châteauneuf, but it bears little resemblance to other wines made in the appellation. It is a different breed.

The Rayas style

Rayas is pure Grenache – unusual in Châteauneuf – and is immediately recognisable by its perfume alone.

It’s highly aromatic, with notes of crushed strawberries, blood orange and Provençal herbs. Scents of Turkish delight, rose, mint, violets, strawberry jam and cocoa nibs are also characteristic.

With time in bottle comes fresh mushroom, forest floor and smoke. (And it’s not just Rayas; similar aromatic markers are found across all his red wines).

Rayas is never dark in colour; it’s a transparent strawberry-red.

Its shape and presence in the mouth are moulded by the vintage. Cooler years such as 2008 are refreshing, acid-driven, clear and herbal. Warmer years like 2012 and 2005 are generous, opulent, luxurious in texture.

Rayas can be powerful, but it’s rarely tannic. The wines strongly reflect the growing conditions experienced – and they always find something positive to say, even in difficult years.

Making of a marvel

So where does this style – pale, aromatic, delicate but ageworthy – come from? There are certain things we know for sure.

The 23ha Rayas estate, which takes its name from lieu-dit Le Rayas, has just as much land planted with trees as vines. It feels cooler and shadier than neighbouring vineyards. The vines are planted in sand, which often gives wines with a pale tint and very fine tannins.

The estate is divided into three parts according to their exposure to the sun: Le Levant (the rising); Le Coeur (the heart); and Le Couchant (the setting). They give slightly different expressions which together build a complex whole.

The other Châteauneuf produced here, Pignan, is made from a small parcel of vines in the lieu-dit of the same name just to the north of Rayas. It’s about one third the size of the Rayas vineyard, and is also pure Grenache.

They are made the same way. Yields are very low, typically 15hl/ha, and Emmanuel was always among the last to harvest; he would wait for the first rains of autumn before picking. The bunches are fermented whole, with stems contributing texture and aromatic complexity.

In the cellar, extraction is very gentle, making for a light tannic weave. Also, the wines are only sold when deemed ready to drink, usually around 10 years old, giving time for any stem tannins to limber up. Large oak barrels – never new – are used to age the wine for 16 months before bottling.

Mystery remains

None of these factors, except the site itself of course, is unique to Rayas. So just what is it that makes these wines so distinctive?

Could it be using semi-carbonic maceration, or even a touch of botrytis? Emmanuel says no.

Could it be a unique strain of indigenous yeast, or the selection of plant material? Perhaps.

Though Pignan can offer immense drinking pleasure in a similar stylistic vein, it rarely benefits from a side-by-side comparison with Rayas, which is a superior terroir. Only certain vintages, such as 2011, can stand proudly beside the grand vin.

Rayas, Pignan and Château de Fonsalette are all made at Rayas; any barrels deemed unsuitable for these cuvées are blended together to make La Pialade. It displays the same compelling house style, if rarely the refinement or concentration, of the other reds made here.

There are whites too. Château Rayas makes a richly textured white Châteauneuf from 50% Clairette, 50% Grenache Blanc. Château de Fonsalette’s fresher white uses these two grapes and a little Marsanne. They have even made sweet wines in the distant past.

Perfecting the blend: Château de Fonsalette

Louis Reynaud acquired Château de Fonsalette in 1945. It’s located near the village of Lagarde-Paréol, 20km due north of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. These 12ha are spread across a similarly sandy terroir to Rayas, though here it’s scattered with small pebbles.

It could theoretically be labelled Côtes du Rhône Villages Massif d’Uchaux, as it lies within that Named Village appellation, but the wines are labelled simply Côtes du Rhône.

The methods of production are the same, but what marks out Fonsalette is Reynaud’s mastery of not just Grenache, but also of Cinsault and Syrah.

Tasting the pure Cinsault component with Emmanuel has long been a highlight of my year – it’s by far the purest, most beautiful example of this underrated variety I’ve ever encountered.

The Syrah component is highly aromatic, brimming with smoke, black pepper and bacon fat. It makes for a darker wine than Rayas or Pignan, and one with a more chiselled tannic structure. It can happily age for 30 years and more, becoming increasingly complex with time.

When the Syrah is productive enough, they make a separate mono-variety bottling. Compared to most southern Syrahs it’s more savoury, bony and leafy – you could be forgiven for guessing northern Rhône.

The Vacqueyras cornucopia: Château des Tours

The third of the Reynaud properties, bought by Louis in 1935, is near Sarrians in the far west of Vacqueyras. This is where Emmanuel cut his teeth; it was originally owned by his father Bertrand. At 40ha, it’s by far the family’s largest estate. Yet again, the soils are primarily sand.

Due to its size, the range is broader here, with the Vacqueyras and Côtes du Rhône wines under the Château des Tours label and a range of IGP wines called Domaine des Tours.

There are many curiosities to explore – a pure Clairette offers aromas of fresh vegetables as well as fruits, and a pure Merlot – often released with around 15 years in bottle – is miles better than anyone might reasonably expect a Rhône Merlot to be.

Wines produced at Château des Tours:

• Château des Tours Vacqueyras Rouge
• Château des Tours Vacqueyras Blanc
• Château des Tours Côtes du Rhône Grande Réserve Rouge
• Château des Tours Côtes du Rhône Grande Réserve Blanc
• Château des Tours Côtes du Rhône Rouge
• Château des Tours Côtes du Rhône Blanc
• Les Tours IGP Vaucluse Grenache Blanc
• Domaine des Tours IGP Vaucluse Rouge
• Domaine des Tours IGP Vaucluse Merlot
• Domaine des Tours IGP Vaucluse Merlot Syrah
• Domaine des Tours IGP Vaucluse Clairette
• Parisy Vin de France Rosé

A great magician…

The wines from this estate can offer great value compared to Rayas and Fonsalette, still displaying all the classic markers of Reynaud’s winemaking, but at a much lower price tag. That said, speculation has pushed up the prices of all of Reynaud’s wines dramatically on the secondary market – much to his dismay.

The three estates have now passed into the hands of Emmanuel’s children. I wonder what changes we will see, and whether they’ll ever reveal what makes these wines so unique.

To be honest, I hope they don’t. Of course in some ways I’d love to know the secret. But sometimes the spectacle is all the more thrilling when the magicians don’t reveal how it’s done.

Tasting Reynaud’s legacy:

Related articles

• Matt Walls: Reflections on 2025 and his favourite Rhône wines of the year
• Rhône 2024 en primeur: Full report and the vintage’s top-scoring wines
• ‘Vieille Julienne’s Réservé is Grenache in excelsis’: Matt Walls on a Châteauneuf stand out

Adam Morganstern photo credit: Adam Morganstern

What’s on your wine rack at the moment?

A lot of dry Italian whites. I’ve been really interested in Fiano di Avellino recently; dry Rieslings; an occasional dry white from southern Chile, California or Oregon. Much of what I drink is dictated by stories I’m working on, so can be out of my hands.

Where do you keep your wine?

Everywhere. I’m in a New York apartment and I have three wine fridges, plus racks on any outside walls that are not heated. I also have friends who let me keep wine at their places. It’s a typical New York story – you find space where you can.

How did you become interested in wine?

I visited France for the first time at age 14. This was the early 1970s, and in the US there were a lot of TV dinners and frozen foods. France exposed me to great ingredients and serious cooking. It opened my mind to how good food could be and made me want to have that experience over and over. As I got older, I added wine to that equation.

Who’s a memorable person with whom you’ve enjoyed a glass of wine?

Hugh Johnson. I first sat next to him at a wine dinner in the early 1990s. I don’t think there’s anybody who has better described the sensations of enjoying wine without descending into cliches.

Name a wine you’d love to try

I’ve never had a ’47 Château Cheval Blanc. Domaine Leroy is one of those grand cru wines where I’ve had a taste, but I would love to sit down with a bottle and just experience it over time. I’ve had a glass of Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier, Le Musigny, but a bottle would be a great thing.

Favourite wine for a special occasion?

For celebratory meals I like a progression of wines, so we’ll start with something sparkling. Burgundy will be involved if it’s not too exorbitant. It’s getting harder to afford Chambolles or any of the great Côte de Nuits. But there are so many good up-and-coming producers from Savigny-lès-Beaune or the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune that it’s like an endless series of discoveries.

Where do you buy your wines?

There are a lot of great retail shops in New York, such as Chambers Street Wines, Astor Wines, Flatiron Wines. I order online, for delivery. This is New York – I don’t have a car and there’s nowhere to park anyway.

Favourite restaurant pairings?

I’m always exploring new places. New York restaurants are doing a great job with wine but it’s really hard to find good bottles under $100 any more. I’m not talking about Michelin-starred restaurants – I’m talking about restaurants that purport to be ‘neighbourhood places’. But there are also pizza places in New York that have great lists of natural wines.

Your classic dinner party dish and wine combination?

Meat lasagna – but without béchamel. I don’t like béchamel. I have developed my own recipe, which you can find in The New York Times. Served with a Chianti Classico.

Your go-to wines for snacks and watching TV?

For the most part, I drink wine with meals, but if I have a yen for something like Marcona almonds, I’ll pick a good Sherry. I’m often in the mood to drink sparkling wine: Champagne, German Sekt, or one of the many great sparkling wines from Italy, Oregon or California.

Favourite supermarket wines?

Even if supermarkets in New York were permitted to sell wine, I wouldn’t be shopping in them. There are relatively inexpensive wines that I like. Lambert de Seyssel makes a sparkling wine that’s excellent. Raventós i Blanc is a wonderful source of inexpensive Cava. Viña Zorzal from Navarra in Spain makes a beautiful Garnacha that’s generally around $14. I drink so eclectically that I will never have a house wine, but if I did, it would probably be a box wine. They’ve gotten much better and are really good value.

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A toast to the happy couple

Tina Gellie

Weyborne Estate general manager Ben Abric shared a charming analogy for the difference between the still-maturing 2022 vintage of the West Sussex sparkling estate’s Oriana cuvée and the Oriana Golden Spur, the early release of the same wine.

‘The Golden Spur is your daughter celebrating her engagement. And then in a few months she will celebrate her wedding!’

With low stock of the inaugural 2018 and awarded Oriana 2019 (Silver at DWWA 2025; £46.99 Hay Wines), and no wines released in 2020 and 2021, Abric admitted there was pressure to get a new wine to market.

‘But in tastings we realised Oriana 2022 was at a point of its lees ageing – a fresh, bright point – where we thought it offered something different.’ So some was bottled as Golden Spur in July 2023 and given a 4g/L (extra brut) dosage after disgorgement in August this year.

Golden Spur stays true to the estate’s signature oxidative style, with first fermentation in open tank and 3% in barrel, followed by full malolactic fermentation in barrel. While more time on lees (and lower dosage, says Abric) will give the eventual Oriana 2022 greater opulence, depth and texture, Golden Spur (£45-£48 Farr Vintners, Hawkins Bros, Weyborne Estate, Wine & Earth) shows a soft, youthful side to flavours of grilled lemon, crab apple and apricot blossom.

Five generations of modern tradition

Ines Salpico

A fascinating masterclass in Lisbon, in late October, took attendees on an epic journey through the long history of storied Douro winery Alves de Sousa.

Led by father and son Domingos and Tiago Alves de Sousa, the lineup included wines going back to 1995. Tiago – who has long established his own reputation as a winemaker and academic – joined the family venture in 2002, and has since taken over technical direction and export management.

Rather than allowing his father to retire, this has built a fruitful intergenerational platform that has eased in gentle stylistic innovation while remaining fiercely deferential to tradition. The result of this dialogue between past and future – founded on a shared curiosity for the (sometimes overlooked) viticultural heritage of the Douro – was on show as the pair talked the audience through canonic labels and more recent additions to the Alves de Sousa portfolio.

In the latter camp are the delicious Rosa Celeste, a Tinto Cão-based oak-aged rosé, and the characterful Memórias (£159.99/magnum Delicias UK), a multi-vintage blend of the best plots and years across each decade – signs of the timeless modernity that Alves de Sousa expresses by remaining unassumingly true to itself.

Vermentino discovery at Vinitaly USA

Clive Pursehouse

Decanter is a media partner with Vinitaly USA, and this October I joined the team in Chicago to host a panel on Italy’s next generation. I was enthralled by one of the wines – a late-harvest botrytised Vermentino di Gallura that is fully dry.

‘We can’t make this every year,’ Rafaelle Gregu of Tenute Gregu explained. Called Pitraia, it comes from a small vineyard in northern Sardinia surrounded by a forest of cork trees and flanked on either side by a river. It’s harvested fully botrytised, then spends 18 months on lees with weekly batonnage.

The 2024 Pitraia Vermentino di Gallura Superiore DOCG has soaring notes of mint and pine sap. It carries an undeniable Mediterranean seaside character of salt and stone, with juicy citrus and stone fruits, and a beguiling texture. It’s unlike any wine I’ve ever tasted. 

Dynamic duo

James Button

Two Italian wineries at the top of their game visited the Decanter offices in September. Altesino from Montalcino was the first to introduce a Montosoli cru bottling, with its inaugural 1972 vintage released in 1975.

Montosoli is a cool hill to the north of the town, where a handful of producers farm about 30 hectares of vines.

The current vintage of Altesino’s Montosoli Brunello di Montalcino, 2020 (£105-£115 Noble Grape, London End Wines, Vinvm), is full of succulent blood orange and ferrous notes, lifted yet with depth. A new Rosso di Montalcino from the hill is due to be released next year, too.

Marchesi di Barolo is a historic winery in the town of Barolo. While Barolo is of course a focus, the estate also makes some delicious wines from the likes of Barbera and Arneis. The Sarmassa Barolo 2019 (£82.80 Millésima) stood out for me, however, with its earthy dried oregano and balsamic herb qualities. Its fine structure, minty acidity and floral finish reflect the elevated, steep, rocky site perfectly.

Graceful Australian Grenache

Julie Sheppard

I first tasted Mark Bulman’s wines at London’s Next Generation Grenache tasting in April – and was immediately blown away.

Bulman was the first person ever to win the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for a Grenache, putting the variety on Australia’s vinous map, back in 2017 when he was working for Turkey Flat.

Now focusing on his own project, he works with just two vineyards in Eden Valley and McLaren Vale’s Blewitt Springs. Both wines are made in exactly the same way, avoiding oxygen throughout the entire process, allowing differences in terroir to sing loud and clear.

‘Grenache is such a good medium to show site. It seems to be a variety that doesn’t have much of an ego by itself, so it’s happy to transform into the site,’ he explained as we tasted the inaugural Bulman vintages at Decanter HQ.

Named after grower Gary Whaite, Gary’s Vineyard 2023 (96pts, £50.60 The Sourcing Table) is made from vines planted in 2007 in Blewitt Spings. It’s detailed and dancing, with Negroni-like herbal aromatics and an intricate palate of crystalline red fruit with Nebbiolo-like tannins.

Glen’s Vineyard 2023 (96pts, £50.60 The Sourcing Table) is named for Glen Monaghan, custodian of a vineyard first planted in 1857 in Eden Valley, and has a more savoury edge, with slatey minerality chasing lifted purple-hued fruit, sprinkled with white pepper spice. What a debut! 

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• Editors’ Picks – September 2025

As I write this, Beaujolais is in a flurry. Its first wines of 2025 – the fragrantly juicy Beaujolais Nouveau – are being sent out across the globe ready for the impending (and inevitably raucous) festivities on the third Thursday of November.

And while the folk from Beaujolais are the undeniable overlords of the nouveau party, they aren’t the only players out there dabbling in this vinous fountain of youth.

When you pull back the curtain, you realise there are people all over Europe, and even in the UK, that make their own versions of these new harvest wines.

A long history

Beaujolais Nouveau is merely the best known (modern) example of a much wider tradition of drinking brand new wines soon after harvest.

Nouveau wine, in its simplest terms, is a young wine that is bottled and released almost immediately after harvest. At times they are little more than fermenting must – such as Federweisser in Germany (known as Sturm in Austria).

In Beaujolais it is made with Gamay, which is low in tannins, using carbonic maceration – where the grape begins to ferment within the berry itself, promoting fragrant, perfumed fruit aromas. It is meant to be light in alcohol, juicy and easy going.

As Beaujolais producer Christophe Pacalet says, nouveau is ultimately an unpretentious wine that you can drink while you play pétanque.

Around France

As an inhabitant of southern France, I was intrigued to see whether this area, more famed for its heady reds, was getting on board with the style.

Jean-Philippe Padié of Domaine Padié in Roussillon has been making a nouveau wine since 2019. It was a bit of an accident; he had a plot of Syrah that went through fermentation quickly and cleanly, offering him a delicious rendition of a nouveau style.

Padié now works predominantly with the indigenous variety Lledoner Pelut, which he says gives an even lighter, crunchier wine, with a hint of something maritime from the vineyard’s coastal location.

Similarly, in the cooler northern reaches of the Loire, Joseph Mosse of Domaine Mosse makes a fuschia-coloured wine called Bang Nouveau from a blend of the pink-skinned Grolleau Gris and Gamay.

And while there is an argument that nouveau wines are best made with lighter-skinned varieties, Romain Le Bars in the Rhône Valley proves that this isn’t always the case. His dangerously drinkable Nouveau Nez cuvée is made from Cinsault, Grenache and Carignan.

Traditions old and new

Nouveau wines are popping up across France. However, there are other countries that have a deep-rooted history with this style of wine – Spain, for example.

Specifically in Rioja, where the wines are called cosecheros. Last year saw the launch of the first cosecheros tasting in London, hosted by Ben Llewelyn of UK importer Carte Blanche and writer Tim Atkin MW.

Here producers work with Tempranillo, foot crushing the grapes and using carbonic maceration. Like in Beaujolais, it is a style that is embedded in the culture, despite also falling prey to the tools of mass production such as thermovinification and commercial yeasts.

And while the Spanish perhaps don’t partake in the annual country-wide festivities, the Italians certainly do. Also released in early November, Italy’s answer is vino novello, also made with carbonic maceration and with a host of different grape varieties depending on the region.

Perhaps the most iconic in this mix is the Bardolino Novello from Veneto, which brings much joyous celebration to the shores of Lake Garda.

Sandridge Barton in Devon, UK, has been making its own nouveau wine since 1995. Spurred on by a disruption in Beaujolais supply during the outbreak of mad cow disease, they decided to try their hand at making one themselves.

Intriguingly, their nouveau was – and still is – a white made from the grape Madeleine Angevine (affectionately known as Mad Ange), chosen because it’s their earliest-ripening variety, going from vine to glass in just six weeks. This year spells their first release of a red nouveau made with Pinot Noir and carbonic maceration.

Balfour Winery has also adopted this new wave British tradition with its Essex-grown Pinot Noir Nouveau. Following the stellar conditions of the 2025 vintage, the estate’s head of wine Fergus Elias was keen to show that ‘English Pinot Noir has the ripeness, the fruit and the finesse to stand on its own’.

This is only the second vintage of nouveau, but with such excellent fruit to hand, they’ve made a wine that is ‘playful and purposeful’.

Down with the kill-joys

There are pessimists who want to put down nouveau wines simply as a marketing stunt or something to bolster cash flow. If that is indeed the case, then good on them. Hopefully everyone getting involved is making some much needed cash and shining a light on their region.

But I think it is so much more than that. As Llewelyn says, nouveau wines have historical relevance and value. In Rioja, they show the diversity of their grapes and region, they regulate supply – especially important in a place like Rioja where ageing requirements can extend up to five years – and they give affordable access to quality wines.

Isabel Fernández of Rioja’s Bodega Abeica says that these wines have been part of Rioja’s culture ‘since time immemorial’. Traditionally, they were made to be consumed within 18 months of harvest.

Her family has been making a cosechero wine for four generations, and she believes they can have good longevity and weight, so she uses a parcel of 100-year-old Tempranillo for her cuvée.

Echoing the sentiments of others I spoke to, she says that the crux of making a quality nouveau wine comes down to the quality of the fruit and the stems, especially when working with carbonic maceration and with low intervention cellar methods.

The biggest challenge facing nouveau producers? Poor quality fruit. Because in the end, the joy of nouveau – wherever it’s made – lies in its immediacy. It is a snapshot of a harvest that ultimately takes no prisoners.

Playful frivolity

From conversations with winemakers, it’s clear that these wines are moving into a realm of quality and artisanship. Climate change has brought riper grapes and earlier harvests, and as a result we’re seeing more of these wines made without manipulation – a gradual phasing out of what Jon Bonné, in The New French Wine, calls ‘industrial pop wine’.

For years, the market had grown used to nouveau wines tasting of candied banana and bubblegum – flavours I once assumed were a natural byproduct of carbonic maceration, but which in fact come from a specific yeast strain, 71B, which is no longer used to the same extent as it was in the 1980s and 1990s.

While I am a lover of Beaujolais Nouveau – especially in its newer, more natural iteration – there is even more scope for playful frivolity and experimentation in other regions and countries.

In an industry that can err on the side of stuffy and get bogged down in rules and labels, nouveau is a perfectly imperfect antidote for us to share abundantly and joyously.

Like my friends Greg Lane and Sarah Adamson of Scout Wines in New Zealand said of their Pinot x Pinot (a blend of Noir and Gris) take on a nouveau, they made it for no other reason than enjoyment, ‘to keep the house happy’.

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If you ask people to name a powerful, potent and concentrated wine, you can bet that Châteauneuf-du-Pape would be a common call. There’s no doubt that it can be an extreme style, and that’s one reason it has so many admirers.

But playing at the outer reaches of style can be treacherous. Balance and drinkability can be easily lost.

Scroll down for notes and scores for eight vintages of Vieille Julienne’s Réservé

My personal taste has always veered towards more elegant interpretations of Châteauneuf. I was never a fan of the pumped-up, overripe examples from the 1990s.

But there is one bottling that strides beyond the limits of most Grenache-based wines, and does so magnificently: Domaine de la Vieille Julienne’s cuvée Réservé.

Early attempts

I visit the domaine’s owner and winemaker Jean-Paul Daumen in October every year to get his take on the new vintage. I can always rely on him for an intelligent and eloquent read of the season in question.

This year we also tasted through eight vintages of Réservé made between 2012 and 2024.

Daumen joined his father at the family estate in 1992. He soon noticed that some of their oldest Grenache vines within a parcel of their Trois Sources vineyard appeared different – very small, loose bunches and fewer leaves. In 1994, he decided to vinify them separately. Encouraged by the results, he did so again in 1995.

He waited until the renowned 1998 vintage to repeat the experiment a third time. Despite a glorious growing season, it was less successful.

‘In the 1990s, for many producers the goal was to get very overripe grapes,’ he says. By following the same trend, he ended up with a wine that fell out of balance and into excess.

‘The ‘90s was a time for me to learn,’ he says. ‘Sometimes to find the limit, you have to go past it.’

His 1999, picked earlier, was much better. By 2001, he finally felt satisfied with his creation.

Vintages of Réservé produced:

1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, and every vintage between 2015-2025.

Coloured ribbon

To begin with, Daumen only made this cuvée in the best vintages, but due to global warming he has been able to produce it every year since 2015.

Before, it was a case of not wanting to ‘amputate’ anything from his other Châteauneuf cuvées by making Réservé.

Today, the fruit ‘must be removed from Trois Sources,’ he says, ‘as it wouldn’t be right for it.’

The selection is made at harvest by tasting the berries, and a ribbon is attached to the vines so the picking team knows which ones to select.

The blend is typically 90%-95% Grenache, the rest mostly Syrah, with a little Cinsault and Counoise.

The Grenache has historically all been destemmed, but this is beginning to change, as Daumen likes the complexity that a little whole bunch can bring. He matures it in old foudres, as he’s never liked new oak.

The style

Some Châteauneufs, such as Clos des Papes, focus on finesse. Others, like Château de Beaucastel, are more about structure and balance. Vieille Julienne Réservé is Grenache in excelsis.

It’s a wine of phenomenal concentration, intensity and thrust – it’s so loud and so immense that it dominates your attention. Yet in good vintages it retains enough acidity, freshness and salinity for a sense of elegance and drinkability. It’s a wine of such staggering proportions, such depth and length, that it leaves you awestruck.

That said, I don’t expect everyone to enjoy it. Some will find it too powerful, too intense, simply too much.

Since converting to biodynamic viticulture in 2001, Daumen has seen alcohol levels rise slightly in his wines; but conversely ‘you don’t feel it as much’. He admits it’s hard to explain, but he believes it’s to do with the quality of the alcohol, rather than the quantity.

There’s no escaping that this is a potent wine; it typically reaches 15.5%-16% alcohol. Would it be better with less alcohol? No; as it is a cornerstone of the wine. ‘Alcohol brings this round side, this sucrosité,’ he says.

50 years and counting

Because of its outsize proportions, when tasting from barrel I’ve had niggling doubts in the past about how this cuvée will perform over time. After all, some of those exaggerated wines from the ‘90s fell apart all too quickly. But this tasting extinguished that uncertainty.

Despite its size, it doesn’t need to be aged for a long time before drinking – you can approach it like a normal Châteauneuf in that respect. In fact it drinks better young than most. It also matures largely at the same pace, so the 2012 for example is beginning to drink very well now.

Daumen says there is a degree of unpredictability with this cuvée, but it’s clear that good vintages age very well. Some, like the 2016, should last for 50 years or more. Such is its life force, you can almost imagine it lasting twice that long.

When it comes to food, a côte de boeuf is the obvious choice. It’s a wine that demands protein, fat and smoky char.

Like the more extreme styles of music, fashion or art, it won’t be for everyone. To be certain, you’ll have to try it.

Ensure you’re in the right mood, in the right company, it’s at the right temperature and you have complementary food. But even if it’s not to your personal taste, it’s hard to argue that this isn’t one of the greatest global expressions of Grenache.

Either way, you won’t forget it in a hurry.

Vieille Julienne Réservé through time:

Wines are listed by vintage from youngest to oldest

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I envy my dog. On our woodland walk each morning her nose is low to the ground, all the better for drawing in scents. As the leaves change colour it’s a picturesque landscape, but there’s a better way to get to know this place than simply looking.

I follow the lead of my furry friend and sniff the air.

It’s akin to meditation. I empty my mind and concentrate on every noseful as I walk, breathing deeply, purposefully. Now I recognise the individual scent of each path, copse and clearing.

Smell is the most overlooked of our five senses but it can help ground and steady us. Natural aromas are best, whether fresh – or bottled.

Seasonal rhythms

The changing seasons of the forest mirror the long life of a bottle of wine. In spring, the first aromas to awaken are grass, green leaves and wild garlic. Like a newly bottled Sauvignon Blanc, it’s a time for purity and freshness.

The first fruits of summer bring to mind a two-year-old Cabernet Franc. In June, wild strawberries peek from under their leaves. Then the luminous redcurrants, like strings of spherical beads, popping with tart acidity and green tannins. Shortly after come fragrant raspberries.

Like an eight-year-old Mourvèdre, a horde of blackberries marks the end of summer, deep, dark and soft, staining your fingers like a wine glass at a tasting.

As the fruits begin to fade, the scents of autumn arrive, bringing to mind a glorious decades-old Grenache. The ground is wet again with scents of earth and leaf mulch; conker shells sweet with benevolent decay.

Acorns crack underfoot and polished brown chestnuts sit within green thickets of spines. The mushrooms release their spores.

As the cold of winter comes, the smells of the forest die back. Like an introverted Pinot Noir that refuses to play ball, there’s nothing in the stark air but a memory of wood smoke.

Until the sun warms the dormant ground and spring comes round again.

Daily rhythms

At the end of each day I choose a bottle of wine to open. After a day at a desk spent mostly online it’s time to touch grass. Or smell it, at least.

Sitting at the wooden dinner table, swirling my glass brings me back to earth, back to the here and now. I pause and spend time with the bottle and it gives up its secrets.

It takes more than just a glance; smell is the slowest sense. You need to be patient to release the aromas and welcome them in, to tease them apart in order to read the wine, to discover exactly what it has to say.

After a day’s work we can appreciate the fruits of our labour.

Whether you’re walking in a forest, or sitting with a bottle of wine, the necessarily gentle act of smelling, of breathing deeply, not only brings pleasure but it can help centre us, bringing us back to the moment – whether in company, or alone.

My dog seems to take all this for granted. Sometimes it’s us humans that need to remember to smell the roses.

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Jusden Aumand, Zach Geballe and Amanda Reed tasted 63 wines, with 4 Outstanding and 34 Highly recommended

US Grenache: Panel tasting scores

63 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 4

Highly recommended 34

Recommended 25

Commended 0

Entry criteria: producers were invited to submit their current-release red Grenache wines, made using at least 75% Grenache, from any US appellation

Scroll down to see the top-scoring wines from our US Grenache panel tasting

Grenache Noir, known as Garnacha in Spain and Cannonau in Sardinia, is the seventh most widely planted wine grape in the world, according to the most recent data from the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine).

But how often does one drink it as the star of the show? Over the centuries, Grenache has mostly been relegated to appearing in blends, sometimes in unspecified quantity, with other grape varieties.

Those blends have ranged from very basic table wines to some of the most prestigious wines in the world, such as those of Priorat in Catalonia, Spain and Châteauneufdu-Pape in France’s Rhône valley.

In the last 40 years, however, we’ve seen an increasing number of examples of Grenache proffered solely on its own merit. And more recently, in the last decade or so, the renown of Grenache bottled as a single varietal has really gained momentum.

In the USA, this trend has been spearheaded primarily by California, Oregon and Washington state, generally in hotter regions where Grenache can naturally ripen later. An abundance of sunshine is ideal for this thin-skinned charmer.

Mesmerising variety

Grenache is quite adaptable, as experienced in this tasting of 63 wines. Cooler climates and higher elevations generally keep the alcohol levels reasonable.

The result is more red-fruited offerings marked by restraint, balanced acidity and judicious use of oak. Conversely, in warmer regions, Grenache shifts closer to intense black fruits and lots of extraction, density, alcohol and power.

In many instances, extended ageing before release helps balance these wines for the long term. The wines that achieved higher scores from the judging panel, regardless of style, had a few things in common – in particular, clarity and purity of fruit.

Grenache can ripen beautifully and yield juicy, succulent red and black fruit flavours and aromas. Furthermore, the complexity that highlighted herbal and floral characteristics in the fruit was commended by the judges.

Top examples of Grenache, wherever they’re from, can reveal mesmerising displays of garrigue or dried herbs, purple flowers, black tea and so on. Combinations and variations of these characteristics really enrich the complexity and dimensionality of Grenache and were celebrated by our panel.

What to eat with US Grenache, by Fiona Beckett

Elegance and restraint aren’t words commonly associated with Grenache, but as this tasting demonstrates, a new generation of wines are emerging that exhibit just those qualities.

How does this affect wine pairing? Does it mean abandoning the usual go-tos with Grenache: hearty roasts, braises and stews? Well, no, and Grenache is still a useful wine to field with a rich sauce, gravy or jus.

It has always been a great wine to drink with the Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey and sides, and I can’t see that changing. At this time of year, though, it’s more likely you’re going to drink it with grilled or even smoked meats – Grenache is great with American-style barbecue, pit-roasted meats, for example.

And if smoke, then why not spice? I’d happily drink Grenache with chilli-rich Mexican meat dishes such as birria, or with Morocco’s mrouzia, a dark, honey-laced tagine.

More modern, light Grenaches work well with similar dishes to those that go with Pinot Noir – a rack of lamb, say, or even duck, which is offset really well by Grenache’s plummy flavours.

See all notes and scores from the US Grenache panel tasting

US Grenache panel tasting results:

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Jusden Aumand is head of buying for Tri-Vin Imports in New York. Introduced to the world of fine wine as a drummer while on tour with Lenny Kravitz, he has judged wine competitions in Australia, France, England and the USA. He also writes for the Slow Wine Guide

Zach Geballe is a long-time wine writer with several years’ experience as a sommelier, bartender and wine director. Based in Seattle, he is currently co-host and producer of the VinePair podcast

Amanda Reed is a sommelier and director of beverage for Seattle’s E3 Co Restaurant Group, which includes the prestigious Metropolitan Grill steakhouse and Elliot’s Oyster House. Her career began in San Francisco’s restaurant scene

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International Grenache Day is celebrated annually on the third Friday of September.

One of the world’s most planted grape varieties, Grenache is widely grown in southern France, Spain (where it is known as Garnacha), the United States and Australia. It ripens late, requiring warm and dry conditions to fully ripen, but is versatile both in the vineyard and winery where it is used to make red wines primarily, but sparkling, white, rosé and fortified wines, too.

Scroll down to see DWWA 2025 awarded wines to try this International Grenache Day

Grenache produces round, fruity, powerful wines, often described as having spicy, herbal, raspberry and black cherry characters. The most concentrated, complex, ageworthy examples tend to come from old-vine Grenache, especially from regions such as Priorat, Chateauneuf-du-Pape and McLaren Vale, home to the oldest productive Grenache vineyards in the world.

This International Grenache Day, to celebrate this deliciously juicy grape variety, we highlight a selection of Grenache dominant and varietal wines worth a try from the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2025, with top results coming from Australia, Chile and Spain.

Tasted and rated by our expert judges on the basis of typicity, first and foremost, below discover a selection of awarded wines, with many more to discover on the DWWA results site.

International Grenache Day: award-winning wines to try

Australia

E. J. McDougall, Old Vine Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia 2023

Gold, 96 points

A chorus of sweet dark fruit, prunes and raisins synchronises against an impressive backdrop of pencil shavings and toasted earth, nurturing the tremendous structure and length. Alcohol 14.5%

Chapel Hill, 1941 Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia 2023

Gold, 95 points

A bashful youth, exuding subtle herbaceous raspberry, blackberry and plum fruit in a frame of firm, spicy tannins and lively, fresh acidity. Fruit-driven and long. Alc 14.5%

Chile

JP Martin, De Cal Garnacha, Huasco Valley, Atacama 2022

Gold, 95 points

Eccentric, complex and multidimensional, exuding agile red berry and smoked spice aromas with a bright, saline undertone. Velvety and fine-grained with a zingy, crisp acidity. Alc 12.5%

France

Domaine des Anges, Séraphin, Ventoux, Rhône 2023

Gold, 95 points

Fragrant strawberry and raspberry fruit, garrigue herbs and spice over a gently warming palate decorated with firm tannins and a lifted acidity. Engaging and rounded. Alc 15.5%

South Africa

Boland Cellar, One Formation, Piekenierskloof, Citrusdal Mountain 2023

Silver, 92 points

Fresh strawberries and cranberries with herbal lift; bright, structured palate showing deep stony cranberry and spice with fresh acidity. Alc 13%

Spain

Mas Doix, Poboleda Vi de Vila, Priorat 2023

Gold, 96 points

Youthful nuances of vivid cherries, strawberries and rose petals with a backbone of pencil lead minerals to structure and define. A wine that elevates the soul. Alc 15%

Alto Moncayo, Veraton Garnacha, Campo de Borja 2022

Gold, 95 points

Plentiful notes of cherry blossom, red plum, cinnamon and cocoa submerge the palate which boasts vivid acidity, pliant tannins and a shiny backbone of oaky charm. Alc 16%

Cellers Unió, Perlat Garnatxa, Montsant 2023

Gold, 95 points

Awash with juicy, mouth-watering flavour: fresh strawberry compote vibes, interlaced with dark berries, cherries and plums, underpinned by savoury, earthy tones. Long, well-defined and pure. Alc 14.%

Las Pizarras, Viña Castejon Garnacha, Calatayud 2023

Gold, 95 points

Classic plum and raspberry fruit with smatterings of wild herbs and violet florals. Vanilla toast marks the palate underscored by a brisk acidity and long savoury finish. Alc 14.5%

Verum, Ilusio Verum CDVIN, Rioja 2022

Gold, 95 points

Bedecked with redcurrants, red cherries and raspberries with a sizzling lick of black pepper. Softly structured with supple, plummy acidity and a boundless, spicy length. Alc 14.5%

Vins del Tros, Señora Carmen Garnatxa Negra,Terra Alta 2022

Silver, 94 points

Toasty nuances with aromas of dark fruits, bramble and Christmas batter. Fresh and juicy on the palate, zesty and energetic. Alc 14.5%

United States

Efeste, Estate, Red Mountain, Washington State 2022

Silver, 92 points

Perfumed, with aromas of sweet red fruit and lifted herbal notes; palate of cherry, strawberry yoghurt and a bright acidity. Alc 14.5%

Search all DWWA 2025 results

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Some vintages have clear identities. In Gigondas, the 2019s for example are wilful, energetic wines, while the 2018s are softer and juicier.

The 2022 vintage is harder to pin down. The best way of describing it, both in climate and style, is a vintage of extremes.

The wines occupy a broader stylistic spectrum than a typical year, even within the range of a single producer.

But if you sidestep the unbalanced wines – there are many with tough tannins and high alcohols – the best wines will age for decades.

Scroll down for Matt Walls’ best 2022 Gigondas wines in bottle

A harsh season

The extreme nature of the wines comes as no surprise: 2022 was the hottest and driest year on record in the southern Rhône.

‘The summer was very hot, scorching even,’ says Julien Brechet of Domaine des Bosquets, ‘and very dry. Temperatures sometimes reached 42°C.

‘Fortunately the cool Dentelles massif and the morning shade cast over the vineyard helped us hold our ground,’ he continues. ‘The sunshine is strong but less scorching than on the plains.’

Romain Saurel of Domaine Saint-Damien says that spring was extremely dry, with less than 200mm of rainfall between December and July.

Thankfully there was a storm on 14 August, which ‘really saved the quality of the vintage,’ he says.

Further small rains later in August and September also helped the vines stay on track, but young vines suffered.

Brechet had to manually water his young vines 11 times between June and August to keep them alive. Old vines coped much better.

This is a vintage where Grenache really shows its worth. The Syrah-heavy blends were often impenetrably tough and tannic, whereas the Grenache-based wines were more juicy, vibrant and balanced.

See Matt Walls full report on the 2022 vintage in the Rhône here

Tannin and texture

Very hot, dry vintages can sometimes lead to jammy or raisined fruit flavours but that’s not the case in 2022.

Despite the conditions – and the fairly low acidities – the wines do have a good sense of freshness.

Nonetheless, the hot, dry conditions left a strong imprint on the wines.

For Jérôme Rathle, 2022 marked his second vintage. His new estate, Domaine des Florets, is one to watch.

‘The lack of rain limited fungal diseases, but the high temperatures led to small berries and ultimately low yields,’ he says, ‘the Syrah berries looked like blueberries.’

This meant a high skin-to-juice ratio in the grapes, which made for some very tannic wines.

Another effect of the hot weather was that some vines shut down and stopped ripening, which can lead to green tannins – further impacting some wines’ textures.

So the main question surrounding the tasting was this: will the tannins ever soften and come round?

For a good number of the 76 wines I tasted, I suspect the answer is no, they won’t. Those wines aren’t included in my selection.

But winemakers that achieved balanced grapes and mastered their tannin management produced some thrilling, chiselled and assertive wines.

Key takeaways: Wines for the cellar

Those drinking well already are in the minority; even for the wines you could broach today, most will improve with a few more years in bottle.

This is a vintage that will reward the patient.

Brechet agrees: ‘The 2022 vintage will likely be a great ageing vintage in Gigondas, thanks to the balance of the great high-altitude terroirs.’

He believes his Regard Loin could age for over 30 years, and I wouldn’t bet against him.

It’s worth adding that it’s not just the higher elevation terroirs that turned out great wines in 2022; some of the lower altitude plots on the Cône also performed well, such as those from Saint-Damien and Montirius.

Most of all, 2022 is a vintage where the best winemakers really rose to the top.

Love French wine? Sign up to Decanter’s France newsletter here

Best 2022 Gigondas in bottle:

30 wines are listed below, see all 37 of Matt Walls’ recommedations here

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Only a few months after arriving in McLaren Vale from Sydney, winemaker Rob Mack had made the decision to specialise in Grenache.

Soon after starting his job for regional contract producer McLaren Vale Winemakers, Mack identified extraordinary parcels of dry-grown Grenache from ancient bush vines, and made enquiries whether he could purchase some.

When the answer was yes, Rob and his wife, Louise Rhodes Mack, made an instant commitment to start their own wine brand: Aphelion.

They started in 2014 with one tonne of Grenache fruit purchased from the Brini family vineyard.

Notes and scores for 11 McLaren Vale Grenache from Aphelion below

‘It seemed like natural progress for us to pursue our own label, and for that label to have a very specific focus by diving very deep into Grenache,’ says Louise.

‘We started small and did everything by hand – right down to applying our own labels to the wines on bottling day – and it grew slowly by increments, because we wanted every bottle to be just right.’

Immaculate conception

It began an intense exploration of Grenache sites and styles, leading to Aphelion now producing seven Grenache wines, including two single-site expressions. The leading lights drew high scores in Decanter’s Australian Grenache Panel Tasting in January 2025.

‘I was driven by the desire to work with immaculate fruit,’ says Rob, who also makes another 12 small-batch wines from different varieties alongside the Grenache.

‘With Aphelion, I was able to perform a wine dump of all my thoughts about how to make wines of supreme elegance and finesse. There were new investigations to pursue each year,’ he explains.

‘I kept addressing the question of how to allow each vineyard site to shine, and that presented fresh challenges with every vintage. It was as much an intellectual exercise as a physical task, and I absolutely adored the focus it demanded.’

Grand cru Grenache

Grenache, in the hands of McLaren Vale’s most astute producers, has become Australia’s take on grand cru – rare, idiosyncratic and expressive, indicative of exemplary sites. Much of it hinges on the age of the vines, which run up to 120 years.

This combined with the complexity of the vineyard sites. McLaren Vale’s geology map, first produced in 2008, identifies 21 soil types aged up to 300 million years that dot the 7,438ha wine region.

Such complexity has prompted a surge in the number of single-site Grenache wines produced in recent years, triggering a tussle among boutique producers to procure the best fruit from privately owned vineyards.

Blewitt Springs – home to the Brini family vineyard – is an especially sought-after subregion of McLaren Vale. Its soils are characterised by deep sands and pockets of ironstone.

Rob and Louise realised this when they first approached the Brini family, noting that several other winemakers were already buying premium fruit from their vineyard.

However, the Macks were the first to feature the vineyard by name on wine labels, and their relationship with the Brini family has flourished over 11 years.

‘I’m so proud of the fact we have been able to build a famous name from a vineyard that wasn’t previously being shouted about,’ says Rob. ‘It certainly deserved to be, and we’ve proved that.’

Regionality and single sites

The Macks now purchase more Grenache fruit from the Brini Vineyard – along with some outstanding Chenin Blanc grapes – although Aphelion presents multiple Grenache expressions from McLaren Vale for each vintage.

A constant feature of the winery’s portfolio has been Confluence, a clever regional blend designed to show Grenache’s rich savoury mid-palate. It brings together fruit from different Blewitt Springs sites, with a range of winemaking techniques applied to different parcels, from whole-bunch ferments to extended maceration.

It captures the magic mix of sharp, youthful vigour and smouldering old-vine persistence supported by supple tannins.

Aphelion’s single-vineyard expressions show more refined definitions. Brini Grenache has roundness and intensity to its flavour profile, with dark plum fruits and earthy characters creating a wine of depth and richness.

The Wait Grenache has a more feisty, prickly personality, its long mid-palate agitated by a powder-keg of black tannins that shape a dramatic concluding note.

‘The different sites produce wines of significant difference, and we strive to capture those subtle differences in the glass,’ says Rob.

Taking the leap

Succeeding in this goal has triggered significant growth for Aphelion. From processing one tonne of grapes in 2014, then three tonnes in 2016, to 21 tonnes in 2017, Rob and Louise intensified their commitment to Aphelion.

‘We joined hands and took the big leap, because we realised we had something great happening here,’ they say. Rob, who also has a business degree, developed a business plan for Aphelion; while Louise was accepted into South Australia’s Youth Entrepreneur Scheme.

Increased volumes of wines brought people to their house in Willunga, where the front room became a sales office and tasting lounge for customers who booked by appointment.

‘It’s a crazy space, where our kids Clairette and Monty, and our pets were always charging through, but it was a true and honest representation of us and what we’re about.’

Importantly, from 2018 Rob has taken customers into the vineyards. He pours wines from the back of his ute (Australia’s beloved abbreviation of the flat-back utility farm vehicle) at the sites where Aphelion’s grapes are sourced from.

‘It adds a level of romance to the tasting, but it also reinforces the notion of site that we believe is so important to what people taste in our wines,’ he says.

Freedom to change

By 2020, in the middle of the COVID disruptions, the Macks decided to quit their other jobs and make a full-time commitment to Aphelion, as production escalated to 50 tonnes.

This has prompted them to lease a larger cellar door tasting venue overlooking vines north of McLaren Vale township.

Visitors can have guided tastings of Aphelion’s carefully considered range, which has expanded and contracted over the years. This reflects both the availability of fruit that hits a certain quality from the Macks’ preferred vineyards, and their interest in varieties other than Grenache.

Chenin Blanc has come to the fore, while Sagrantino and Nero d’Avola make guest appearances. Shiraz will disappear from the range from the 2020 vintage.

‘Being small and agile as a wine brand means that we are free to react and explore what can be next in our wine output,’ explains Louise. ‘We don’t have to remain fixed to anything.’

What’s next?

This attitude has inspired Aphelion’s latest project: the bold 2024 Hickinbotham Series of Grenache, sourced from three tiny blocks at the highest elevation points in the Hickinbotham vineyard in Clarendon.

All are picked on the same day and made the same way, with only 360 bottles of each wine produced.

‘It goes far beyond a single vineyard – to a sub-vineyard, micro-plot level,’ says Rob. ‘This project is designed to display the nuances Grenache can show from blocks that are so close together. There are very few varieties that could display these differences, and Grenache is one of them.’

It broadcasts their ambition to dive even deeper into Grenache. ‘We are looking harder at the fruit we purchase, to examine the points of difference and make more specific wines that focus completely on site,’ says Louise.

‘There will be more little projects that we sell through our cellar door – experiments that will inform Rob’s future winemaking decisions.’

This will include more parcels being fermented in concrete egg, along with different experiments in tannin manipulation and oak usage.

‘When we started Aphelion, I really wanted to present Grenache wines worthy of being talked about on the world stage,’ says Rob. ‘Now that we have put all the pieces together, I feel we are getting that reward.’

Aphelion: Top wines to try

Bottles tasted by David Sly in McLaren Vale and by Beth Pearce MW, Sara Muirhead MW and Ben Chan at the Australian Grenache Panel Tasting 2025, London.

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We walk out on cool mornings into a mist of hauntingly sweet, powdery scents. Our almond tree flowers even earlier, though less prolifically; it has a similar though subtler fragrance. Then there’s the scent of toasted almonds themselves, and honey, too – and perhaps the two compounded… in nougat. Could we add hawthorn? Honeysuckle, maybe, and linden? Welcome to scent heaven. Now: find me a white wine that smells like that.

Guess what? There is one. These are all scents you might hope to chance on in a glass of a fresh young white made from the Clairette grape variety. They were also some of the allusions that I jotted down in March as I blind-tasted through a range of wines from the new Gigondas Blanc appellation, appearing on labels from the 2023 vintage. This can be (and often is) pure Clairette, and must be at least 70% Clairette; balancing varieties include Clairette Rose, Grenache Blanc and Gris, Marsanne and Roussanne, Piquepoul Blanc and Bourboulenc (plus no more than 5% Viognier and Ugni Blanc).

The powder-sweet scents draw you in and they’ll be there on the palate, too, which should be fresh but uninsistent, with softly lapping rather than sharp or angular acidity. Fruits? Quietly citrussy, graceful, supportive.

Depending on blend, soil, exposition and altitude (the Gigondas vineyards rise from 120m to 550m, with all points of the compass covered) a wine from low-lying vineyards will be wealthy and lush, sometimes with a little soft grip; whereas higher-sited vines often surrender something brisker, sappier and more driving. Oxidation and over-emphatic wood notes are risks to avoid.

Southern France has Clairette du Languedoc and Clairette de Bellegarde already, but both are small and rarely seen APs. Clairette de Die appears to be a sparkling incarnation – but Muscat is generally on the front foot in these blends.

It’s white Châteauneuf-du-Pape that is the readiest point of comparison. Clairette can be used on its own or blended with other white varieties on the terraces of Châteauneuf, too, with some of the ‘pure’ versions (from Domaine la Barroche, Raymond Usseglio and Château de Vaudieu among others) being prized. According to Gigondas appellation president Louis Barruol of Château de Saint Cosme, though, Clairette on the slopes of the Dentelles de Montmirail massif is ‘monstrously different’ from its performance on the more open, lower-lying cobbles and sands north of Avignon. He stresses further aromatic notes – ‘fennel and anis’ – as being diagnostic of Gigondas Blanc. ‘The differences,’ he says, ‘are actually much bigger than the differences between our Grenache and Grenache from other zones.’ Barruol’s fellow evangelist of whites Pierre Amadieu adds: ‘It’s the brother of Grenache, maybe even the mirror of Grenache, and the perfect variety for revealing terroir here.’

Winning the new appellation was tough. The INAO regulatory authorities initially rebuffed the suggestion, saying that there weren’t enough white-grape plantings to merit an AP extension; Barruol and Amadieu then produced a series of identically vinified white parcellaires wines over four years between 2011 and 2015 to make their case. Plantings are still modest (17.74ha in spring 2025, of which Amadieu properties have half), but rapid uplift is planned. Demand is encouraging.

All of this, note, marks a significant historical reversal. Clairette was one of the trio of great post-phylloxera vermouth varieties, prized for its oxidative charms but thought doomed in the modern era. So too was Piquepoul (the two form the backbone of Noilly Prat, Languedoc’s great vermouth survivor). Now both are freshly scented and reascendant – in Gigondas and Picpoul de Pinet respectively. Will any appellation now step forward to champion the third, Terret Blanc?

In my glass this month

Picking just one Gigondas Blanc from the AP’s maiden vintage seems almost unfair (I had four top scores) – but here goes. Bravo to the village co-op La Cave de Gigondas for its Domaine de la Souchière, Gigondas Blanc 2023 (priced at €29.90 in France), not only for its clear Clairette character and beguiling floral notes, but also for showing how a little oak (just 25% of the total, for part-fermentation and eight months’ ageing) can tease extra pleasure into the wine without wrecking its purity, balance and finesse.

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Hahndorf Hill specialises in growing cool-climate Austrian grape varieties such as Grüner Veltliner, Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt.

Larry Jacobs and Marc Dobson established the six-hectare estate just outside the German-heritage village of Hahndorf back in 2002.

Hahndorf Hill is now firmly established as ‘Australia’s proud standard bearer for Grüner Veltliner’, according to Decanter’s David Sly.

Wirra Wirra chief executive Matthew Deller MW said: ‘At a time when the Australian wine industry is facing real challenges, we’re choosing to invest in quality, authenticity and long-term growth.

‘Larry and Marc have created something truly special. Hahndorf Hill fits perfectly with our vision for the future.’

This represents Wirra Wirra’s second foray into the Adelaide Hills. A decade ago, the family-owned business bought Ashton Hills, one of Australia’s leading Pinot Noir producers.

Hahndorf Hill is primarily renowned for producing four expressions of Grüner Veltliner, but it also makes small-batch reds, including Blaufränkisch, St. Laurent and Zweigelt. The winery produces a 12-variety white field blend, a rosé, a Pinot Grigio and a Shiraz too.

Jacobs, a former intensive-care doctor who gave up medicine to set up Mulderbosch Vineyards in Stellenbosch before moving to Australia in 1997, currently oversees all vineyard and winery operations at Hahndorf Hill.

Dobson, a former journalist and advertising copywriter from Cape Town, is responsible for marketing, while he also runs Hahndorf Hill’s cellar door operations. Both men now plan to retire, leaving the Wirra Wirra team to continue their work.

‘Marc and I are thrilled that Wirra Wirra will be taking over the reins,’ said Jacobs. ‘The Wirra Wirra team has all the skills and enthusiasm to take Hahndorf Hill to the next level.’

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‘Anything that moves goes for the Grenache,’ laughs Anthony de Jager of Fairview.

He’s referring to Klein Amoskuil, an organic bush vine block in the Swartland. ‘There’s no water in the area, and Grenache produces big berries, basically sacks of hydration for the birds and the bokke.’

The latter is the Afrikaans term for the duiker antelope. ‘They often chew the border vines right down to nubs; but the buck must have its share,’ says De Jager. In tribute he named the resulting wine Bok Amok.

Scroll down for Malu’s pick of South African Grenache

Now chief winemaker, De Jager has been at Fairview since 1996. The Paarl estate, owned by Charles Back, can largely be credited for reigniting interest in Grenache, with its tongue-in-cheek ‘Goats Do Roam’, a Southern Rhône-inspired blend.

When the 1998 maiden vintage was released, there wasn’t anything like it. The blends of the time were generally Cabernet Sauvignon-based blockbusters.

It was Paarl’s hot conditions that got the team thinking ‘Rhône’ – so they headed into the then unfashionable Swartland to prospect fruit for the early renditions.

The journey took them all the way into the altitudinous Piekenierskloof (ascents go up to 700m above sea level), where they found a bush vine block of Grenache planted in 1973. This made its way into the original Goats Do Roam.

The fruit now goes into Fairview’s Bloemcool Berg-en-Dal Oupa se Wingerd. Goats Do Roam is still going strong however, now a blend of Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsault.

Grenache takes centre stage

Back in the late 1990s, Grenache was mostly used for bulk, lower-quality dry reds destined for the big wholesalers. That was until Johan Delport produced the first single-varietal Grenache bottling in 2001 for Citrusdal Cellars, previously Goue Vallei; and now called Piekenierskloof Wines.

Bizarrely, Goue Vallei was allowed to produce a wine called ‘Chianti’, a blend of Grenache and Cinsault. ‘I still remember the yellow label,’ recalls Delport. ‘Apparently, the cellar had official permission from the Italian Embassy to use the name.’

He says the blend became so popular they used to plant vineyards with alternating rows of the two grapes.

The shift to quality production came when the winery began selling juice to producers such as Fairview, as well as to Boekenhoutskloof for Chocolate Block. ‘Then everyone wanted in.’

Former rugby player for South Africa’s national team the Springboks, and the force behind Stellenbosch’s Vriesenhof, Jan Boland Coetzee believes Grenache was planted in the region as far back as the 1700s, citing a family legend that Napoleon favoured sweet wines made from it.

The story has been passed down through generations of Coetzees, whose roots in the Cape date back to 1679, with early settlements in both Stellenbosch and Piekenierskloof, where they are said to have introduced the cultivar.

Site-driven wines

‘It shows terroir more than any other grape,’ says Rudiger Gretschel. Production director for Vinimark and cellarmaster at Reyneke, Gretschel also has his own holding in the region, Swartberg Wingerde. ‘The secret is the altitude, which tempers the harsh, dryland conditions,’ he explains.

‘The older vineyards are mostly planted on alluvial, sandy soils – they can be quite light, in colour as well as in expression. Whereas the newer vineyards are on more structured, rocky soils and are correspondingly producing wines with more depth.’

Currently the Piekenierskloof is planted to 92.21ha of the grape. According to South Africa’s regulatory body SAWIS (South Africa Wine Industry Information and Systems) the total hectarage of the national vineyard lies at 579.01ha.

Hendrik Le Roux, a viticulturist at SAWIS says: ‘Over the last five years we can track that Grenache hectares are increasing and are outweighing uprootings.’

Paarl plantings are significant at 172.67ha, extending to the Swartland, where they total 150.17ha.

Grenache on the rise

The numbers are encouraging. Some of South Africa’s most exciting producers are realising the enormous potential of this climate-resilient grape variety, especially with the increasingly drier conditions.

While there is no official Grenache association (yet), a group regularly meets to benchmark top international versions, taste each other’s wines and swap ideas.

Among them are David Trafford and Charla Bosman (of Sijnn Wines); Tyrrel Myburgh of Joostenburg who produces an organic, small-batch Grenache; Elizma Visser of Olifantsberg; and Marelise Niemann of Momento Wines, arguably the grape’s most devoted champion.

Niemann makes the whole rainbow of Grenache: Blanc, Gris and Noir. Added to this she works across a variety of sites, namely the Swartland, Bot River, the Piekenierskloof and, for the 2025 vintage, the Breedekloof, bottling the soil types separately.

A harvest in Spain’s Priorat propelled her to start Momento. She explains that her aim was: ‘To create awareness of the potential that Grenache has in South Africa, and to get people to drink, and plant, more of it!’

Grenache may have once only played a supporting role in South African wine, but that’s no longer the case.

From old plots in the Piekenierskloof to new plantings across the Cape, this bush vine-suited, drought-resistant grape is stepping into the spotlight backed by a growing contingent of highly respected producers.

‘Hairy’ Grenache

Instigated by top vineyard consultant and Decanter Hall of Fame recipient, Rosa Kruger, in 2018 Garnacha Peluda was planted at Kloovenburg in the Swartland. Known colloquially as ‘Hairy Grenache’ it is a mutation of the cultivar that sports hairy leaves on the underside, which helps the vine cope with hot, dry conditions.

It is said to ripen a week earlier as well as have a fruitier profile and higher acidity than Grenache. In 2024, Kloovenburg produced the first blend of the two: 72% Grenache matured in old foudre, with 28% Garnacha Peluda aged in cement tank.

South African Grenache: 15 to try

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The Cannonau grape variety is local to the Italian island of Sardinia, where it is one of the principal grapes used to produce the island’s deeply coloured, full-bodied red wines such as Cannonau di Sardegna DOC.

A thin-skinned, late-ripening variety, Cannonau is best suited to hot and dry conditions. The wines it produces are typically full-bodied and high in alcohol, with soft acidity, light tannins, and generous red fruit flavours. You can also find some floral and white pepper notes.

Cannonau’s origins

Cannonau has thrived on Sardinia for centuries in isolation, however DNA analysis shows that it is genetically identical to Grenache. It is thought that the grape arrived in the 14th century, when the Kingdom of Aragon conquered Sardinia.

The variety is grown in a number of different locations but the majority can be found on the east of the island encompassing both the coast, from Orosei to Bari Sardo, and the mountainous interior around the Nuoro, Ogliastra and Cagliari provinces.

‘Of the 41 grape varieties planted in Sardinia, the Cannonau di Sardegna DOC represents the largest vineyard area, at a little more than a quarter of all plantings,’ said Anthony Rose in 2022.

Three smaller sub-regions have been officially identified as producing quality Cannonau including Nepente di Oliena, reserved exclusively for wines made in the town of Oliena, in the eastern Nuoro province; Capo Ferrato comprises the communes of Castiadas, Muravera, San Vito, Villaputzu and Villasimius in the island’s southeastern corner and finally, Jerzu, which applies to the Jerzu and Cardedu districts.

In addition to Sardinia, Cannonau can be found in other parts of southern Italy, including Sicily,

Cannonau’s style

‘How would I describe the character of Cannonau, versus Grenache? For me, it has more freshness, and more red berry flavours, because Cannonau is harvested earlier than many Grenache wines,’ winemaker Antonella Corda told Decanter in 2020.

Higher altitudes can help to mitigate the natural high alcohol of Cannonau, as well as bolstering the low acidity and emphasising its floral character thanks to large temperature fluctuations between day and night. For this reason, the wines of Mamoiada in the hilly centre of the island are gaining traction.

The Cannonau di Sardegna DOC

The Cannonau di Sardegna DOC was established in 1972 and covers the entire island, producing both red and rosé wines from the Cannonau grape. The red wines may be produced in three styles; dry, sweet or fortified.

The dry reds must be a minimum of 12.5% abv. They can also be produced in a riserva style with strict regulations controlling ageing requirements and minimum alcohol levels – these wines must have at least 13% abv and an obligatory ageing period (known as affinamento obbligatorio) of two years, including at least six months in barrels, of which oak and chestnut are the more popular options.

The sweet style is known as passito and must have a minimum of 13% abv while the fortified expressions, produced in both sweet and dry styles, are labelled as liquoroso. The dry liquoroso ‘secco’ must have a maximum residual sugar level of 10g/l and a minimum 18% abv while the sweet Liquoroso dolce must have a minimum residual sugar level of 50g/l and a minimum 16% abv. Both the passito and liquoroso styles have have a minimum one-year ageing requirement.

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David Williams, Matthew Forster MW and Luis Gamiz tasted 86 wines, with 5 Oustanding and 38 Highly Recommended

Montsant: Panel tasting scores

86 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 5

Highly recommended 38

Recommended 38

Commended 5

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current-release still dry (or off-dry) red, white and rosé wines from DO Montsant

No matter how hard you try to ignore it, the question that haunts any tasting of DO Montsant wines is always: ‘How do these wines compare to those of Priorat?’ And the answer will invariably be something along the lines of, ‘better value, but not quite hitting the same heights’.

Founded as a DO in 2001, a year after Priorat was elevated from DO status to DOCa, Monstant almost entirely envelops the more famous region, both of which are set in the rugged hills of southern Catalonia.

Scroll down to see notes and scores of the top-scoring wines from our Montsant tasting

Emerging from the shadows

The reasons for comparison are obvious enough: the two regions share much by way of climate, grape varieties and stylistic approach. Then again, Montsant is much more varied in its soils, elevations (from 50m to 700m), aspects and microclimates.

In other words, while it may have kinship with Priorat, Montsant is – or should be – very much its own thing.

The best of the wines on show in this panel tasting had a distinct character, especially those that managed to avoid, in Luis Gámiz’s words, ‘looking to Priorat as a benchmark’ by eschewing obvious oak.

‘For me, the better reds tended to pull away from oak use, to focus on fruit and give a more energetic result,’ said Matthew Forster MW. ‘There were some quite soupy, middle-of-the-road wines that struggled to marry oak with Garnacha in particular.’

For Gámiz, too, the stars of the tasting were the ‘fresher, lighter and more mineral-driven Garnachas and Cariñenas’. All of us on the panel would certainly have liked to taste more of this style.

The whites also impressed, with the best examples showing ‘real authenticity and verve,’ noted Forster.

Ultimately, this was a tasting of wines of remarkable consistency and character, with just five wines tasted failing to make the 86-point (Recommended) cut. ‘The quality in the region is very good in general,’ concluded Gámiz.

Looking down the list of prices, you’d have to say the value is very good, too. So, what was that about a certain region beginning with P…?

See all the wines from the Montsant tasting

What to eat with Montsant wines, by Fiona Beckett

Montsant, as this tasting illustrates, comes in two guises: lighter, fresher, more mineral styles and more full-bodied wines that are more similar to those of neighbouring Priorat.

The former are generally more versatile – wines, like those featured in our value Spanish Tempranillo tasting, that you could happily drink with tapas but also a good accompaniment for tomato-based sauces and grilled meats and vegetables, so good wines to crack open with a barbecue.

You could also pair this style with a tagine or a paella (it would go well with the authentic Valencian style with chicken and/or rabbit).

More full-bodied styles are the ones you would want to enjoy with slow-braised ox cheek, venison, wild boar or other hearty stews: classic cold-weather drinking.

The relatively small number of whites, which are mainly based on white Garnacha and Macabeo, are a natural match for robust seafood dishes such as grilled or roast hake, octopus, dishes with salt cod or with punchily seasoned salads that might well include olives, capers and artichokes.

Montsant panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

David Williams is wine correspondent for The Observer, a regular contributor to Decanter on all things Spanish, and a widely published wine writer, author and competition judge

Matthew Forster MW is an independent wine consultant and education specialist, and founder of The Wine Partnership. A former director at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, he has a particular passion for the food and wine cultures of Spain, Portugal and South America

Luis Gamiz is business and product development manager and Spanish wine buyer at Indigo Wine. He has extensive experience in the wine industry, having previously held positions at Alliance Wine, The Knotted Vine and Vinoteca

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Comando G, Rumbo al Norte, Cerebros, Gredos

First vintage: 2010

No one can claim to understand the essence of Spanish Garnacha until they’ve tasted Rumbo al Norte (‘Route to the North’).

‘It’s liquid granite,’ says Daniel Landi, one of the founders of Comando G. ‘Rumbo al Norte changed our lives – and the life of Gredos.’

See below for a must-try vintage of Comando G, Rumbo al Norte

Having almost single-handedly put the Gredos region, west of Madrid, on the map, Comando G (profiled in our latest annual Spain guide, November 2024) has built a cult following around the world. Its Garnachas are unanimously considered to be among the most refined and terroir-expressive iterations of the variety.

The duo’s authenticity, down-to-earth geekiness and effortless cool, along with their technical abilities, met the demand of a younger generation of collectors who were looking beyond the classics. Their top wines, and Rumbo al Norte in particular, have since carved their own firm place in the fine wine market.

When Landi and his partner in crime Fernando García came upon Rumbo al Norte, the tiny, 0.3ha, north-facing plot was at risk of being uprooted. It’s an extreme site, sitting at 1,075m in the village of Villanueva de Avila, where gnarled Garnacha vines, planted in 1950, are cradled by huge granite boulders, some so closely positioned that not even a horse can pass between them.

The prescience of García and Landi, recognising the potential of this challenging site, reflects the determination and vision that has informed Comando G from its humble beginnings.

Rumbo al Norte sits atop Comando G’s Burgundy style quality pyramid, not only as its flagship single vineyard wine but also as the plot that best captures the essence of Gredos, of its granite soils and the Garnachas they produce.

Such a small area of low-yielding vines (struggling to produce a mere 1,500kg/ha) necessarily produces a very limited number of bottles each year, which are quickly snapped up by collectors and perform increasingly well in secondary markets.

Rumbo al Norte’s greatest relevance, however, is how it distils the essence of Comando G’s passion and philosophy, which in turn have empowered a new generation of like-minded producers and broadened the scope and audience of Spanish fine-wine drinking.

‘Rumbo al Norte is a child of nonconfirmity. It’s the wine that – like the North Star guides seamen – guided us,’ concludes Landi. As it has guided me, and many other admirers of Comando G’s wines, on a rediscovery of Spanish Garnacha

The wine to try before you die

Comando G, Rumbo al Norte, Cebreros, Gredos, 2021 – 98pts

POA £ (2022) Burnett & Herbert, Les Caves de Pyrene US$750 VinoNueva

100% Garnacha; bottled in April 2023 after ageing in a mix of 500L-700L French oak casks and amphorae.

Incredible focus and precision in this light-hued wine, with filigree aromatics and a detailed nose of crushed rose petals, pomegranate and cranberry. In the mouth, the ripe red fruit is sprinkled with white pepper and drenched in blood orange juice – all held firmly by mineral, soft yet chiselled tannins. Long tail of sour cherry and amaretto.

Drink: 2025-2050 Alcohol: 14.5%

Spanish Icons: Comando G, Rumbo al Norte

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Clos Mogador, Vinya Classificada, Priorat

First vintage: 1989

One of the leading, and most characterful, faces of the ‘Gang of Five’ who transformed Priorat in the last quarter of the 20th century, Clos Mogador’s founder René Barbier brought an idiosyncratic strength to his interpretation of the region, at once poetic and technically exact – attributes that can also be ascribed to the project’s namesake wine, whose earthy complexity and elegant rusticity never fail to impress, vintage after vintage.

See below for a must-try vintage of Clos Mogador Vinya Classificada

The history of Clos Mogador is also that of the Barbier family, which grew and evolved with the vineyards of Priorat – and the Clos Mogador project – as their identity and point of reference.

In 1979, René bought his first plot and settled with wife Isabelle (1952-2020) and six-year-old René Jr in the then overlooked region.

The young family’s life revolved around Barbier’s obsession with Priorat’s llicorella soils and steep slopes, which culminated in the production of the blend of Garnacha, Cariñena, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon that’s now synonymous with modern Priorat.

The familial craftsmanship with which Clos Mogador has always been associated is further underscored by Isabelle’s work overseeing communication and image (including label design). The family has since added other wines and regions to its portfolio, but Mogador remains the flagship and Priorat the spiritual home.

Since 2021, Barbier’s sons Christian and René Jr have been at the helm of the estate. In charge of viticulture, Christian has been consolidating biodynamic and agriculture practices, with all vineyards currently worked by horse.

In the cellar, René Jr is pursuing greater precision with a lighter-handed approach, aware of the challenges posed by climate change to achieve balance.

Clos Mogador is an icon already, but one that also intrigues for the potential that lies ahead.

The wine to try before you die

Clos Mogador, Vinya Classificada, Priorat, 2021 – 97pts

£50-£57 (ib) Christopher Keiller, Cru, Farr Vintners, Ideal Wine Co, Turville Valley / US$110-$130 Astor Wines, Compline, Gordon’s, Hart & Cru, Hi-Time, Houston Wine Merchant, Marty’s, Rain City Wines

49% Garnacha, 29% Cariñena, 16% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; native-yeast fermented, 30% with stems, then aged for 18 months in 2,000L oak foudres.

Wood and alcohol are masterfully integrated in this vintage, which balances fragrant nuance with muscularity. Plum, infused cranberries and cherry sorbet rest on chestnut and green olive tapenade.

Oregano, thyme and Earl Grey impart herbal depth. These are echoed in the petrichor and wet tobacco leaves that sit in the background. Fine yet robust tannins allow the wine to linger and develop beautifully in the mouth.

Drink: 2025-2036 Alcohol: 14%

Spanish Icons: Clos Mogador, Vinya Classificada

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Like all insufferable dads, the other day I was lecturing my son about the music I grew up with, so I played him some early jungle over breakfast.

In retrospect, some of it sounds like a drum kit falling down the stairs, but a few tracks, despite their radical style, have stood the test of time.

It’s not just music that goes through different styles and fashions, wines do too. Take Châteauneuf for example. In the late 1990s and early 2000s it went through its ‘modern’ period, characterised by extreme ripeness and new oak.

Today, this style couldn’t be less fashionable, with winemakers instead seeking freshness and balance.

At the time, one of the wines associated with that extreme style was Domaine de la Mordorée’s La Plume du Peintre. I recently had the chance to revisit the 2003 and 2005, and compare with the 2019 and 2022. I was keen to see how they looked 20-plus years on.

Are we right to deride that style today, or were winemakers actually onto something?

Scroll down to see Matt Walls’ notes and scores for 10 Domaine de la Mordorée La Plume du Peintre wines

Queen of the woods

In French, a mordorée is another name for a bécasse, a small game bird known in English as a woodcock. It’s the emblem of Domaine de la Mordorée, which is now in the hands of Ambre Delorme. She uses the creature’s various nicknames for some of her other cuvées: La Reine des Bois (The Queen of the Woods), La Dame Rousse (The Redheaded Woman) and La Dame Voyageuse (The Travelling Lady).

It was her father Christophe Delorme, who died aged 52 in 2015, that first developed the Plume du Peintre range. This name – which translates as ‘the painter’s quill’ – also refers to their feathered friend.

Ambre says it’s the name of a small colourful feather found on the woodcock’s wing that hunters take as a trophy; it’s also used by artists to sign their finished canvases.

The Plume du Peintre process

Domaine de la Mordorée is located in Tavel, but also has some excellent vineyards over the river in Châteauneuf, including some very old vines grown on galets roulés on the plateau of La Crau. Though the exact blend changes from vintage to vintage, the La Plume du Peintre Châteauneuf is always based on this parcel as it delivers particularly structured, powerful wines.

It isn’t produced every year. The first vintages were in 2003 and 2005, made by Christophe, then, after a long hiatus, Ambre produced a 2019 and a 2022.

She accompanies her best parcels through the growing season, then, if volumes are sufficiently generous and she feels that ‘something is happening here’, she will isolate plots and vinify and age them separately. Then it’s a case of ‘taste, taste, taste’, and if the quality is high enough, they are bottled separately as La Plume du Peintre.

La Plume du Peintre Lirac and Tavel

During the gap between the original and recent vintages of La Plume du Peintre Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the range started encompassing other appellations, but ‘it’s always a story of old vines’, says Ambre, ‘as that’s where you find the complexity’.

Domaine de la Mordorée produced La Plume du Peintre Lirac rouge in 2012 and 2016, Lirac blanc in 2017 and 2023, and Tavel in 2019, 2022 and 2023. All are drinking well now, with particular highlights being the Lirac blanc 2023 and Tavel 2023. (See tasting notes below).

Changing tastes

The 2003 and 2005 vintages of La Plume du Peintre Châteauneuf offer a clear contrast to the 2019 and 2022, and these two pairs provide a neat illustration of how times and tastes have changed in the region.

The 2003 and 2005 are huge wines of extreme ripeness, with toasty oak, potent alcohol and robust tannins – very much wines of their day. The alcohol in the 2003 feels particularly high, but the 2005 finds balance despite its proportions, and exhibits more freshness and harmony than the 2003, which is almost a caricature of Châteauneuf, but it’s undeniably complex and offers huge hedonistic pleasure.

The 2019 and 2022 are very different; picked at a more restrained level of ripeness, without such invasive oak treatment, they feel more precise and focused, if less high-spirited and exuberant.

La Plume de Peintre Châteauneuf-du-Pape vintages

2003: One third each of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre from lieux-dits La Crau and Bois de la Ville; aged in new oak barriques for 12 months.

2005: Pure Grenache from La Crau; aged in new oak barriques for 12 months.

2019: Pure Grenache from La Crau; aged in two-year-old barriques for 10 months.

2022: 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, from lieux-dits La Crau and La Nerthe; aged in two-year-old barriques for 10 months.

Positive evolution

The 2003 vintage was like nothing the region had seen before – a year of intense heat and drought. Such extreme conditions were a novelty at the time, and they offered new opportunities to explore, opening up possibilities that chimed with prevailing tastes.

Many modern Châteauneufs of this era have since collapsed under their own weight, but the 2005 Plume du Peintre shows that some wines of this period excelled and will continue to provide pleasure for decades.

Today, most of us would rather enjoy a more balanced, fresher expression, and the winemaking approach in 2019 and 2022 has evolved to suit current appetites. Though still concentrated and powerful, they’re more approachable and precise than those earlier years, though Ambre wonders if they’ll age for quite as long.

Like early jungle music, the modern Châteauneufs are relics of their time, experiments with very mixed results. Most contemporary versions are more measured, no longer in thrall to extreme ripeness, and certainly easier to drink.

But the most successful wines of that era have a raucous fun and infectious enthusiasm that’s hard not to love.

Domaine de la Mordorée La Plume du Peintre

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Alvaro Palacios, L’Ermita Gran Vinya Classificada, Priorat

First vintage: 1993

It’s difficult to be indifferent to the trademark purity of fruit, chiselled tannins and intense minerality of L’Ermita.

Hailing from the eponymous 1.44ha plot in Gratallops, in the heart of Priorat, the wine quickly became Alvaro Palacios’ most sought-after, following its first release in 1993, four years after the star winemaker started his namesake project in the Catalonian region.

See which must-try vintage of L’Ermita Ines recommends below

It’s one of the wines that rebuilt the image of Priorat, repositioning it as a region where heroic viticulture meets fine wine production. Unapologetically priced high from the outset, it instilled a new sense of confidence and possibility among the region’s new wave of producers.

Palacios came upon and purchased L’Ermita shortly before the inaugural vintage. The chapel (ermita) that overlooks the plot provided obvious, and poetic, branding.

Sitting between 350m and 430m, ‘it’s a vineyard touched by a special gift, where the schist and quartz north-facing plots lend Garnacha a transcendent emotional beauty’, Palacios says. The wine itself has gone through significant stylistic changes over the years.

Between 1993 and 2004, the final blend included 25% of Cabernet Sauvignon from another vineyard; since then, L’Ermita – awarded Gran Vinya Classificada status in 2017 – is made exclusively with the Garnacha and interspersed Cariñena and white grapes (Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo and Pedro Ximénez) planted within its perimeter in 1910 and 1939 (Palacios also planted some vines in 1996-1997).

This reflects an ever-sharper awareness of what makes L’Ermita and Priorat special – and collectible.

‘The land has taught us how to respect, with humility, the true historical legacy of Priorat,’ Palacios explains. ‘Today, we work with indigenous varieties, respecting local traditions, so as to prevail with the typicity and authenticity of what once was.’

The wine to try before you die

Alvaro Palacios, L’Ermita Gran Vinya Classificada, Priorat 2021 – 98pts

£700 (ib) – £1,160 Christopher Keiller, Crop & Vine, Cru, Ideal Wine Co, Millésima, VinQuinn US$1,300-$1,640 Benchmark, Naples Fine Wine, Pogo’s, Zachys

Garnacha and Cariñena with a small splash of white varieties; native-yeast fermented with 55% whole bunches, then aged in French oak foudres for 12 months. Refined, nuanced nose with finely etched aromas of plums, dried violets, black cherries and brambles.

Austere, unapologetic minerality on the palate supports the crunchy blueberry, plum and blackcurrant fruit. A fine layer of red apple peel and vermouth adds vibrancy and energy throughout.

An intriguing touch of tree bark adds a pleasant, earthy pull. Still coiled and timid, this will evolve beautifully for years to come.

Drink: 2025-2050 Alcohol: 14%

Spanish Icons: Alvaro Palacios, L’Ermita

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Beth Pearce MW, Sara Muirhead MW and Ben Chan tasted 51 wines, with 7 Outstanding and 25 Highly Recommended

Australian Grenache: Panel tasting scores

51 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 7

Highly recommended 25

Recommended 15

Commended 4

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit their 100% Grenache wines from the 2020, 2021 and 2022 vintages

With the original plantings taking place in 1838, Grenache was one of the first varieties to take root in Australia. Indeed, the country boasts the world’s oldest productive Grenache vines, planted in 1848, and its wealth of old-vine material has helped fuel the rise of single-varietal Grenache wines of increasingly notable quality.

‘There’s now a spectrum of Grenache that’s different to what people would have expected, even five or so years ago,’ said lead judge Beth Pearce MW. ‘There are the old-school, rich, opulent styles and the new-wave Pinot-like styles,’ explained Ben Chan.

‘The best wines have that sort of concentration that comes from old vines – all that Pinot-like perfume, but with a bit more muscle,’ Pearce added.

Scroll down to see notes and scores of the top-scoring wines from our Australian Grenache tasting

A variety to seek out

Identifying which style is in your bottle isn’t easy. ‘It’s very hard to know what you’re going to get,’ noted Pearce. This is one category where it’s important to identify your favourite producers and wines. But you can certainly expect quality from Aussie Grenache.

An impressive 63% of the wines in the tasting were ranked Highly recommended or above. ‘There was a high quality level,’ noted Sara Muirhead MW. ‘But there were quite a lot of wines that were quite ambitiously priced and the quality didn’t always match up.’

Nonetheless, the panel noted the innovation of some of the winemakers working with Grenache. ‘In terms of the sort of style producers were going after, it’s interesting to see how specific some were about how they age the wines,’ said Pearce.

Which regions should readers look out for? McLaren Vale and Barossa dominated, with the former claiming the lion’s share of the Outstanding bottles.

Within McLaren Vale, one name should definitely be on your radar: ‘Blewitt Springs stood out, as I expected it might, because there are some great vineyards there – those sandy soils are well known for top-quality Grenache,’ said Pearce.

Although it accounts for just 1.1% of Australia’s total vineyard area, Grenache punches well above its weight. Seek it out.

See all the wines from the Australian Grenache tasting

What to eat with Australian Grenache, by Fiona Beckett

The assumption that Aussie Grenache is all about high-alcohol blockbusters is out of date, as this tasting shows. Nevertheless, that full-bodied style is still widely available and popular.

It particularly suits substantial wintry food – dishes such as slow-braised ox cheek and other casseroles, and hearty steak pies – but can also be a great pairing for an American-style barbecue with its smoked meats.

And because of its relatively soft tannins, this style would work well with a cheeseboard, especially with stronger hard cheeses and blues. But the fresher, younger styles are more like Pinot Noir when it comes to pairing – often made in a quaffable style better suited to charcuterie or simply grilled meats, or, like Pinot, to duck.

Those styles would also be good with root vegetable-based dishes, including roast carrots, parsnip and beetroot, and also with roast pumpkin or squash. There’s always a slight sweetness to Grenache that chimes with a corresponding sweet note in a dish.

Australian Grenache panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Beth Pearce MW is the recently appointed head of buying at Flint Wines. Her extensive experience in the wine industry includes roles in retail and buying at Majestic and most recently buying director at Lay & Wheeler

Sara Muirhead MW is a wine consultant and communicator with more than 30 years’ experience in the wine trade. Her current focuses include wine tastings and events. She became an MW in 2008, and is a DWWA judge for Australia

Ben Chan is a senior wine specialist for Berry Bros & Rudd and a DWWA judge. After working as a winemaker in his native Australia, he is now based in London, where he was a sommelier at Hakkasan Mayfair and a WSET examiner

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A dram of Scotch whisky may be the traditional choice for a Burns supper, but there are plenty of options for pairing wines with haggis, the meal’s focal point.

If choosing wines to match with haggis, look to fruit-driven, medium-bodied red wines, or white wines that have refreshing acidity but also enough weight to stand up to the fattiness and flavours.

Food and wine pairing is highly subjective, though, and experimenting can be part of the fun.

Six wine styles to drink with haggis on Burns Night 2025

• Syrah / Shiraz
• Shiraz-Grenache blends
• Riesling
• Grenache Blanc
• Pinot Noir
• Gamay 

Haggis on Burns Night

It’s common for dinner guests to stand as the haggis is carried into the room on a silver platter, accompanied by a piper, the chef and the person who will recite Robert Burns’ poem, ‘Address to a Haggis’.

Made well, and from a quality source, haggis offers a rich combination of meaty flavours with peppery and herby characters, as well as bit of spice. If you’re unsure about where to find it, try your local butcher.

That said, US food safety officials banned haggis imports in 1971 over the traditional inclusion of sheep’s lung.

Haggis maker Macsween of Edinburgh has been working to slightly adapt the recipe to create a ‘compliant version’ for the US, reported the UK’s Telegraph newspaper this week. It’s still in the testing phase, though.

It’s also possible to find or make vegetarian versions of haggis.

Pairing red wine with haggis

Fruit-driven red wines with good acidity are likely to be a better bet with haggis than those with heavily pronounced tannins or oak, which could overpower the flavours of the dish.

‘I’m always surprised at how peppery haggis is – not spicy, but peppery,’ said Tina Gellie, Decanter’s head of content.

‘And of course it is also dense, rich and meaty. As most people do on Burns Night, I have always paired my haggis, neeps and tatties with whisk(e)y, but if I were to choose a wine, I’d probably go for a juicy, fruit-driven red, where the tannins wouldn’t compete too much.’

Gellie suggested ‘maybe a cru Beaujolais, a Carignan or a Shiraz-Grenache blend’.

Arnaud Demas, group general manager at Galvin Restaurants in London, including Michelin-starred Galvin La Chapelle, told Decanter, ‘For a rustic dish like haggis, we recommend pairing it with a Syrah or Pinot Noir—wines that are rich in fruit and easy to drink.’

Demas, who is also an ex-head sommelier, added, ‘The key is to choose a wine with depth and fruit-forward character to balance the dish’s rustic nature. Medium to full-bodied Pinot Noirs are ideal, [but] avoiding anything too light.’

For specific matches, Demas highlighted the fruity and spiced profile of a Côtes du Rhône by producer Paul Jaboulet Aîné.

He also suggested Domaine Philippe Livera’s Gevrey-Chambertin ‘En Champs’ – describing it as a relatively full-bodied Burgundian Pinot Noir bringing ‘meaty complexity and soft tannins that perfectly complements the dish’.

German Spätburgunder (Pinot noir) with vegetarian haggis

Natalie Earl, Decanter Regional Editor for France (excluding Bordeaux), said she would enjoy vegetarian haggis with a German Spätburgunder.

‘Both have an earthy, savoury character, and the Spätburgunder is light enough not to make the whole combination too rich,’ she said.

Pairing white wines with haggis

If you’re looking for white wines to pair with haggis, refreshing acidity can still help to lift the dish but think about a trying a style with enough richness to stand up to the flavours.

Demas at Galvin Restaurants advised, ‘For white wines, avoid anything too dry or overly sweet. Instead, opt for a wine with a hint of fruitiness, such as a German Riesling or a [white] Grenache with subtle oxidation.’

Other options could include riper styles of Viognier, as well as Chardonnays with a touch of oak or creamy texture from malolactic fermentation.

Alternatively, experimenting with lesser-known styles, and trying out different combinations, is all part of the fun when it comes to wine and food pairing.

See more recent wine reviews by Decanter experts below.

If you’re planning to stick to spirits, here is our guide to 10 of the best Scotch whiskies to try on Burns Night.

Wines to drink with haggis for Burns Night 2025: Recent reviews by our experts

Recent reviews of wines at different price tiers by Decanter experts. The first two wines were among top-scorers in Decanter’s Wines of the Year 2024 feature.

This article has been republished from Decanter’s archive, with updated links and commentary in January 2025. 

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Who doesn’t love a trip to London? I may live in a wine-producing country, but London? It’s the beating heart of the wine world.

This was my first visit to Decanter in situ, and I was invited to taste on the Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Panel Tasting. The wines on show highlighted how producers are pushing stylistic differences, from Banghoek to Bottelary, rather than just ‘Stellenbosch’.

The top contender was Le Riche Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017.

Scroll down for Malu’s top 10 South African wines of 2024

While in the UK I jumped on a train to Sussex to visit the Jordans (of Jordan Wine Estate in Stellenbosch) at the medieval Mousehall. They’ve just released the maiden Tidebrook Wines.

I mention this as they’re not the only South Africans prospecting English vineyards, there’s a growing number – an interesting trend to watch.

South Africa’s ‘secret weapon’

Touching down in Cape Town, it was straight back to tasting for Decanter. This time for My top 20 South African white blends article. Eben Sadie’s Palladius 2022, an iconic Chenin-based blend, is proof that South Africa’s secret weapon is having this grape as its backbone.

Boasting the majority plantings of Chenin Blanc in the world, we may as well make good use of it. Using Chenin as ballast also has the advantage of being uniquely South African; where else do you find such a preponderance of premium Chenin-based cuvées?

That said, the Sauvignon-Semillons also fared well. What’s surprising is that for the relatively high quality, producers find this blend difficult to sell. Consumers would rather reach for a straight Sauvignon Blanc.

Adept with both grapes is winemaker Trizanne Barnard. One afternoon at her beachside home, we dove into her 2023 Seascape range. The stand-out was the Sondagskloof White 2023: wild fermented, some barrel, half skin-contact Sauvignon, named for a tiny Cape South Coast ward.

Barnard is not alone in experimenting: the use of oak, spontaneous fermentation, lees contact et al, is on the rise. This was illustrated by the Sauvignon Blanc category winner in Platter’s South African Wine Guide 2025: Diemersdal Wild Horseshoe 2023 – which makes use of all of those techniques.

Celebrating success

Some personal successes this year included being named a finalist in the inaugural 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards. Then, while in Zanzibar I got the news that I managed to not only clinch the WSET Diploma, but also win three of the modules.

Fine wine is not readily available on the island, so I settled for an ice cold beer – which tasted pretty good! Back home we celebrated by popping a bottle of the Silverthorn Jewel Box 2019.

Suddenly, we were in the thick of release season. Duncan Savage’s release at his urban winery was memorable. A seamless, confident showing, with the Girl Next Door 2023 rising to the top using Syrah parcels from both Noordhoek and Fish Hoek.

These unusual growing areas were chosen partly, I suspect, for the opportunity to surf between pickings…

From one surfer to another: Miles Mossop and the launch of his Cab-led Sam 2021 at Salon by chef-patron Luke Dale Roberts. Something that struck me was how much more elegant Mossop’s wines have become after leaving the life of a salaried winemaker in 2018.

Varieties to watch

While Salon was a feast for the palate, sometimes simple food seems to make wines shine all the brighter. The Roodekrantz 2023 release tasting at a dive bar underscored this.

Six excellent Chenin Blancs that were nuanced, characterful and carried the signature of their sites. Has there been a more impressive Chenin showcase since Chris Alheit?

While hard to choose – it was the Roodekrantz Die Kliphuis 2023 that pipped the post. Roodekrantz is smart to bet on this workhorse; the premiumisation of Chenin Blanc is becoming a thing.

So much so, that there’s a well-funded research project on the go with this as its focus. Could we soon have a Chenin brand equivalent to Cloudy Bay?

Another cultivar of the moment is undoubtedly Grenache. Suited to hotter climes, dry-land farming and bush-vine cultivation (like in Spain, a South African speciality) we’re seeing the emergence of more single-varietal bottlings.

Probably my favourite tasting of the year benchmarked some top SA Grenache against international bottlings in Joostenberg’s tasting room. One of the attending producers, Marelise Niemann, is so passionate about the variety that she makes four different regional versions.

Her Momento Grenache Noir Piekenierskloof 2022 proves that Grenache can deliver in cooler wards, too.

Don’t forget Chardonnay

Chardonnay has somewhat taken a backseat to Chenin in recent years, but the launch of the Chardonnay Association of South Africa in November, which already has 55 members, has bolstered the variety.

Overall the quality at the launch tasting was outstanding, with Restless River’s Ava Marie Chardonnay 2022 disappearing most quickly in my glass. The diversity of sites on display was particularly interesting, such as the high-lying vines in the Sutherland-Karoo district.

My final (professional, that is) wine lunch of the year took place at my local, The Foodbarn, presided over by the inimitable chef Franck Dangereux. I met with distributor David Clarke of Ex Animo, who had a number of interesting pours.

The Testalonga El Bandito Skin Chenin Blanc 2024 makes the cut here for how distinctly South African it is, there’s just simply nowhere else in the world that it could come from. And that is something to celebrate.

Malu Lambert’s top 10 South African wines of 2024

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Beth Willard, Valentin Radosav and Diana Rollan tasted 69 wines, with 9 Outstanding and 28 Highly Recommended.

Spanish Garnacha: Panel tasting scores

69 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 9

Highly recommended 28

Recommended 32

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit current-release, still red wines in which Garnacha makes up at least 85% of the blend, from any Spanish protected denomination or geographical indication, priced in the domestic market at a minimum of €8 retail, or equivalent in export markets

There are days when you approach a tasting with trepidation, not because the quality might be questionable, but because you have high expectations and desperately don’t want to be disappointed. This was one of those tastings, and with committed ‘garnachistas’ on the panel, the wines had a lot to live up to.

Garnachas from Spain… such a broad remit, but gee, did it deliver!

Scroll down to see notes and scores of the top-scoring wines from our Spanish Garnacha tasting

Garnacha’s versatile charms

The diversity of Spain’s regions and the ability of Garnacha to adapt to different terroirs in its native environment was on show.

From the rugged mountains of the Meseta to the Mediterranean, the flexibility of the grape offered light and lively wines from the Sierra de Gredos to big and bold wines from the slate soils and heat of Priorat.

Diana Rollan commented that the tasting ‘proved the quality and versatility of this Spanish variety, which deserves more recognition’.

The judges were also impressed with some of the value on show. Indeed, one of the top-scoring wines (see recommendations below), El Marciano from Gredos, west of Madrid, is impressively priced for a region where the cost of production is incredibly high due to the challenging mountain terrain.

It is a wine that you’ll often find by the glass in the bars and restaurants of Madrid, with its beautiful varietal and regional character going a long way to explain why.

‘When I see Gredos on the label, I immediately think of a really good Garnacha,’ commented Rollan. ‘Maestro’s El Marciano is a great way to introduce consumers to the variety and region by the glass.’

Varietal character shining through

Aragón also offered wines of excellent value with bigger and bolder styles, balanced with impressive acidity, while wines from Priorat and Rioja showed how well the grape is adapted to their different terroirs.

Rioja in particular, judges felt, presented outstanding interpretations of Garnacha: the Palacio de Manzanos 1890 offers seductive voluptuousness from old vines in Rioja Oriental, while Elías López’s Ilusio Verum is pure and almost ethereal, from the cooler zone of Cordovín.

Judges all commented on the judicious use of oak in the higher-scoring wines; many of these wines had been barrel-aged, but the wood was of very high quality and didn’t overpower the fruit.

‘I love Garnacha because of the grape itself,’ noted Valentin Radosav. ‘When winemakers extract fruit and don’t place reliance on oak, it shows off the style of the different regions.’

It is interesting to note that, among the top-scoring wines, one was fermented and aged in stainless steel, one in concrete, two others in a combination of oak and concrete or amphora, and others in larger barrels (between 400-litre and 600-litre).

The move away from 225-litre barrels reflects a broader trend in certain regions of Spain and seems to benefit this particular variety.

The tasting confirmed the judging panel’s biases towards Spain’s native grape and the quality it can produce on home soil.

It reflected the new wave of red wines being made across the country – a movement that represents a return to the past and a more authentic and pure expression of Spain’s indigenous varieties.

Spanish Garnacha panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Beth Willard writes about and promotes Spanish wines in a number of markets globally, having formerly worked for many years in senior wine buying roles in the UK. She is a member of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino, and is one of the five Co-Chairs of the DWWA

Valentin Radosav is learning and development manager for 5-star hotels in London. A qualified Advanced Sommelier and a DWWA judge, he was formerly head sommelier at Michelin-starred Gymkhana restaurant in Mayfair, having also previously worked at other top venues

Diana Rollan is group head of beverage for D&D London restaurants group. A DWWA judge for Spain, she formerly managed training and wine buying at Hakkasan Group as its UK head of wine

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The things you love are the things you invest time in.’ That’s the motto Daniel Gómez Jiménez-Landi and Fernando García have lived by and largely explains the evolution and success of Comando G, the project they founded in 2008.

The project’s name is loaded with meaning: G stands for Garnacha, Gredos and granite, the region’s terroir- and visually defining rock; it’s also a nod to the Spanish-language version of a 1970s cartoon, Battle of the Planets, in which a team of stylishly caped heroes called G-Force (‘Comando G’) protect the Earth from alien threats.

Meaning is indeed key to understanding Comando G. There’s a programmatic, almost ideological component to the project. Landi and García’s motivations are deeply rooted in the socio-economic phenomena that led to the abandonment of old vineyards in Gredos and the lack of appreciation for the local grape and wines.

Their shared accomplishment is – more than a steady output of some of Europe’s finest Garnachas – the new light shed on the uniqueness of a region and of a lost viticultural heritage.

Gaining perspective

Having grown up in a village in the Méntrida DO region, surrounded by vines, Landi describes how ‘everyone was ashamed of Garnacha’. Growers, he says, were paid ‘close to nothing’ for the fruit, all of which was sold to the cooperatives: ‘None of the wines were bottled; they were sold bulk.

This was unsustainable and most people were simply forced to sell the vines in the 1970s. If you’re made to feel like a loser, how are you supposed to trust your local varieties, your traditions, your terroir?’

García and Landi met in 2005 while studying oenology and viticulture at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. ‘We first bonded over music, shared passions,’ they both recall as we’re speaking in early September when harvest is looming, keeping García in the vineyards during most of the conversation.

‘We ended most days, after studying, opening bottles, listening to music, talking all night. And then we travelled through Europe in a van.’ This discovery road trip transformed the way the pair interpreted their own country and region.

‘While travelling, and in Burgundy especially, we discovered an immense respect for all the meaning wine can have – wine as bottled landscape,’ Landi continues. ‘And that’s when we understood that we had to go back to that Garnacha from the mountains, those old forgotten vines.’

They saw the potential not only for an underestimated grape variety but also for a forgotten terroir, prey to the curse of España vacía (‘empty Spain’). ‘We felt almost an obligation to return to our roots and nurture the affection for our background, traditions and landscape. A reaction against that loss of confidence and appreciation we were raised with.’

Clear vision

The pair were pragmatic when the project started, keeping it as a side gig – that drained rather than generated income – while remaining focused on other projects. Landi shared the management of his Méntrida-based family winery, Bodegas Jiménez-Landi – itself founded following the recovery of abandoned family vineyards – with his cousin; García oversaw winemaking at Bodega Marañones in Pelayos de la Presa, 15km northeast.

That period of trepidation, improvisation and financial recklessness proved formative, allowing them to deepen their knowledge of Garnacha and of the Gredos terroir, and to fine-tune their shared philosophy.

‘We spent most afternoons driving around, looking for old vineyards,’ says Landi. ‘This at a time when there was little if any understanding of the [region’s] different villages and valleys. But when we came back, we had a clear vision that this was the way we had to approach our own landscape: deeply understanding terroir to produce village and vineyard wines that could convey a sense of place.’

Hard-won success

The first wines released by Comando G were received with scepticism. ‘We’d have comments like “This is a rosé, not a red”, “This is too pale”,’ says Landi. ‘The style of wines favoured [in Spain] at the time were defined by concentration – just the opposite of the freshness and finesse we were looking for.’

The challenge that they faced was therefore threefold: to come to market with an overlooked variety (Garnacha) and a different style, under a producer name no one was familiar with. ‘We definitely had to swim against the current and kick down a lot of doors.’

Abroad, however, their wines were received with surprise and excitement. Today, they rub shoulders on importer and restaurant lists with some of the most sought-after in the world. Most are sold on allocation only.

The recognition and commercial success eventually demanded and allowed Landi and García to focus solely on Comando G; both have been exclusively dedicated to the project since 2021. A team of 20 people now work the 16.3ha that yield the fruit for Comando G’s wines – a true jeweller’s work in which no compromises are made and no corners are cut.

All vineyards are painstakingly tended to by hand, ploughed by horse, soft-pruned [a relatively new technique pursued by Italian consultancy Simonit & Sirch aimed at minimising damage to vines by preserving sap flow] and farmed according to a combination of organic and biodynamic principles.

Landi and García are demure when asked whether Comando G started a movement: ‘That’s for you [journalists and critics] to say. We’re just grateful that we’re able to live from this land doing what we love. We have just worked really hard to make the wines we believe in,’ says Landi.

If I had to answer the question, I would say that Comando G has indeed played a pivotal role in Spanish wine – and in the appreciation of Garnacha – in the last decade and a half, and by a younger generation of wine lovers.

At the crossroads of classicism and unpretentious cool, Landi and García have introduced a new audience – of both drinkers and collectors – to a finer side of Spanish wines. Their philosophical and personal commitment to the project (or is it a cause?) – as seen in the beautiful book the pair published in 2022, Calicata: Gredos como Terroir, edited by photographer Salvador Arellano – raised a different level of awareness and appreciation, oenological as well as social and aesthetic.

The wines of Comando G: The pyramid of Gredos

The range produced by Comando G follows a Burgundian quality pyramid, with a regional blend, La Bruja, at the bottom.

La Bruja (initially released as La Bruja Avería and later as La Bruja de Rozas) was Landi and García’s first wine, released in 2008. For those who did not believe that Spanish Garnacha could be refined and cool, La Bruja forced them to reconsider their assumptions.

Three village wines – Villanueva, Navatalgordo, Rozas – sit above La Bruja and below an impressive collection of paraje and single-parcel wines, among which the quasi-iconic El Tamboril, Las Iruelas and Rumbo al Norte.

Winemaking is consistent across the range. Hand harvest is followed by a light-touch approach in the cellar that minimises extraction and focuses on nuance. Infusion-like macerations are done with submerged caps in the fermentation vessel rather than remontage [drawing the fermenting wine from the bottom of a tank to pump it back in at the top, onto the cap]. Fermentations, reliant on natural yeasts only, happen in open vats; ageing takes place in 500L-700L French oak barrels, foudres, cement and/or clay amphorae.

All wines are bottled unfined, unfiltered, with minimum addition of sulphites. ‘Roca y aire [‘stone and air’], that’s the two words that define our wines,’ explains Landi. ‘Minerality and sense of place, on the one hand; and on the other complexity defined by lightness and subtlety.’

Spreading the benefit

Another crucial contribution of Comando G has been the confidence and sense of community provided to other winemakers, in Spain and beyond. The Fiesta de la Floración (‘Flowering Party’) the pair used to throw every spring provided an unusual and unforgettable meeting of like-minded producers, journalists and partners in crime (think Dirk Niepoort, Pepe Raventós, Pedro Parra among many others). Epic wines were tasted, achievements celebrated, challenges debated, knowledge shared. Landi performed on guitar with his band and Raventós once presented the organisers with an adorable donkey, ready to be loved and to plough Comando G’s vineyards.

It showcased a specific mindset – of collaboration and pleasure in the grit – that opened a new sense of possibility and legitimised the ambitions of aspiring producers. If Gredos is now at the forefront of Spanish modern fine wines, synonymous with some of the country’s best Garnachas, it’s thanks to the focus and commitment of Landi, García and other like-minded producers in the region.

‘We’ve given our life to this passion and this project. Our main accomplishment is being able to live here and live from this,’ says Landi. ‘[Despite all of the recognition] what makes us really proud is how we’re helping the region, an abandoned landscape that now has an example that might motivate people to return to their villages and recover their old vines.’

Commando G itself has entered a phase of consolidation. ‘We inaugurated a new winery last year [2023] and are creating a farm following regenerative agriculture to recuperate ecosystems in a more holistic way,’ says Landi.

Are there plans for expansion? ‘For us, being small is very important. We need to remain craftsmen of the vineyards,’ the pair concur, assertively. ‘It took us a lot of effort to get here – two chavales without a penny or a fancy surname. It’s good to know that we’ve made this possible. Hopefully this will inspire others and bring life to other places.’

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Wine rarely comes from ugly places, but few wine regions can compete with the beauty of Priorat, southwest of Barcelona. As you head inland from the coastal city of Tarragona – a particularly beautiful train journey that winds through the hills – the land starts to rise and the population becomes notably sparse.

There are barely 2,200ha under vine here – a mere 30th of the size of Rioja, according to that region’s annual reporting.

Priorat’s vineyards are scattered across the rugged, rolling terrain, at varying aspects and elevations; there are no vast swathes of vineyards to announce your arrival here. Instead, the sheer harshness of the land is apparent, with layers of rocky schist and steep vineyard slopes that seem to defy the commercial realities of wine production.

This is not a place for the faint-hearted.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 10 magnificent wines from Priorat

A star is born

Like much of Spain, Priorat can trace its winemaking roots back to ancient times, but the region’s modern winemaking history began later than in its famous Iberian counterparts.

Scala Dei began making wine commercially in 1974, but its potential wasn’t really identified for another decade, when René Barbier III arrived in the region, along with a wave of like-minded winemaking friends. (Barbier, the founder in 1979 of respected producer Clos Mogador, trained and worked in Bordeaux and Burgundy, among others, but is from a long-established winemaking family based on the Catalan coast.)

The style of wine that most still associate with Priorat was created during the 10 years that followed. The old, low-yielding vineyards that were salvaged produced concentrated, powerful wines – very much in vogue at the time – propelling the region to stardom. Critics, particularly from the US, were quick to praise the wines; high point-scores followed.

The Priorat region grew rapidly with investment being made and new wineries opening, including from larger players such as Penedès-based Familia Torres.

Powering down

Grape (and wine) prices are naturally on the higher side here; due to the low planting density, vine age and dry conditions, grape production is about quality not quantity. For the 2023 harvest, selling prices for grapes started at around €1.60/ kg but rose far higher for old vines and grapes such as Carinyena (Cariñena/Carignan), according to Clos Pachem head winemaker Josep Riba Comaposada.

To compare to Spain’s best-known region, in a report on his website in October 2023, Decanter contributor Tim Atkin MW noted that: ‘Against the backdrop of a large and extremely difficult 2023 harvest… Rioja’s grape prices remain unsustainably low at between €0.50 and €1.20 per kilo.’

For Priorat, scarcity, fame and hype led to it becoming one of, if not the most expensive wine region in Spain.

By the mid-2000s, Priorat was at the height of its power – both commercially and in the glass. Expensive new oak was de rigueur, 15% alcohol in a wine was typical, and it was common to see international grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah blended with the native Garnatxa (Garnacha/Grenache) and Carinyena (Cariñena/Carignan).

The focus was very much on big, bold red wines; the few white wines being made were typically also big, powerful and oaky.

Yet for all the success of the region, some argued that this style of wine was becoming somewhat one-dimensional and alienating critics who valued elegance and transparency. A quiet revolution got underway, as a new generation of winemakers came into the region and set about telling the story of a different Priorat.

Leading the charge

‘Generational change is always hard,’ explains Sara Pérez, revolutionary winemaker and now owner of Mas Martinet, one of the original ‘Gang of Five’ wineries (together with Clos de l’Obac, Clos Dofí [subsequently Finca Dofí], Clos Erasmus and Barbier’s Clos Mogador) that established the region in the late 1980s. ‘A lot of people criticise my wines as being atypical, but what is Priorat? I think we’re only just beginning to really discover that.’

Pérez took over the winery from her father José Luis Pérez Ovejero in the late-1990s, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that she started to put her own ideas into practice, looking at higher-elevation plantings and a fresher, lighter style of wine. ‘For me, Priorat is a place, not a defined style; it should have many different faces,’ she says.

Her single-vineyard wines Camí Pesseroles and Els Escurçons are planted at elevations typically high for the region (300m-400m and 600m respectively; vines at Scala Dei range from 400m to 800m, among the region’s highest). Els Escurçons was badly affected by a fire in 2015 and the few bottles made in that vintage proudly displayed a phoenix on the label.

Pure-fruited, energetic and so light on their feet, these are remarkably different from how a ‘classic’ Priorat is still described in textbooks.

The limits and beyond

‘For me, wine is about freshness and life,’ explains Dominik Huber, owner and winemaker at the celebrated Terroir al Límit in Torroja del Priorat. ‘I want a wine that I can come back to again and again, not one that I can only drink one glass of.’

Huber, originally from Bavaria in southern Germany, might be the most extreme of this next generation of Priorat winemakers. His team are often the first to begin the harvest, aiming for lower alcohol and higher natural acidity; vinification is almost exclusively in concrete tanks.

Al Límit means ‘at the limit’ and it’s very fitting; many of its red wines sit at 13.5% alcohol, the lowest permitted by the region’s regulations.

‘It just shows that not everyone is on-board yet with the new direction,’ adds Huber. ‘In 2021, many wines from the region fell below this threshold due to the cooler, wetter weather. Often these were very good wines, but they weren’t acceptable according to the rules of DOQ Priorat, so were declassified.’

Huber’s wife Tatjana also makes superb wines in a similar style under the Coreografia label (Garnatxa-based, red and clarete-style rosé blends, and the Pas de Deux Garnatxa-Carinyena red) in Montsant, the DO region that forms an almost-complete ring effectively surrounding Priorat.

‘We eat a lot of lighter, fresher styles of food and so our wines are also a reflection of what we consume them with,’ comments Huber.

Pérez and Huber both learned their trade at Mas Martinet; Pérez as the next generation of the family to run the winery and Huber as a student of wine. It was at Mas Martinet that Huber first met South African winemaker Eben Sadie, with whom he first created Terroir al Límit in 2001, using fruit purchased from the Pérez family (Sadie has since moved back to Swartland to focus on his own project).

It’s worth noting that both Mas Martinet and Terroir al Límit use an element of reductive winemaking for added tension in the wines.

‘Heavy reductive characters aren’t the goal,’ clarifies Huber, ‘but for me, a little just adds an edge that is very attractive.’

This little extra zip, along with the incredible detail of the wines, does feel very natural. Nowhere is this more evident than in Terroir al Límit’s flagship-range wine Les Manyes, the most remarkable expression of Garnatxa Peluda (the rare, downy-leaved variant of the variety) that I have ever tasted – 100% varietal, grown at 800m, whole cluster-fermented then aged eight months in cement tanks.

Exploring diversity

A significant development in Priorat is an increase in white wine production. Despite the region’s warm and dry climate, the white wines have incredible aromatic precision and a naturally high level of acidity, courtesy of the stony schist soils and pronounced diurnal temperature range.

Plantings are led by Garnatxa Blanca, Macabeo and Pedro Ximénez, and together account for less than 10% of total production in the region, though this is growing at a rapid rate.

René Barbier IV (born in 1973 in Nancy in France, home to his mother, Isabelle Meyer) is now at the wheel of Clos Mogador, the winery – one of the most celebrated in the region – founded by his father.

‘Priorat has always been a red wine region,’ he explains, ‘but with the revival of brisat (skin contact) methods, earlier harvests and a better understanding of what makes Priorat unique, I can see our own production ending up at 50:50 between red and white wines.’

Clos Mogador’s Nelin has long been one of the most emblematic white wines of the region. A complex blend based on Garnatxa Blanca and Macabeo, it has taken on new life under Barbier Jr’s leadership – it’s fresher and more driven, yet retains its traditional punch and texture.

Another, widely supported change is the renewed focus on indigenous varieties. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon were planted in the 1980s and ’90s to appeal to the international market, but the high temperatures and lack of water proved less than ideal conditions for these varieties to thrive.

Even Syrah needs certain microclimates to really grow well in Priorat, and few old vineyards of the variety exist.

Embracing change

Many winemakers have taken the opportunity to top-graft [onto existing rootstock] to indigenous varieties, often in fairly high-profile vineyards.

‘Manyetes [the acclaimed single vineyard in Gratallops] used to be around 30% Cabernet Sauvignon,’ explains Barbier Jr, ‘but the rising temperatures cooked the grapes to a crisp. Only Carinyena can really survive in harsh conditions like this, so we have shifted over the years.’

Even commercial giants such as Alvaro Palacios have increased the portion of Garnatxa in their wines, increasing year by year and replacing international varieties.

‘Carinyena and Garnatxa only really show themselves after 15-20 years in the vineyard,’ explains Oriol Castells, the general manager of Alvaro Palacios in Priorat, ‘so it is important to begin planting them now.’

Despite inevitable friction as styles and ideas change, the new direction for Priorat is clearly being met with enthusiasm. Out in the trade, sommeliers in major wine cities such as Tokyo, New York, London and Copenhagen have started to list the wines with more frequency, particularly those made in a more minimal-intervention style.

More sustainable viticultural methods, such as at the biodynamic Nin-Ortiz, are attracting new buyers and drinkers who have previously avoided the weight and power of Priorat. The perception of the region in the market is evolving.

The true beauty of Priorat is its landscape. The old vineyards, the steep slopes, the dry river beds, shrubs, forests and mountains together create a special place in which to make wine – almost as if Portugal’s Douro valley has a long-lost brother on the other side of the Iberian peninsula.

The wines that reflect this unique sense of place are likely to thrive, and that is certainly the direction in which the best winemakers in Priorat are headed.

Priorat renewal: Kerr’s pick of 10 from the DOQ’s new wave

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In 1998, I won a scholarship for my results in the WSET diploma exam. The prize was an excellent – and looking back, formative – self-drive tour to wineries right across northern Spain, finishing in Barcelona.

I can still recall the discussion with the organiser. He said: ‘There is a place you could visit on this trip, it’s called Priorat. But it’s all a bit new and difficult to get to. I don’t recommend it.’

Instead, I finished the journey with a terrific evening at FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for seven wines from the great Alvaro Palacios

From Priorat to the world

The football seemed sufficient reward; I didn’t realise until much later what I had missed. When I finally made it to Priorat, I was lucky enough to have as my first stop a visit to Alvaro Palacios, the man who opened my eyes to this unique region.

He had been part of the ‘Gang of Five’ (along with René Barbier, Carles Pastrana, Josep Lluís Pérez and Daphne Glorian) who, from 1989, made the first wines in the revival of this isolated, impoverished region, and who all went on to make names both for themselves and for Priorat.

I remember Alvaro (he’s one of those people the world talks about in firstname terms – a bit like ‘Nigella’ Lawson to home cooks) talked about the mystic, magical spirit of the place. It was unusual.

As DWWA judge Amaya Cervera, who runs the award-winning bilingual website Spanish Wine Lover, told me: ‘When he talks about wines, he hardly uses any technical terms. He prefers to express himself in a more spiritual, almost poetic way.’

Alvaro Palacios, what and where: the facts

Alvaro Palacios Gratallops, DOQ/DOCa Priorat

Total vineyard area: 35ha

Wines produced: L’Ermita GVC, Finca Dofí VC, Les Aubaguetes GVC, La Baixada VC, Gratallops VV, Les Terrasses, Camins del Priorat

Descendientes de J Palacios Corullón, DO Bierzo

Total vineyard area: 47ha

Wines produced: La Faraona VP, Las Lamas VP, Al Chelo VP, Moncerbal VP, Valdafoz VP, Villa de Corullón VV, Pétalos Palacios Remondo Alfaro, DOCa Rioja Total vineyard area 100ha Wines produced Propiedad, Finca La Montesa, Plácet de Valtomelloso, Valdelareina

Alvaro Palacios Alfaro, DOCa Rioja

Total vineyard area: 10ha

Wines produced: Quiñón de Valmira VS

Key

GVC: Gran Vinya Classificada

VC: Vinya Classificada

VP: Vino de Paraje

VV: Vino de Vila/Villa

VM: Vino de Municipio

VS: Viñedo Singular

(Bierzo DO has also introduced Viña Clasificada and Gran Viña Clasificada classifications, with the first VC wines due to be released soon)

Alvaro trained in France and worked under Jean-Pierre Moueix at Petrus in Pomerol. He returned with a clear vision. ‘My time in France with fine wine made me believe that Spain had the same qualities,’ he says.

‘Wine is an element of every ritual: social, cultural, religious. A great wine is not fabricated – it reflects centuries of history, tradition. That’s what I look for in a classic fine wine.’

Alvaro is one of nine children born (in Alfaro in March 1964) to the owners of Rioja’s Palacios Remondo. Rather than returning from France to the safety of his family’s estate, however, he forged a path of his own.

His single-mindedness has led him to raise to international renown the reputations of three denominations: first Priorat, then Bierzo and finally Rioja Oriental. What was the hardest part?

‘I suppose the beginning in Priorat. That was economically difficult. But I saw clearly that it would be a success. The stars were aligned: Spain was opening up, my generation could travel, a global market was available to us.’

Mannie Berk, founder of California-based The Rare Wine Co, was one of the guests at Alvaro’s 60th birthday party at Descendientes de J Palacios, the Bierzo winery, earlier this year, an event also celebrating 25 years of the Bierzo project and the arrival of Alvaro’s daughter Lola to the business.

Berk remembers: ‘In 1998, a very prominent collector called me and asked if I had heard of Alvaro Palacios. I hadn’t, because he was completely off the radar in the US then. I was on my way to Spain so I faxed Alvaro to see if we could meet – and it was one of those meetings you never forget.

‘He was so charismatic. By the time lunch finished, I’d asked if I could be his US importer.’

An icon is born

Initially, Alvaro had been guided to Priorat by René Barbier. ‘I was looking for a mystic, monastic place, and Priorat made such a strong impression on me.’ Alvaro was the youngest of the Gang of Five.

His first wine was Clos Dofí, after his own nickname (dofí means ‘dolphin’ in Catalan). That wine is known today as Finca Dofí (see recommendations, below). The first vintage of his top wine L’Ermita was 1993 – it made his name and shone an international spotlight on Priorat. Alvaro had purchased a tiny vineyard, planted mainly to Garnacha, of schist and quartz, steep and rocky at 350m-430m, and topped by a shrine or ermita: the essence of the mysticism and history he seeks.

What has added to the L’Ermita legend is that he priced it unusually high for the then-unknown region, and the wine was received with electric excitement. Alvaro had a point to make, and the market was ready for icon wines and icon prices.

Terroir-driven expansion

Alvaro’s next project was Bierzo. As with Priorat, he says: ‘I had a vision for Bierzo – I saw that it would take us 10 years, and it did.’ His nephew Ricardo Pérez (pictured, above), with whom Alvaro partnered to get Descendientes de J Palacios off the ground, had found an exceptional terroir there.

They make a great pair: where Alvaro is all about passionate intensity, Pérez appears more laid-back. Pérez is the one who has driven the introduction of biodynamics, and who, together with Alvaro, has done detailed work to create the ‘grand cru’ pyramid-type classification structures – from village to single-vineyard wines – that now exist in Priorat and Bierzo.

The third, and largest, of the three wineries is the original family business in Alfaro, Rioja, in what was historically the less-regarded Rioja Baja sub-region. It’s called Rioja Oriental (‘eastern’) now, and Alvaro’s return in 1999 to manage and develop Palacios Remondo has raised the sub-region’s reputation, while at the same time restoring the prestige of the Garnacha variety.

‘His return to Rioja,’ confirms Cervera, ‘and his commitment to Garnacha are a milestone, and he never hesitates to set a high price, such is the confidence he has in the product and in his ability to communicate and sell it.’

Where Alvaro leads, others have followed. What’s interesting, though, is that when Rioja decided to introduce a – much-debated – single-vineyard category (as of the 2017 vintage), a number of producers didn’t join up, but Alvaro did, putting his top-of-the-range Quiñón de Valmira, an exceptional Garnacha, in the Viñedo Singular category.

Personal commitment

For a global brand owner, Alvaro runs a tight ship. There are few of the layers typical of a luxury business separating him and the outside world. Nor is there a website laden with technical details.

‘We have no salespeople: Isabel [Palacios, no relation] is in touch with all our markets,’ explains Alvaro. ‘We [Ricardo and I, and now Lola] like to make great wine and communicate it ourselves. We do the travelling. It’s a 24/7 job.’

‘He’s the quintessential example of someone who runs their company as a personal business,’ says Berk. ‘With these wines you believe in the people as much as the wines themselves – it’s their magnetism.’ Catriona Felstead MW, senior buyer at Berry Bros & Rudd, agrees: ‘You cannot be in a room with him without being inspired.’

Felstead also highlights his exuberance and love of music, especially flamenco. ‘Lola has inherited that. She shares his passion and the joy of celebrating Spanish culture,’ she says.

Cervera agrees: ‘Alvaro has overwhelming energy and personality.’ He may come across as passionate, sensitive, romantic (his own adjectives), but he scrutinises everything from tasting books to glasses.

Securing the future

Alvaro has made a remarkable contribution to Spain and its reputation in wine. 2024 marks the start of a new stage. What will happen now that Lola has joined? ‘She is understanding the complexity of making wine in three bodegas and discovering the humility that comes with it,’ explains Alvaro. ‘She is learning that from her father and her cousin.’

Is Lola going to have her own opportunities moving forward? ‘We are planting in Rioja, and that will be a project for her, but she is always thinking about other wine regions, too.’

Still, is it possible for Lola to take on what Alvaro began? Berk is full of optimism: ‘It’s a tough act to follow, but she’s dynamic. I think she is going to be sensational. And she has the privilege of being able to work with Alvaro Palacios for several decades.’

Northern Spain, Alvaro style: Seven exemplary wines

Wines were tasted en primeur in spring 2024, except for the 2021 Finca La Montesa, which was a new release

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Beth Willard, Valentin Radosav and David Williams tasted 77 wines, with 2 Outstanding and 24 Highly Recommended.

Aragón reds: Panel tasting scores

77 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 2

Highly recommended 24

Recommended 47

Commended 4

Fair 0

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit current-release, still red wines from DOs Calatayud, Campo de Borja, Cariñena and Somontano; or IGP regions Bajo Aragón, Ribera del Gállego-Cinco Villas, Ribera del Jiloca, Ribera del Queiles, Valle del Cinca and Valdejalón; Vino de Pago Ay

From wild and rugged Aragón, this tasting of red wines took us on a journey from the most northerly DO vineyards of Somontano in the foothills of the Pyrenees to the high-elevation (up to 1,000m) vines of Calatayud and further south, to the vast, sparsely populated expanses towards Teruel.

We passed through the vineyards close to Moncayo in Campo de Borja and tasted some great-value wines from Cariñena (the DO region). It was a tasting that naturally focused on Garnacha, the main protagonist of the whole region, but featured some interesting blends of Cariñena (the grape), Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and even Merlot.

Scroll down to see the top results from the Aragón reds panel tasting

But let’s start with Garnacha, the native grape of Aragón. Seven of the nine highest-scoring wines (92pts and above) here are made from the grape variety, from six different denominations but offering clear varietal typicity. David Williams was pleasantly surprised with the regional consistency of the Garnacha-based wines, feeling that producers ‘should go back to using Garnacha as much as possible’.

The panel found the wines featuring 100% Garnacha most compelling, with beautiful definition and fresh acidity; they lack nothing in fruit concentration while offering a certain elegance and precision.

Value was a key point of discussion among the judges, who felt that the Aragón region is producing highly enjoyable wines at accessible prices. The Garnacha-led wines in this report also offer great value.

As well as the three wines priced below £15 that scored 90 points or more, a further 22 wines that either are or would be (if available) priced under the £15 mark in the UK received very respectable scores of 86-89pts (Recommended).

Many other varieties were on show, from the local Aragonese grapes Derechero and Miguel de Arco to international varieties. ‘I loved some of the Cabernets, which offered very good varietal character,’ said Valentin Radosav.

Williams also liked the Cabernet-based wines but not so much the Merlot-led blends – he expressed his disappointment that more wines with Cariñena weren’t submitted to the tasting.

See all the wines from the Aragón reds panel tasting

Winemaking plaudits

Some of the wines featured quite high levels of alcohol (15%), which the panel didn’t necessarily consider a problem – most showed great balance and carried the alcohol well – but a few wines were quite hot and heady.

It was felt that the higher alcohols particularly affected the Cabernet-led blends, resulting in jammy fruit that grew tiring on the palate.

In general, the winemaking was applauded, with many producers turning to larger oak barrels, as well as concrete or clay amphorae. Radosav preferred the wines that showed off their purity of fruit: ‘I noted that the type of vessel used for fermentation and ageing was more often than not concrete or something other than oak.’

Williams concurred, adding that he often prefers wines with concrete or clay influence. ‘It’s not just that I have a stylistic preference, but this type of winemaking just seems to work.’

‘Even if the wines had a strong personality, I still found them very interesting with many varied elements,’ said Radosav. The tasting revealed the characterful red wines of Aragón, intense but with a certain finesse – more than the panel had encountered in the past.

Aragón reds panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Beth Willard writes about and promotes Spanish wines in a number of markets globally, having formerly worked for many years in senior wine buying roles in the UK. She is a member of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino and is one of the five Co-Chairs of the DWWA

Valentin Radosav is learning and development manager for 5-star hotels in London. A qualified Advanced Sommelier and a DWWA judge, he was formerly head sommelier at Michelin-starred Gymkhana restaurant in Mayfair, having also previously worked at other top venues in the UK and Dubai

David Williams is wine correspondent for The Observer, a regular contributor to Decanter on all things Spanish, and a widely published wine writer, author and competition judge

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The mountainous area of the Massif Central occupies about a sixth of France, bordering Beaujolais and the Rhône to the east and Languedoc to the south. The massif’s southern section consists of a number of limestone plateaus – called causses in the Occitan language, from the Latin calx, meaning ‘lime’.

It’s this landscape, with its stalactite-littered caverns and dramatically deep gorges, that gives rise to one of France’s most famous cheeses: Roquefort (also the first product of any kind in France to be granted ‘appellation d’origine’ status under the then-new law of 1925).

It’s also one of these arid, sparsely populated limestone plateaus, the Causse du Larzac, that defines a spectacular wine terroir: the Terrasses du Larzac.

Scroll down for highlights from Terrasses du Larzac

Ten years since itself becoming an independent AP (appellation d’origine protégée, as the designation has been known since early 2016), Terrasses du Larzac has quickly established itself as one of the most exciting and dynamic areas in this vast region.

Identified as a denomination of the wider Languedoc in 2004, this is one of the rare regions that gained its appellation status quickly; usually the process takes many years.

In Rosemary George MW’s 2001 book The Wines of the South of France, Terrasses du Larzac hardly gets a look in. ‘I gave it little more than a cursory mention,’ she acknowledges in her 2018 book Wines of the Languedoc, yet it ‘has attracted enormous interest over the past 20 years’.

And for good reason.

Lay of the land

Up on the arid, exposed Larzac plateau, wind-battered grassland is interspersed with gnarled lumps of grey-white rock that resemble ancient ruins. This Jurassic landscape – 145 million-200 million years old – has a long history of supporting the Lacaune sheep that provide the milk used in Roquefort production, an activity in which a number of wine estates were also historically involved.

The wheels of this veiny blue cheese that age in the caves under the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, at the western edge of the Causse du Larzac, benefit from similar natural phenomena as the vineyard area below.

The caves feature cracks and fissures (called fleurines) that allow cool winds from high up on the plateau to blow down through the mountain itself, creating the perfect conditions for ageing the cheese.

These same winds blow off the top of the plateau into the foothills where the Terrasses du Larzac vineyards lie, one element in a terroir that’s ideal for producing wines with an inherent freshness.

‘We’re an appellation with Languedoc generosity but Larzac freshness,’ says Jean-Baptiste Granier, owner and winemaker of Les Vignes Oubliées.

The region’s climate, which is heavily influenced by the proximity of the Larzac plateau, is a unifying factor in an appellation with a huge diversity of soils, exposures and elevations.

This is one of the most northerly vineyard areas of Languedoc, scattered across 32 villages and communes that hug the foothills of the causse and fan out along the geological terraces that stretch to the confluence of the Hérault and Lergue rivers at Canet, forming a rough ‘V’ shape.

Vines are planted between 40 metres and 450m. Hillsides and valleys cut like notches into the landscape, creating a wealth of different exposures.

This, combined with the northerly latitude and more inland location, means that there’s a significant diurnal temperature range, ‘at least 20°C difference between night and day in the summer months’, says Loïc Benezeth, fourth-generation winemaker at Domaine La Rouquette.

This helps to preserve freshness and acidity, but also provides a ‘bigger aromatic revelation’, says Vincent Goumard, owner and winemaker of Mas Cal Demoura.

The Terrasses terroir: a patchwork of soils

The vineyard area is a complex array of geological eras – a fascinating mix of colour, shape and texture, a Kandinsky painting splashed out across the terrain. As soil types meander through alkaline limestone to more acidic sandstone and schist, the wild Mediterranean vegetation that surrounds the vineyards changes – a shifting, contrasting, metamorphosing landscape.

The thyme, juniper, bay and holm oak of the limestone-based garrigue transforms into the heather, mint, white oak and lavender of the sandstone-based maquis. Although communication around individual terroirs is at a nascent stage, a few specific areas are worth pointing out…

Cercle de la Blaquière

An enclave to the west of Mont St-Baudille, at 300m, from St-Privat down to St-Jean-dela-Blaquière. It’s mainly grès (sandstone) and schist – although not the same schist found in the Faugères appellation further southwest. The combination of schist and cool night-time temperatures brings elegance and silky tannins.

Escalette

The upper valley of the Lergue river, at 350m-400m, with rocky limestone soils and a very cool climate. Some vineyards are on terraces, and there are clapas – piles of stones – that surround the vineyards.

‘Women removed these large stones from the vineyards so that men could work the land,’ says Delphine Zernott of Domaine du Pas de l’Escalette, ‘but they also act as barriers, protecting vines from strong winds.’

This is a particularly fresh terroir, ‘really white wine country’, according to Decanter contributing editor Andrew Jefford. Reds have fresh acidity, a lighter body and a saline, mineral character.

Salagou and ruffes

In the west around the manmade Salagou lake, with a few outcrops in the southern part of St-Jean-de-la-Blaquière, striking red soils resemble the Australian outback. These ruffes (from the Latin rufus/Occitan ruffus, meaning ‘red’), were formed during the Permian period some 275m years ago.

According to author and geologist Luc David, these are alluvial terraces, with silty iron-oxide-rich soils. There’s also basalt from ancient volcanic eruptions.

Aniane and Puéchabon

To the east of the Hérault river, a few top-quality estates have made their mark, notably Mas de Daumas Gassac and Domaine de la Grange des Pères, although neither labels its wines as Terrasses du Larzac. Hilly vineyards with stony limestone soils and galets roulés (large, rounded stones) make for a lunar landscape.

The heart: Jonquières and surrounds

The lower-lying ancient terraces of the Lergue river. The soil is varied but there’s more clay here, with limestone pebbles as well as galets roulés. This part also includes Montpeyroux and St-Saturnin, historic denominations under the Languedoc appellation, both of which hope to gain individual AP status. The wines are denser and more structured.

The Buèges valley

Extending far up the right-hand branch of the Terrasses du Larzac ‘V’. This follows the Cévennes fault line, with glacial deposits of fractured limestone.

Grapes & styles

Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan are the key varieties in this red-only appellation, with Cinsault, Counoise, Lledoner Pelut, Morrastel and Terret Noir as secondaries. A blend of at least three varieties is required.

As in other Languedoc regions, a renewed appreciation of once-maligned Carignan is helping to save old vines and bring fresh acidity to blends. Syrah, on the other hand, is suffering across Languedoc due to its sensitivity to drought, but here it’s less aggrieved, thanks to the fresh climate.

Even so, Amélie d’Hurlaborde of Mas d’Amile says that the climate keeps reminding them to look after the indigenous varieties that have better resistance to drought, like Carignan.

Cinsault plays an increasingly important role here, lending blends an ethereal, floral, juicy quality. I also love pure Cinsault – of course it’s not permitted under the appellation rules, but a few producers bottle one as Vin de France or IGP, so it warrants a mention here.

Try examples from Mas Combarèla, Le Clos Rivieral, Domaine du Pas de l’Escalette, Le Clos Rouge (Piccolo 2021, £22.49 The Wine Reserve) and Mas Conscience (Cieux 2021, £18 Dead Time).

Although it’s hard to generalise about the style of a large region with such variable geology, there are four striking things about the wines: their freshness, drinkability, aromatic display and tannic finesse.

Generous, dark brambly fruit is often tempered and lifted by red fruit undertones. Notes of garrigue – sage, thyme, juniper – are infused into the very core of the wines’ being. Many are moreish, delectable and succulent, boasting suave tannins with the texture of fine, wet clay.

Some are also elevated by a stony, iodine, mineral quality. It’s when these elements come together that the vigneron has succeeded in sharing their place with the drinker.

Although not currently permitted under the appellation rules, white wines are making promising strides and an official request for their inclusion is being assessed as I write.

The main varieties would be Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Rolle, Carignan Blanc and Chenin Blanc. Many of the whites currently made under the local IGPs are delicious, so this is definitely an area to watch.

Overall, despite the quality coming out of the region, the Terrasses du Larzac wines still appear fairly difficult to sell abroad. ‘It is the name of the estate that sells the wine,’ says Marcel Orford-Williams, wine buyer at UK retailer The Wine Society and DWWA judge for Languedoc-Roussillon.

Indeed the wide variety of terroirs and potential styles makes it difficult to define a singular identity for the region – but arguably this is also the region’s strength.

The place to be

The Terrasses du Larzac region is incredibly dynamic, having a combination of long-standing, native producers (such as Mas Jullien, Mas des Chimères and Domaine de Montcalmès, which all helped to create the reputation of the appellation) and a steady stream of newcomers who have arrived in a relatively short space of time (40 new wine-growers since 2014).

Some big names, including the likes of Gérard Bertrand, Calmel & Joseph and Vignobles Jeanjean, even have properties here.

‘With this mix, it could have been two worlds that coexisted but didn’t acknowledge each other, but that’s not at all what happened,’ says Sébastien Fillon, president of the appellation and winemaker at Le Clos du Serres. ‘They interacted and exchanged and discussed, and the people from outside were accepted, so it worked.’

One senses the cohesion and partnership among the producers.

‘Everyone helps each other. We’re friends – there’s no competition,’ says Benezeth, who took over the family domaine in 2021 at the age of 26.

‘When you’re young and recently installed in the region, it’s important to have the big names on your side.’

What’s more, about 80% of producers are organic and many are biodynamic, too (and the proportion rises to 92% if HVE and Terra Vitis certification are taken into account), which highlights a certain like-mindedness among them, and also ‘allows for large areas in which biodiversity can thrive and a natural balance can be achieved’, according to Goumard.

The wines, with their fluidity and delicate structures, could strike a chord with new drinkers discovering wine for the first time, as well as seasoned wine lovers looking for wines with a southern soul but also balance and finesse.

In the mighty tome that is the Languedoc, Terrasses du Larzac might be the most compelling chapter.

Terrasses du Larzac: the facts

Producers: 96 independents, 3 cooperatives; 4 négociants

Area planted: 747ha (AP)

Production (2023): 2.7m bottles

Average yield (2023): 27.1hl/ha

Grapes: Principal Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan; Secondary Cinsault, Counoise, Lledoner Pelut, Morrastel, Terret Noir

Blends: At least three varieties, of which two must be principal varieties; principal varieties at least 75% of the blend; no single variety more than 70% of the blend; Carignan maximum 50%, Cinsault maximum 25%; secondary varieties (other than Cinsault) max 10%

Organic producers (2023): 79% certified or under conversion (92% if including HVE or Terra Vitis certification)

[Source: AP Terrasses du Larzac]

Producers to know in Terrasses du Larzac

Clos Constantin

Domaine de Montcalmès

Domaine du Pas de l’Escalette

Les Vignes Oubliées

Mas Cal Demoura

Mas d’Amile

Mas des Brousses

Mas Combarèla

Mas Conscience

Mas Jullien

New & noteworthy:

Domaine de l’Accent

Domaine Flo Busch

Les 8 Sarments

Le Clos des Combals

Mas Lasta

Mas Origine

Languedoc charm: 10 wines from Terrasses du Larzac

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Imagine you’re an actor in a film with a large ensemble of other highly competent artists. None of you are household names. But the lead role has just been cast – and it’s gone to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

On the one hand, it’s good to have a superstar to draw attention to the movie. But on the other hand, you can’t help but feel in the shadow of this huge, charismatic individual.

That’s what it must be like sometimes, to be a winemaker in the southern Rhône.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for 17 Sablet wines

It’s unusual for a whole wine region to be so dominated by one name, but Châteauneuf-du-Pape is recognised the world over. In terms of fame, no other Rhône appellation compares.

Châteauneuf is famous for big, powerful, muscular wines, so it’s unsurprising that people sometimes measure other Rhône appellations by the same yardstick. But other terroirs are bound to come up short, as they just don’t deliver that kind of wine. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t just as valid in their own way.

Can elegance, for example, be a strength? I think it can.

For those looking for a more compact expression of the southern Rhône, one that celebrates finesse, Sablet is a good place to look.

Against the grain

Sablet is one of the 21 named villages of the southern Rhône. It’s situated next door to Gigondas, at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail massif.

If you try to make a Châteauneuf-style red here – dark in colour, concentrated, with bold tannins – you’re destined to fail. The terroir will simply not provide that – because Sablet is built on sand.

In fact, sable is the French for sand.

There’s safre here too – a compact sandstone that’s ‘almost harder than rock,’ according to appellation co-president Philippe Lambert of Domaine des Pasquiers.

You can spot jagged lumps of it like broken paving slabs around the perimeter of some vineyards where they’ve been hauled out the ground by tractors.

A third of the terrain here is made up of these sandy soils, laid down when the area was flooded by the Mediterranean Sea millions of years ago.

Grow red grapes on sand, and typically what you’ll get is a wine that’s relatively pale in colour, medium-bodied rather than full, with very fine tannins. White and rosé wines usually have a refined, elegant style too, when produced from these soils.

According to Loïc Alazard of Domaine les Sibu, the other co-president of the appellation, ‘it’s our signature – purity and elegance.’

Cast and cru

For most wine lovers, a pale colour isn’t a problem when it comes to red wines. If you pour a Pinot Noir, a Cinsault or a Poulsard that’s overly dark, it’s grounds for suspicion.

But the southern Rhône is a region that prizes a deep, dark hue in the glass. Perhaps that’s one factor that’s held Sablet back from being promoted to cru status.

Sablet was given ‘named village’ status back in 1974 – this year marks its 50th anniversary – yet winemakers are still struggling to push it further up the appellation rankings.

Lambert and Alazard are leading a contingent of dedicated winemakers, ‘but it takes a lot of time,’ says Lambert – they have to toil away on the project after work for free. But for Alazard, success will be worth it.

‘To be a cru is a sign of quality, of prestige,’ he says. ‘As a village, we’re a child; but as a cru, we’ll be an adult.’

Alazard is in his 30s, and lists eight or so other domaines that are in the hands of colleagues of a similar age. A new generation is gradually taking over, which he hopes will be a source of renewed energy and resolve.

Of the now-21 named villages of the southern Rhône (Laudun was recently promoted from village to cru), it’s clear that Sablet is among the most deserving of promotion.

Its wines have an identifiable natural style, one that celebrates nuance and elegance.

Just like Hollywood, the southern Rhône can do many styles well. And sometimes, rather than Arnold Schwarzeneggar, it’s Timothée Chalamet that’s right for the role.

17 Sablet wines to try

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What exactly is an Ardèche wine? It turns out it can be many things.

The Ardèche is a département (one of France’s 96 administrative regions) located in the Rhône that extends northwards to the top of St-Joseph and the more southerly villages of Condrieu. Cornas and St-Péray, too, are Ardèche wines.

So it might be wine from the granitic north. Or it might be wine that hails from the calcareous south, as the département encapsulates some of the southern Rhône too. Most of the vast IGP Ardèche is limestone mountains, the landscape frequently gouged by deep river gorges cut jaggedly like a knife through sourdough bread, with vineyards nestled in the valleys.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for 10 unmissable Saint-Andéol wines

Villages in this area are often remote, ancient, surrounded by woods. Local people are described as independent, rebellious, even. Their wines can be too; the Ardèche is home to some excellent natural winemakers such as Andrea Calek, Château de la Selve and Mas d’Intras.

Saint-Andéol is the only one of the 22 named villages of the Côtes du Rhône located in the Ardèche. The appellation (its full name Côtes du Rhône Villages Saint-Andéol) is made up of four villages at the southernmost tip of the département, where the Ardèche river meets the Rhône itself.

So which kind of Ardèche wine is Saint-Andéol? It’s something different again: one-part calcareous south to nine-parts Rhône pebbles, with a dash of revolutionary zeal.

If you haven’t heard of it, you’re not alone. The appellation was only granted seven years ago and there are just 11 producers bottling their wines under this designation.

So is it even worth knowing about? Well, it’s home to two of the most exciting estates in the southern Rhône, and most domaines here make satisfying wines that offer great value. So… yes, it is.

The Ardèche Provençale

Gradually descending from the mountainous heart of the Ardèche, you can feel a change as you approach the villages that make up the Saint-Andéol appellation: Bourg-Saint-Andéol, Saint-Just, Saint-Marcel-d’Ardèche and Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche.

The woodland becomes less dense and more diverse, and the colour palette livens up – the blue-green trees and dirty-white rocks give way to ochre buildings, bone-coloured stones and lavender.

The terrain becomes a little flatter, it lies lower, and feels agreeably sunbaked. This is the Ardèche Provençale.

Vineyards here are mostly galets roulés, the same Rhône-dredged deposits that you can find in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Lirac, Tavel and beyond. Rather than lying in flat plains, here they form hills and banks that can reach up to 180m above sea level.

Galets roulés usually signify power and potency, and while these wines are always generous, they also have juice and fluidity – you wouldn’t confuse them with a hearty Châteauneuf. Its northerly location and relatively cool nights make for a fresher, spicier take on Grenache and Syrah.

Local excellence

There are two names that deserve particular attention: Domaine Saladin and Mas de Libian.

Domaine Saladin is owned by sisters Marie-Laurence and Elisabeth Saladin, the 21st generation to run the family farm established over 600 years ago, in 1422. They claim that no chemical products have ever been used on their soils, and they don’t use any additives in their wines apart from sulphites.

The reds here are particularly pure and limpid, often produced using semi-carbonic maceration. Whites are just as good; rich, ample and food-friendly.

Should Mas de Libian (who I’ve written about here) be included in this article? Perhaps not; it doesn’t bottle its wines under the Saint-Andéol appellation after all.

But owner Hélène Thibon could if she wanted to, and has done so in the past. Like Saladin, she is based in Saint-Marcel-d’Ardèche. She refuses the appellation due to ideological differences with the local authorities, and bottles her production under the generic Côtes du Rhône appellation instead. The defiant Ardèche spirit is alive and well.

Whatever the appellation on the label, Mas de Libian’s wines exemplify the freshness and purity of this corner of the Ardèche.

These two estates might not belong to a famous cru, but both belong in the top tier of southern Rhône estates. And there are several other estates making excellent wine here.

The Ardèche is huge and diverse, but this little corner certainly deserves an appellation all of its own.

10 Saint-Andéol wines to try:

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David Williams, Matthew Forster MW and Diana Rollan tasted 118 wines, with 2 Outstanding and 20 Highly Recommended.

Spanish rosado & clarete: Panel tasting scores

118 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 2

Highly recommended 20

Recommended 57

Commended 26

Fair 13

Poor 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their current-release, still rosado (produced from red grapes following the saignée/sangrado or direct press method) or clarete (25% red grapes/must and 75% white grapes/must, blended before alcoholic fermentation) wines from any ageing category of joven, roble, crianza, reserva or gran reserva

This tasting featured one of the best wines I and my two fellow judges, Matthew Forster MW and Diana Rollan, have encountered in a Decanter panel tasting. A unanimous 97-pointer, Bodega Hacienda Lopéz de Haro’s Classica Gran Reserva Rosado 2013 is vying for a place in my personal pantheon: is this the finest Spanish rosado I’ve ever tasted? It’s certainly up there.

In a rosé winemaking world that is increasingly preoccupied with imitating the model of extremely pale, delicately flavoured wines, patented (with extraordinary recent success) by Provence, the Classica was a vivid and timely reminder.

Other styles of rosé are available – and a long tradition of making deeper-coloured, more powerfully flavoured and more robustly textured rosados is one of Spanish wine’s many strengths. And sure enough, it was wines made in this tradition that stood out and attracted our highest scores.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Spanish rosado & clarete panel tasting

Spanish rosé tradition

We were less enamoured with wines that seemed to be trying to copy Provence. It’s not that these pale wines were bad per se (indeed, some were very good). It’s just that, as Rollan said while discussing one of the higher-scoring pale wines: ‘It’s a perfectly well-made wine: refreshing, fruity… But what it doesn’t have is any kind of Spanish character. The world doesn’t need more Provence-style rosés.’

And she added: ‘Spain has its own rosé tradition and it’s a shame when they just try to copy something that you find all over the world.’

Forster agreed. ‘With some exceptions, the better wines for me were true-to-type rosados, made in a more traditional full-bodied style, rather than wannabe Provence-style rosés,’ he said. ‘There were also a couple of experimental wines that really stood out, demonstrating sophisticated winemaking and a more confident, authentic approach.’

On the strength of this tasting, ‘authentic’ rosados can be found all over Spain, and while Rioja claimed the top two scores, there were high-scoring wines of real character and interest from Galicia, Navarra and various parts of Catalonia.

Varietally speaking, Garnacha was a consistent performer, but Tempranillo struggled, with many showing an awkward, green/unripe side and noticeable alcoholic heat on the finish.

See all the wines from the Spanish rosado & clarete panel tasting

Clear disparity

The scores suggest I was more enthusiastic than my fellow judges about the claretes we tasted, although we all appreciated the variety and character on offer in these white-and-red-grape co-fermentations, which varied from light reds to those that more closely resembled orange wines.

Overall, perhaps our most significant finding was the big disparity between wines from the best producers and the rest. It may be the legacy of a time when rosé was effectively a by-product of red wine production.

But there’s a sense that some producers have, in Forster’s words, ‘underestimated the technical challenges associated with this form of winemaking and are struggling to find their way’.

Great rosés may be marked by an easygoing, easy-drinking grace, but making great rosé is by no means as easy as it looks.

Spanish rosado & clarete panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

David Williams is wine correspondent for The Observer, a regular contributor to Decanter on all things Spanish, and a widely published wine writer, author and competition judge.

Matthew Forster MW is an independent wine consultant and education specialist, and founder of The Wine Partnership. A former director at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, he has a particular passion for the food and wine cultures of Spain, Portugal and South America.

Diana Rollan is group head of beverage for D&D London restaurants group. A DWWA judge for Spain, she formerly managed training and wine buying at Hakkasan Group as its UK head of wine.

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A common charge levelled against the French wine industry is its restrictive appellation legislation. Though drawn up with good intentions, it can indeed cramp winemakers’ creativity.

How freeing it must be therefore to make wine in countries like Australia, unhindered by such bureaucracy. But the local market can also have a constraining influence on wine styles – many drinkers have specific notions about exactly what they want from established classics such as Barossa Shiraz.

Scroll down for 20 scintillating red Rhône varieties from Australia

When it comes to lesser-known varieties, there is more space to experiment. ‘People are much more inclined to play around in the cellar with Grenache than Shiraz,’ says Jack Scholz of The Willows Vineyard in the Barossa Valley, which is why there’s been such a dramatic evolution in the style of this Southern Rhône staple over the past 10 years.

Not just in Barossa, but throughout South Australia and beyond.

Given their suitability to hot climates, it’s puzzling that other red Rhône varieties never took off like Shiraz. But now that does seem to be happening – mainly Grenache at the moment, but there’s also growing interest in Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan.

The Barossa Grenache renaissance

Until recently, much Australian Grenache resembled an alcoholic fruit soup. But there’s a burgeoning contemporary expression that makes this variety the most exciting in the country. If you haven’t tried any for a while, this is the time to revisit it.

So what’s changed? ‘I got sick of drinking those bigger, heavier wines’ says Jason Schwarz of the Schwarz Wine Co, who made his first Grenache in 2002. Back then, he would pick very ripe, when the grapes were starting to shrivel. He’d destem the crop and age the wine for two years in 300-litre barrels.

Today, his Meta Grenache uses 80% whole bunch to bring brightness, freshness and ‘perceived acidity’, he says. He picks around two weeks earlier now, and the winemaking is gentler, using indigenous yeasts.

Instead of seven days maceration, he opts for three to four weeks and he uses larger format barrels, bottling after 10 months to capture the grape’s natural perfume. The result is balanced, drinkable and delicious.

Barossa Valley is home to the oldest Grenache vines in the world, dating back to the 1840s. Though planted a little all over the region, there’s an outcrop of sand from Light Pass to Vine Vale on the border with the Eden Valley that’s become a hotspot for this new style, including The Willows, Schwarz Wine Co, Vinya Vella, Spinifex, Ollin and Cirillo.

Elsewhere in Barossa, this modern version is favoured by Alkina, Geyer Wine Co, Yelland & Papps and Tscharke. For a fuller, more generous style, look to Charles Melton, Hayes Family Wines, John Duval, Tim Smith and Turkey Flat.

The grand cru of McLaren Vale

McLaren Vale is closer to the sea than Barossa and it’s not quite as hot. There are some extraordinary Grenache-based wines being produced here too, in a perfumed, red-fruited, slightly lighter style.

Blewitt Springs in the north-east of the region needs to be on your radar. It’s the source of some of the greatest Grenaches in the country. Yangarra’s High Sands for example is sourced from this Australian grand cru.

Walking here feels like crossing a beach dune, and although it’s just 15km from the sea, these soils don’t have a marine origin – it’s wind-blown loess over ironstone.

Yangarra’s winemaker Peter Fraser says that Grenache was originally planted here for its drought tolerance. He adds that few other crops would successfully grow in these sandy soils, which means that today there’s a proliferation of very old vines.

He describes the wines from this particular site as giving red and blue rather than black fruit flavours, and a brighter, more aromatic style.

Look out for McLaren Vale Grenaches by Bekkers, Aphelion, d’Arenberg, Ministry of Clouds, SC Pannell, Thistledown, MMAD, Bondar, Samson Tall, Brash Higgins, Gentle Folk, Sherrah and Varney Wines.

New varieties, further afield

Though more famous for its Riesling, Clare Valley is another South Australian region with some gnarly old Grenache. Thanks to the big difference between the hot days and cool nights here, the wines have an elegance and spicy/fragrant allure.

Sam Barry of Jim Barry Wines says that historically Grenache was always the cheapest variety to buy from growers. ‘It used to have that stigma of being a variety for fortified wine,’ he explains. Now it’s the most expensive.

He’s just bought two old vineyards in Clare, one dating to 1938, the other to 1954. Both have a spicy note akin to paprika or Szechuan pepper, and first vintages are highly promising.

Kilikanoon is another believer in Rhône varieties in Clare Valley. It makes Grenache, Shiraz and some excellent Mourvèdre, sometimes known locally as Mataro. The style in South Australia is different to Bandol or Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

It tends to be less dark and gruff than the French style, more polished and filigree. Sussex Squire is another good producer in Clare. In Barossa, try Mourvèdre from Hayes Family Wines, Hewitson or Soul Growers; in McLaren Vale, there’s Rudderless, Kay Brothers and Chalk Hill.

It’s still early days for other red Rhône varieties in Australia, but Brad Hickey of Brash Higgins proves they have potential.

‘Rhône varieties have become really interesting players,’ he says. ‘We’ve had huge amounts of luck with Cinsault, Carignan and Mourvèdre.’

His pure Cinsault cuvée Cins is reminiscent of cult west bank Southern Rhônes such as Domaine L’Anglore.

Back to blends

Belinda van Eyssen (below) is winemaker for The Cutting in Barossa, but she previously lived and worked in South Africa. She also makes an excellent Cinsault, but she points out that although Australia might be making very good varietal wines from Rhône grapes, ‘blends haven’t really made it here’.

The GSM – a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre – was popular for a while, but now it’s not quite as fashionable. One benefit of blends is that they put the spotlight on place rather than the flavour profile of a specific grape.

It was partly blends that led to South Africa’s recent wine renaissance. Will the same thing happen in Australia?

It comes back to the local market – if Australian wine lovers are turned off by blends, then they’ll never succeed. That hasn’t stopped Adelina in Clare Valley though, which has won praise for its Estate Introspect, a field blend of Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Ugni Blanc, Roussanne and Carignan.

As local winemakers master these characterful grapes, I hope they are inspired to blend them as well as bottling varietal wines. Whatever your favourite grape variety, it’s always good to find creativity and originality in your glass.

Top 20 Australian wines made from red Rhône varieties

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If you like your food hot and spicy, does that mean you have to miss out on a wine to enjoy with it? Not necessarily… Although spice is one of the trickier food-matching challenges, there are plenty of wine styles that can work well with the heat and complex flavours of spicy dishes.

There is a key choice to make before you start. Do you want to amplify the heat or tame it?

Chilli thrill-seekers could meet the heat head-on with what experienced sommelier Matthieu Longuère MS, wine development manager at Le Cordon Bleu London, describes as a ‘spice booster’ wine.

If you’re less excited by the Scoville heat scale, you’ll want a wine that mellows out the dish – without compromising the flavours of course. Off-dry white wines are a good option here, because their slight sweetness can help to reduce the heat.

Spice boosters

Bold and fruity reds – such as Syrah/Shiraz or Grenache/Garnacha, which have spicy notes on the palate – are a good option if you want to ramp up the spice in a dish. Look for examples that have plenty of fruit rather than high tannins, as too much tannin is the worst enemy of spice.

Winemaking regions in the warmer southern hemisphere are a good place to find fruitier styles of spicy red wines. Think South America’s signature red grapes, Malbec and Carmenère or Pinotage from South Africa. Brambly, spicy Zinfandel from the US is another red that can work well with spicy dishes such as chilli con carne.

Andrés Rangel, former sommelier at top Indian restaurant Gymkhana in London, suggests that it can be fun to think about matching spicy wines to specific spicy aromas and flavours in a dish. ‘Some of the herbs and spices used [in Indian cooking], such as cardamom, ginger, pepper, clove and coriander, are present in the flavour and aromatic profile of wine,’ he explains.

Cool customers

If you want to contain the heat of a spicy dish rather than amplify it, Rangel recommends off-dry aromatic white wines as ‘safe’ options. This means grape varieties such as Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Riesling. While Alsace is a good place to start hunting, these varieties can be found all over the wine world. Argentina’s signtaure aromatic white grapes Torrontés, with its peachy fruit is another variety to look out for.

‘For me, off-dry wines only work if there is also an element of sweetness in the spicy food,’ says Anne Krebiehl MW, widely published wine writer and author of The Wines of Germany. ‘For example, there’s usually palm sugar in Thai dishes along with lemongrass and mild chilli heat. Here, an off-dry, light-bodied Riesling – but not sweet – would be perfect, just to echo that nuance of sweetness.’

She adds: ‘Look out for the term “feinherb” (off-dry) on the label and aim for anywhere between 11-13% abv.’

Rosé and orange wines

Food and wine matching expert and Decanter contributing editor, Fiona Beckett, thinks fuller-bodied rosés stand up well to spice. ‘Rosés from the New World tend to be riper and sweeter than their European counterparts, and this is not necessarily an off-putting quality when they are paired with spicy food,’ she explains.

Italy’s Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is another deeper rosé style that can pair brilliantly with some spicy dishes. Or seek out dark pink Spanish rosados made from Garnacha, a grape that’s naturally low in tannins. These punchy rosés will work particularly well with Caribbean jerk seasoning.

Both rosé and food-friendly orange wines are a good choice for Eastern Mediterranean and North African dishes, featuring spices such as sumac, harissa and ras el hanout. A lamb tagine or spicy aubergine would also pair well with lighter reds such as Beaujolais, which can be served chilled.

Sparkling success

Finally, don’t forget fizz. For Rangel sparkling wines with a creamy mousse are a reliable choice with spicy food – especially if you’re looking to reduce the heat. He advises thinking about the texture of the dish. Is it a creamy curry or a dry-spiced deep-fried snack?

‘The most effective way to match wine and spicy food is balancing weight by weight, and contrasting flavours,’ says Rangel. ‘For example, in Indian food, we find rich and fatty dishes, made with cream or yoghurt. So we need wines with enough body to support those dishes and at the same time ripe fruit flavours to create a pleasant contrast with the spices.’

Krebiehl adds that sparkling wines can work particularly well with seafood dishes that carry just hint of heat. ‘I love to drink fizz and find that a rather creamy and really mature Champagne goes well with chilli-accented dishes; like soft-shell crab or squid fried in a cayenne-spiced batter,’ she says.

It’s not just about whites either; sparkling reds can also work with certain spicy dishes. ‘I am a big fan of Chinese five spice, with its warm redolence of clove and cinnamon. Rounder, gutsier Pinot Noirs that border on plummy fruitiness work well here, but so does sparkling Shiraz,’ adds Krebiehl

Top five wine styles for spicy food 

• Off-dry Riesling 
• Off-dry Pinot Gris
• Full-bodied rosés
• Syrah/Shiraz 
• Grenache

Wines to pair with spicy food: 12 to try

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Established in 1983, Paso Robles, meaning ‘pass of the oaks’ in Spanish, is a Californian region with 16,500 hectares under vine.

Ten years ago, 11 sub-American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) within the greater Paso Robles AVA were approved for use on labels. Conjunctive labelling laws, which have seen success in Napa Valley, require ‘Paso Robles’ to be used on a label whenever a sub-AVA is also listed.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of top wines from Willow Creek.

The western Paso regions, including Willow Creek District, seem to run ahead of the pack, with many quality producers residing there. These areas can be slightly cooler, wetter, and windier than their eastern neighbours, and they can see marine fog from the coastal influences.

The wines from these areas tend to show higher acidity, a key piece of the quality puzzle in Paso to balance the fruit concentration, tannins and alcohol levels that can result from the high temperatures. Notable Willow Creek vineyards include James Berry, G2, L’Aventure, and Paper Street.

Vineyards in Paso Robles’ windy west

Just south and a bit east of the larger Adelaida District lies the Willow Creek District, a higher rainfall, high elevation sub-district with similar properties.

However, the tiny Willow Creek District, located approximately 40km from the ocean, more directly benefits from the Templeton Gap effect. Here, openings in the coastal Santa Lucia Mountain range allow cooler coastal air to rush, funnel-like, into the valley.

This cooling effect allows for wide diurnal ranges with warmer days and much cooler evenings, allowing the grapes to rest and refresh.

Kunal Mittal, co-founder at LXV Wine, spoke about the importance of the Templeton Gap to their quality grapes.

‘It is handy in hot years such as 2022 when the grapes need to refresh during heat spikes,’ he says. ‘It also helps to prevent frost damage, as the wind (from the Templeton Gap) blows the cool air away and prevents that cooler air from setting.’

The Mittals farm just over 3ha of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Sangiovese at their Armaa.N estate vineyard and also source grapes from other Willow Creek sites such as the G2 North and Gateway Vineyards.

The Willow Creek District is defined by varied topography and rolling hills, with little flat land. Hillsides with thin topsoils mean roots dive deep into the vineyards’ bedrock.

‘These aspect changes in Willow Creek give more interesting and character-driven wines,’ says Carl Bowker, owner and founding winemaker at Caliza Winery.

The Paso Robles AVA as a whole has over 30 soil types. Willow Creek features high-elevation mountainous bedrock derived from marine sedimentary rocks, calcareous shale, and limestone.

Bowker speaks of his estate vineyard’s soil: ‘You can tell it was underwater. You see ancient seashells and feel the chalky and mineral character of the soil.’

‘Caliza‘, which means ‘limestone’ in Spanish, refers to this high limestone content in the soils around the estate.

Bowker thinks that: ‘The high limestone content allows us to make fresh wines. Wines that hold onto the acidity and give mineral characteristics.’

This, he adds, was particularly advantageous in the hot 2022 vintage.

Willow Creek meets climate change

Like many California regions, Willow Creek is seeing hotter and more extreme weather conditions. Edgar Torres, founder and winemaker at Bodega de Edgar, sources 90% of his grapes from the Dusi family, one of the legacy families in Paso Robles, with most of the fruit from their Paper Street Vineyard.

‘They used to be focused on dry farming, but now drip irrigation is sometimes used, partially to navigate the heat waves,’ says Torres.

Bowker shares that because of extreme heat, he and his team have had to adjust their canopy management techniques on the 11ha Caliza Vineyard to get more shade on the side of the vines which catches the afternoon sun.

‘There is no normal anymore. We rarely see two vintages that are the same,’ says Don Burns, owner and winemaker at Turtle Rock Vineyards, who grew up in Paso Robles and cut his teeth at Justin Smith’s Saxum Vineyards.

He spoke of two recent drought years in 2020 and 2021, juxtaposed with record-breaking rainfall in 2022 and 2023.

Kunal Mittal says: ‘With the inconsistencies and extremes of climate, the Templeton Gap effect is important to us, especially with our focus on Bordeaux varieties, which need a longer hang time.’

Without the cooling effect of the gap and the cool nights it creates, overripe fruit would become an especially acute issue.

The wines of Willow Creek

Though Paso Robles wines can be characterised as full-bodied and rich in style, natural acidity saves them from going too far. Bowker states that, typically, wines are not acidulated in Paso, especially in Willow Creek, where the natural acidity is very high.

‘The wines,’ he says, ‘have a natural acidity and freshness, which comes from the proximity to the ocean and the Templeton Gap effect.’

The natural conditions often means a hallmark of Willow Creek wines is less manipulation in the winery. Burns agrees: ‘We’ve learned how to extract what we want from the grapes and not have to extract everything,’ he says.

‘There is more of a gentle hand in winemaking here in Willow Creek.’

Bowker adds that due to the soils and cool breezes: ‘We can have big, bold, powerful wines that are also light on their feet with brightness and freshness.’

Torres’ marker for Willow Creek fruit is a floral component, plus a chalky medicinal note. He says that he often finds spice notes – such as paprika, cumin, and Tajín, a Mexican chili-lime seasoning – in the Paper Street Grenache.

Burns, who has been involved in making wine in Paso, specifically Willow Creek, for over 15 years, describes, ‘an acid lift and energy in the glass, minerality, and a marked salinity, especially in Syrah coming from the calcareous stone soils.’

Part of the wider whole

Many of Paso Robles’s most premium wines come from the Willow Creek District. The key players in Willow Creek agree that the 11 sub-AVAs created 10 years ago created a much needed separation between higher-quality producers and wines, and the value-priced wines being produced, allowing the former a chance to shine.

At the same time, all recognise that they are contributing to the wider reputation of their parent AVA.

Neeta Mittal says: ‘Even as we divide Paso into AVAs, the underlying theme is community. For this reason, it’s very important to require the labels to include ‘Paso Robles’ along with the sub-AVA.’

Mittal describes a sense of stewardship from those who grow grapes in Willow Creek. This continues in the winery with lower-intervention styles from producers wanting to make high-quality, character-driven wines.

As Paso Robles continues to define its identity within the global wine industry, aspirational producers in sub-appellations like Willow Creek District are going a long way to help lift the profile of Paso Robles as a whole.

Top wines from Willow Creek

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According to Antoine Lespès, research and development manager at Domaine Lafage just outside Perpignan, the average rainfall at this Roussillon estate between 2010 and 2023 was just 550mm per year. These last few years have been particularly dry: in 2021 and 2022 there was 340mm. In 2023, just 240mm – ‘like Marrakesh,’ says Lespès.

Thankfully, Roussillon has a natural defence against drought: 50% of the region’s vines are over 50 years old. Old vines with deep, well-established root systems pump water from below the ground, instead of relying exclusively on that which falls from the sky. And this is just one advantage of having plenty of venerable old plants.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 20 old vine wines to try

Stubborn and resilient

Mas Llossanes is located on the western edge of Roussillon; with vineyards ascending to 700m altitude, it’s one of the highest estates in France. Owner Dominique Génot has some vines aged up to 80 years old, and he says ‘resilience is their number one advantage.’ In drought years, it tends to be older vines that perform the strongest.

He adds that ‘the production is much more stable – the same level of quality and quantity’ from year to year. Old vines are also less likely to suffer from disease as they produce smaller, looser, better ventilated bunches.

Small bunches and little berries make for concentrated wines – a greater proportion of skins to juice means more colour and more tannin. So wines made from old vines can be particularly powerful and long-lived.

The drawback is that gnarly old trunks are expensive to work and maintain, requiring dedicated manual work and attention. ‘Old vines are like stubborn old men,’ says Benoît Danjou, co-owner of Domaine Danjou-Banessy in Espira-de-l’Agly, ‘they give what they want’ and can be difficult to manage.

They also produce smaller yields – meaning either that growers make less income, or that we as consumers have to pay a premium.

Better wine?

If the wines are better, then most of us are happy to pay a little extra. But do older vines really produce better wine? Concentration is not always a positive – particularly if a style of wine is already dense and muscular. A little fluidity and juice can be useful in creating drinkability and balance.

In fact, not all growers favour old vines. Hervé Bizeul of Domaine du Clos des Fées in Vingrau uses relatively young vines for his top cuvée Le Clos de Fées, while his oldest vines (50 to 100 years old) go into his more affordable Vieilles Vignes bottling.

Looking outside the region, one of the greatest winemakers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Henri Bonneau, preferred vines of around 30 years old – when they got much older, he’d pull them out and replant. And Troy van Dulken, vineyard manager at Kilikanoon in Clare Valley, says ‘once a vineyard is at 15 years old, I think it’s at its peak.’

Van Dulken points out that some cultivars age better than others. Syrah and Grenache can live to a ripe old age, whereas he’s more likely to pull out Cabernet Sauvignon at 30 to 40 years old. Carignan is another variety that can age impressively. Domaine du Lendemain in Roussillon has some pre-phylloxera vines planted in 1880 that are still producing fruit.

The taste test

There’s undoubtedly something special about drinking bottles produced from such ancient plants – like drinking very old vintages, there’s a feeling of being closer to history. But can we distinguish between young and old vine cuvées by taste alone?

There’s certainly no identifiable flavour as such. But there is often a sense of depth, resonance and vinosity with wines drawn from old vines. Rather like organic and biodynamic certification, old vines are ‘a sign of quality – but not a guarantee,’ to quote Bizeul.

‘A young asshole will become an old asshole,’ he says; just because a vine is old doesn’t make it good. But if a plant has survived for a century, it suggests that the wine it makes is special enough to have warranted its long-term cultivation and nurturing. Otherwise it would have been pulled out long ago.

These old warriors have seen many changes in Roussillon. The rise and fall of aperitifs like Byrrh, of sweet Muscats, of vins doux naturels, of Parkerised reds… let’s hope they can survive the climate turmoil of the 21st century.

20 old vine wines to try:

The wines below are made from vines at least 60 years old. Wines are listed by style then score.

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The 160km drive from Barcelona to the French border via Girona takes little more than 90 minutes. Driving up the efficient and clinical motorway, you’d never know you were passing through one of the most rugged, individual and below-the-radar wine regions in Spain: Empordà.

Empordà’s history, kinship, language and terroir are shared with Roussillon in southern France as much as they are with Spain. The cold Tramontana wind blows from France south across the border into Empordà – so strongly at times that anyone behaving strangely is said to be ‘tocat per la Tramontana’ (‘touched by the Tramontana’).

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 18 exciting wines from Empordà

The Catalan region is roughly split in two: the higher-altitude Alt Empordà reaching up towards the Pyrenees; and Baix Empordà, extending south and towards the bright, blue Mediterranean sea.

Empordà was first planted by travelling Phoenicians in ancient times. After the devastating impact of the phylloxera bug in the late 19th century, many vineyards were replanted with different crops; a huge area is now dedicated to the production of cork trees. The lonely outlines of abandoned vineyards and terraced walls are a reminder of what was lost. Now, just 49 wineries manage 1,827ha of vineyards in the region.

Awaiting discovery

One of the many charms of Empordà is the sheer variety of its terroirs and wines. The soils are loosely based on limestone, sand and granite in the north and richer, clay-based subsoils to the south. The region’s rolling hills and bluffs add further complexity to the soil map.

Many vineyards have the same grape varieties planted on different soils, with individual vineyards or specific rows of vines often bottled separately, making for fascinating comparisons. Yet there’s a collective robustness to the best wines that speaks of the region as a whole.

This is primarily red-wine country (a little over 60%, according to the DO’s regional body), led by various shades of Garnacha and Cariñena (‘Lladoner‘ and ‘Samsó‘ are their local monikers). Clonal variation also contributes to the characterful nature of these wines.

Diversity and new dawns

There is a kaleidoscopic array of combinations of grape variety, clone and soil type. But perhaps the greatest Empordà wines are white, particularly those made from the increasingly popular Cariñena Blanca, a variety only recently approved (in March 2020) for use in the DO.

With its incredibly persistent acidity, bright flavour and ability to ripen evenly despite increasing temperatures, it will be an important variety of the future.

Historically, these wines have rarely been distributed beyond the gastronomic centres of Girona and Barcelona, but that is starting to change. The younger generation of winemakers are looking further afield, beyond the safety net of Costa Brava’s plethora of Michelin-starred restaurants.

Stylistically, the wines are evolving, too, becoming fresher, brighter and more accessible. Empordà’s unique range of fascinating wines are, for the most part, still undervalued and underrepresented outside the region. But for how long?

See notes and scores for 18 exciting wines from Empordà to seek out

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Years ago when interviewing Ian Hongell, he dismissed generic stereotypes about South Australia’s Barossa Valley: ‘it’s not one flat paddock!’ Back then he worked for Peter Lehmann. Today Hongell is chief winemaker and general manager at Torbreck, a winery that shot to fame in the 1990s by cherry-picking the best of that ‘paddock’.

Influential US critic Robert Parker gave rave reviews for Torbreck’s opulent Shiraz-based wines, sourced from select dry-grown, old-vine parcels, vinified in small batches and seamlessly constructed. Parker awarded 100 points to the inaugural 2005 vintage of The Laird, Torbreck’s flagship single-vineyard Shiraz, now among Australia’s most expensive wines.

Scroll down for scores and tasting notes of 16 Torbreck wines

Dave Powell, a self-taught winemaker intent in his pursuit of high-end Barossa Shiraz, founded Torbreck in 1994. ‘It was remarkable what Dave achieved in the period he was involved with the business,’ reflected Hongell. ‘He broke ground for many Australian producers.’

Hongell admits that, prior to joining Torbreck, he’d not fully appreciated the pedigree of this 85 hectare estate and its 200ha of contract fruit sources.

Torbreck pays more than AU$10,000/tonne for top grapes. Before acquiring The Laird vineyard in 2014 (allegedly Australia’s most expensive vineyard purchase by price per hectare) Torbreck reportedly paid AU$20,000/tonne for its grapes.

Within this elevated price range ‘you’re genuinely accessing different fruit – little bullets that sit on the vine, enduring the season. They give lovely woody tannins and colour, stable anthocyanins and tannins, but the wines are still primary and vibrant.’

Sticking to the Torbreck blueprint

Hongell joined Torbreck in 2017, by which time the company had changed hands twice. First in 2003 (following its receivership), then in 2008 when acquired by American ecommerce magnate Peter Kight, the current owner. Powell remained at Torbreck until 2013, leaving following an acrimonious spat with Kight.

Speculation was rife that Torbreck would falter without its charismatic founder, but the wines continue to sell out. ‘With gentle price increases across the portfolio,’ adds Hongell. Two extraordinarily low-yielding vintages in 2019 and 2020 saw them over-allocated.

Hongell says that with ‘amazing wines and an amazing brand’, his brief was simple: to keep making Torbreck. The core DNA of the wines revolves around the vineyards, which are substantially the same as they’ve always been. They are focused on the elevated slopes and depleted soils of the Barossa Valley’s Western Ridge and Lyndoch, plus an Eden Valley component.

Winemaker Scott McDonald – a veteran of 16 Torbreck vintages – is well-versed in the signature grape handling and maturation regime. There was a blueprint, said Hongell, and making wine is a team effort.

‘We want you to smell the aromas and taste the fruit,’ explains Hongell. ‘Mature, very fine tannins rein the fruit in, setting the wines up for longevity.’ He enjoys the reds in their first five years when they are upfront, and then around 15 to 20 years from vintage ‘when the vineyard character really shows up’.

Taking the risks on ripeness

Torbreck’s ‘go hard or go home’ methods of late picking and dry farming in a region that sometimes goes without rain for 300 days in a year has given Hongell sleepless nights. If a weather front comes in but the grapes are not ready to pick ‘we hang on the edge and gamble – we’re about creating flavours and textures that only time can give’. Hongell’s nickname is ‘rhino hide’ for his steadfast resistance to growers anxious to pick.

And this ability to pick so late is thanks to site selection, deep-rooted old vines and chief viticulturist Nigel Blieschke’s rigorous vineyard management. Blieschke zealously measures bud counts and yields to avoid fruit cooking inside the berry and collapsing – ‘we hate undesirable Porty or sweet and sour flavours,’ asserts Hongell. With such low yields, ‘awesome pH’ contributes to the wines’ natural balance.

To balance its ultra-concentrated fruit, The Laird’s lavish oak comes courtesy of ‘magic barrels’ from Dominique Laurent, the Burgundian winemaker who established his own cooperage.

Exclusive to the flagship Shiraz, the extra-thick staved barriques are made from particularly tight grained French oak, seasoned and toasted slowly for slow-leaching tannins and oxidation.

At the other end of the spectrum, Cuvée Juveniles – a luscious Grenache–Shiraz–Mataro blend – sees no oak. In between, Hongell uses fine, tight barriques, up to 50% new, plus an increasing number (currently 30) of French oak foudres ‘in quite judicious ratios relative to the wines’. The wines are all unfined and filtered, and Hongell recently introduced temperature and humidity management in the cellar.

Latest vintages

There is no such thing as normal, or even new normal, when it comes to harvest dates these days. Famous for its long hang times, ‘Torbreck never starts picking in February, but this year we did!’ exclaims Hongell during our tasting of the winery’s recent releases.

Save for 2021 – which Hongell describes as ‘a Goldilocks vintage – perfect in every way’ – the Barossa has experienced a roller-coaster run of vintages, savaged by yield-scything frost and hail events. With drought in 2019 and 2020 and three wet starts in 2021-2023, he observes: ‘You’ve got to have dry and wet racing tyres’.

On joining Torbreck, Hongell avowed ‘to keep the wines “Torbreckian”, but improve them, with consistency across the range’, while understanding ‘the best fit’ for each vineyard. ‘All children are different, and need a different upbringing,’ he quipped.

This tasting of predominantly new releases reinforced that he has remained true to his word. Through thick and thin vintages, irrespective of price point, the wines are resolutely Torbreckian in their hedonic fruit power and high alcohol. They also continue to gain in finesse. Even at 15 to 15.5% alcohol, Torbreck’s seductively perfumed reds have striking balance, detail and precision.

For Hongell, homing in on ‘super-fine, super-tight grained barrels for a much slower uptake of oak’ has improved the wines, which have become less broad, ‘with less showy oak’. ‘Drilling into everything in the vineyards on a deeper level’ has not only contributed to quality and consistency, but also extended Torbreck’s range.

Hongell is cock-a-hoop about The Forebear Shiraz 2019, the maiden release from 12 original rows from Hillside Vineyard, which were planted around 1850. From Lyndoch in southern Barossa, it is voluptuous; while The Laird from the north is all ripped muscle. Though different children indeed, both sit at the apex of Torbreck’s family of wines.

Paying it forward

There are no plans to expand production, although in 2019 Torbreck acquired Escarpment Winery in Martinborough, New Zealand from Larry McKenna, who continues to make its acclaimed Pinot Noir).

In the Barossa, where land values have skyrocketed, the focus is about securing the highest-quality fruit from existing vineyards and safeguarding the brand’s future. Just as Powell planted the Descendant vineyard with old-vine Runrig Shiraz cuttings in 1994, the Daylight Chamber vineyard has been planted with heritage clones – cuttings from exceptional Torbreck-owned and grower Shiraz vineyards.

Meanwhile, the Hillside vineyard has been supplemented with parcels of Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Viognier, Roussanne, Carignan and Counoise. ‘Salt and pepper,’ says Hongell, ‘to sharpen aromatics, and tweak and tighten up a broader, denser wine without losing its identity or changing our style’.

Hongell believes these new vineyards are less susceptible to modern diseases like eutypa dieback. In 150 years, he speculates, future generations might feel as thankful about working with centenarian vineyards as he does today. ‘Torbreck stands for the preservation of history and sites so we are paying it forward.’

Torbreck: the facts

Founded: 1994 by Dave Powell

Proprietor: Pete Kight, since 2008

Annual production: 75,000 12-bottle cases

Vineyard sources: 85ha Torbreck-owned: The Laird, Hillside, Keller, Descendant, The Daylight Chamber; plus 200ha owned by 35 growers

Vine age: Plantings from 1850s to 2017

Key varieties: Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro, Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Semillon

Production: 18 wines: 14 red, three white, one rosé

Price range: AU$25 to $800/bottle

Torbreck: 16 new releases and older vintages tasted and rated

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The en primeur tasting of the Palacios portfolio is an annual highlight for wine lovers and collectors, bringing together top wines from Priorat, Rioja and Bierzo.

This year’s event was held in the atmospheric underground cellar at the spectacular Descendientes de J Palacios (DJP) winery in Bierzo, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores of Palacios’ 2023 new releases, as well as 10 library vintages

2023 vintage overview

Priorat

Priorat came out on top in the 2023 vintage, just edging past Rioja. The region did not escape Catalonia’s serious drought, yet the wines are impressively fresh, thanks to careful vineyard management, fortunate rainfall around harvest and some irrigation in the hardest-hit areas. L’Ermita (4,800 bottles) was the glorious standout. Nevertheless La Baixada (3,460 bottles), Les Aubaguetes (1,200 bottles) and Finca Dofí (28,000) all came close in quality, the latter a reminder that Alvaro is capable of producing top-quality wines in larger quantities.

Rioja

Rioja is where Palacios’ ability to produce consistently good wine at high volume is most evident, in the production of Finca La Montesa. The 2023 vintage was tough in Rioja, with an exceptional midsummer heat spike. Nevertheless, Quiñón de Valmira (4,190 bottles) showed a gloriously ethereal expression, even at such an early stage.

Bierzo

In Bierzo, a severe heatwave at the end of August was followed by September rain. ‘We had to do a lot of work in the vineyard to manage the rain and the risk of mildew’, reports Palacios’ nephew Ricardo Perez, who runs DJP. While most wines from the 2023 vintage will be best enjoyed in the medium term, the top wine La Faraona (1,200 bottles) is full of promise.

New wines and older vintages

Palacios introduced two new wines to the portfolio from the 2023 vintage: DJP’s ‘Al Chelo’ 2023, of which just 1000 bottles were made; and Alvaro Palacios ‘Valdelareina’ 2023, a village wine from a site at 700m elevation in Rioja. It’s juicily drinkable and enjoyable already, although will develop for some years yet.

He also presented a series of older vintages of DJP’s single-vineyard wines. It was a wonderful opportunity to see how these Bierzo wines had aged.

Finca La Montesa

In London this January, Palacios and his daughter Lola (who has recently joined him in the family business), presented a mini-vertical (2018–2021) of Finca La Montesa, Palacios Remondo’s crianza from Rioja Oriental. In a good year, more than 600,000 bottles of La Montesa are produced. It’s widely available, relatively affordable and the quality is consistently good.

The 105 hectare La Montesa vineyard in Rioja Oriental was first planted in the late 1980s, with 50% Tempranillo (the remainder mostly Mazuelo, Graciano and Garnacha). ‘The first wines were more of a field blend,’ says Alvaro.

When he took over the family bodega in 1989, Palacios shifted the Montesa vineyard’s focus to Garnacha, which he felt was more suited to the region. The first Garnacha-dominant vintage was 2013. Inevitably some older varieties remain scattered through the vineyard, with Requena (Bobal), Moristel, Tinto Velasco, Garnacha and Viura making up about 15%.

The vineyard has been certified organic since 2017. Palacios is gradually shifting from double-cordon to bush vines too, which he says is significantly enhancing quality through the reduced yields. ‘Without a green harvest, a double cordon can produce 26 clusters; a bush vine will only produce nine to 12,’ says Alvaro.

The organic fruit is hand-harvested and hand-sorted; ‘not easy, with 105ha. It takes 65 people, over 12 days,’ he says. A further 30 people man the sorting table, a job he’s finding it increasingly difficult to recruit for.

Despite the focus on Garnacha in Palacios Remondo, ‘I am not Mr Garnacha,’ Palacios stresses. ‘I just love the sites. It’s a coincidence that I was born in a place where Garnacha grows, and went to Priorat where it also flourishes.’ Regardless, he appreciates the passion of younger winemakers such Fernando Mora MW (of Bodegas Frontonio in Aragón) who value Garnacha’s heritage.

An improvement in quality and intensity was evident over the four vintages of La Montesa presented at the tasting in London. The 2020 vintage marked a step change in the character of La Montesa, despite complications of Covid, rain and the intense struggle (‘la gran lucha’) to avoid mildew.

2021 vintage: ‘a gift from the gods’

Conversely, Palacios describes the 2021 vintage as ‘a gift from the gods’ and it would be hard to disagree. La Montesa 2021 will be released in mid June 2024 and it is worth looking out for.

Quiñón de Valmira Rioja 2021 – created from a single low-yielding vineyard of bush vines – is exceptionally fine, an ‘elixir full of life’ says Palacios. Priorat’s L’Ermita (named for the little hilltop hermitage) is still very young, but it shows exceptional promise. And, despite a difficult vintage in Bierzo, La Faraona, crafted from a mere 0.5ha, reveals finesse and originality.

See tasting notes and scores for Palacios’ new 2023 releases and museum wines

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Rioja is one of the great wine regions of the world, up there with Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barolo. Yet, unlike these other big names, you’ll find a remarkable number of Riojas on sale in the supermarkets at under £10. Setting aside this category of cheap wines, where is good value in Rioja? What are the smart buys now, and where are the likely prospects for the future?

In researching this article I spoke to sommeliers, restaurant managers, independent retailers, wine buyers and Masters of Wine. They all agreed that Rioja sells itself too cheaply. Take a look at our vintage guide and you will see what I – and they – mean.

Glorious wines, lovely maturity, but underpriced compared to their international peers. Value for me is all about quality, not about low prices. So where is the real value? Here are my six steps to heaven…

Scroll down to see notes and scores for Sarah Jane Evans MW’s 12 Riojas to seek out

1. The fine reservas and gran reservas are still a safe bet

The consensus among the experts I spoke to was that Rioja’s fine reservas and gran reservas offer real value. I wondered if this article was going to be very short indeed! Diana Rollan, group head of beverage at bar and restaurant group D&D London, puts it clearly: ‘The reserva and gran reserva designations still offer some of the best value in all of fine wine.’

For her, the key feature of these wines is that ‘they drink brilliantly on release but can mature superbly in bottle as well. When compared to similarly mature wines from elsewhere, Rioja nearly always comes out top in value’.

She adds: ‘The ability of the large bodegas to offer mature wines, direct from the wineries at reasonable prices and with good availability, is one of Rioja’s great strengths. That may be politically contentious [in the division between large producers and smaller ones], but there’s no way to brush it under the carpet.’

In terms of best price-to-value ratio, Agustín Trapero, wine consultant and former beverage manager at the Four Seasons Madrid, suggests that €30-€40 (£26-£34) is the price point for reserva and gran reserva wines with the ideal balance of ‘structure, balance, complexity and fruit’.

If lovely mature Riojas are your thing, don’t overlook the results of Decanter panel tastings and the DWWA. Ed Adams MW of La Báscula, and a long-standing DWWA judge, confesses: ‘I’m a classic reserva and gran reserva enthusiast. I still remember that aged rosado we gave a huge score to at DWWA 2022 [Hacienda López de Haro, Gran Reserva Rosado 2009, 97 points]. You don’t get that anywhere else in the world, do you?’

2. Look beyond the classics

Sticking with those classics could be seen as a bit safe. Do you want to look like a boring wine buff to your dinner date? Terry Kandylis, group head sommelier at Noble Rot, will rescue you from that fate and is quick to recommend R López de Heredia – a winery name-checked many times in my conversations with the experts.

Just around the corner from the Bank of England is Hispania London, where general manager Juan Murillo is alert to his customers’ tastes. He is a fan of Muga but reckons the glorious Prado Enea Gran Reserva is ‘a bit too classic, too old-style for the City of London’, preferring the Selección Especial Reserva.

Wine consultant and writer Jason Millar, formerly of London independent merchant Theatre of Wine, is enthusiastic about Rioja’s potential: ‘It’s all about its versatility and accessibility. Rioja offers so many different styles that there is always value and quality. I’m amazed by the diversity of the region and how the wines manage to be unique, each one telling a story of where it came from.’ He adds: ‘Many consumers are not aware that Rioja has undergone significant evolution over the past decade.’

Kandylis and many others recommend wines from Rioja’s new generation of producers. The likes of Artuke, José Gil, Tentenublo and Cuentaviñas (above), are frequently spotted on wine lists.

All this change is exciting for us consumers, but potentially problematic for the wine trade. Diana Rollan sees ‘a tension between the old bodegas and the historical blended style, and the new producers focusing on vineyard and village expression rather than ageing’. She warns that, ‘growers and importers focusing on the new style have to make a real effort to engage with the market. It won’t be enough to simply add new words and designations to the label and expect wine buyers to respond’.

3. Hit the road

There has never been a better time to visit Rioja. Both Pierre Mansour, wine director at The Wine Society, and Agustín Trapero are equally positive about the wines to be explored and the value across the range. Gone are the days when a visit might consist of a day or two tacked on to a gastronomic trip to San Sebastián. The hotel offering is more appealing these days too.

A reason for visiting Rioja, says Jason Millar, is that ‘provenance is key’. The villages and vineyards are what make the wines, not the quantity of barrels in the cellar. This is the time to walk, cycle or drive through the region. On Millar’s list are El Villar, Laguardia, Lanciego, Leza, Haro and San Vicente de la Sonsierra. I’d add Alfaro and Quel, which have very different landscapes.

4. Look out for pink and sparkling

Gradually, the traditional ‘claretes’ are coming back, joined by the arrival of pale ‘rosados‘ that match the colours of Provence rosé.

Find the wines made from Mazuelo, with its blueberry fruit and bright acidity, by Marqués de Murrieta or Javier Arizcuren. The aged rosado epitomised by R López de Heredia is in demand, too. ‘In fact, getting hold of Viña Tondonia Rosado is mission impossible,’ says Agustín Trapero.

He also suggests trying the traditional-method sparkling wines: ‘The new category of [sparkling wines] espumosos de calidad offers excellent value for money, with wines such as Vivanco Cuvée Inédita (below) or Bodegas Bilbaínas Royal Carlton,’ he advises.

5. Revisit the ‘vinos de autor’

These ‘icon wines’ were all the rage in the 1990s. Rioja houses turned to new French oak, moving away from the classic ageing regulations. The styles were international, with double selection of the grapes (first in the vineyard and then in the winery), and they were higher – if not double – in price.

Typically polished, ripe and alcoholic, they were often not easily identifiable as Rioja. Now, these wines have calmed down and grown up. Take a second look at ‘Barón de Chirel’ from Marqués de Riscal, ‘Dalmau’ from Marqués de Murrieta (a particular favourite of mine), ‘Amaren’ from Luis Cañas, ‘Aro’ from Muga and ‘Mirto’ from Ramón Bilbao (below). These may still be seriously priced, but in terms of value they deliver so much more quality and drinking pleasure today.

6. Above all… follow the producer

If in doubt, remember to follow the producer. In poor years, the best producers will always make something pleasurable. In the future, climate change may require producers to find new sites at higher elevations and explore new varieties. Even now, expertise in the vineyard is needed to cope with the extremes of the climate.

12 to try: Evans’ mixed case of wines offering real value

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An awful lot of wine is made under the generic Côtes du Rhône appellation. Around 167 million bottles in 2022, to be precise. And while much of this is pretty average, a small proportion transcends the appellation. The greatest of all is Château de Fonsalette.

It’s one of the three estates owned by Emmanuel Reynaud. The most famous of the three is Château Rayas in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. And although Fonsalette is not as well known, the wines are still extremely desirable. Hedonism Wines in London currently sells the 2009 at £580 per bottle.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 22 Massif d’Uchaux wines to try

The property is situated 20km north of Châteauneuf in Lagarde-Paréol, which is one of the five villages (along with Mondragon, Piolenc, Sérignan-du-Comtat and Uchaux) that make up the Côtes du Rhône Villages Massif d’Uchaux appellation.

It’s not exactly a household name. Would Massif d’Uchaux be better known if Château de Fonsalette used the appellation on its labels? Undoubtedly, and it could if it wanted to. But the Reynaud family has been making wine here since long before the appellation existed, and I can’t imagine it changing its labels any time soon.

So this remains something of a hidden terroir. And that’s certainly how it feels as you make your way from one tree-lined vineyard to another; it’s shady and quiet here – except for the birdsong.

Wooded idyll

The Uchaux massif is mostly forest. Commercial vineyards only arrived after the Second World War, along with the heavy machinery required to clear enough trees to plant vines.

There have been small vineyards here for hundreds if not thousands of years, but it was never the most obvious place to grow vines. Not so long ago, quantity was favoured over quality – and yields here are among the lowest in the southern Rhône as the soils are so poor. The vast hill is an island of sandstone and limestone with a covering of red clay – much older soils than the galets roulés that encircle it. But persevering is worthwhile, as the wines it produces have a style all of their own.

These wooded vineyards create wines with clarity of expression and detail – they have a fluency without needing to shout. They have an acidity and spice that lifts and gives focus to an aromatic palette that’s built around raspberry and Szechuan pepper.

The appellation was ratified in 2005 for red wines only, since so few whites were made at that time. But they do grow white varieties here, and the results can be just as electric. Local winemakers are lobbying for a change to the rules to include them; though bottled under Côtes du Rhône or Vin de France, I’ve included some local whites in the tasting notes below.

Overperforming estates

Fonsalette might be its most famous estate, but it’s not the only one producing excellent wines here. I spoke recently with ace winemaker Jérôme Bressy of Domaine Gourt de Mautens near Rasteau, who was full of praise for Eric Michel of Cros de la Mûre. I share Jérôme’s enthusiasm.

Another Massif d’Uchaux estate which deserves wider renown is Domaine la Cabotte. Marie-Pierre Plumet d’Ardhuy, whose father owns Domaine d’Ardhuy in Burgundy, moved here in 1981.

Together with her husband Eric and son Etienne, they have been working their 30ha estate biodynamically since 2007. They are wines of subtlety and finesse that I’ll be writing about in detail soon.

Château Simian, a biodynamic estate that’s improved greatly in the past 10 years, is another name to know. Its reds and whites from this terroir are among the finest, channelling the tension and spice that defines the wines grown on this hill.

Florian Serguier is the owner and winemaker, and he’s recently taken on the post of co-president of the appellation. It’s been somewhat rudderless since 2015, so he should provide some much-needed direction.

‘Our first piece of work is to get ourselves better known,’ he says. Unifying such diverse characters won’t be easy.

Frustratingly, few of these wines are easy to find in the UK market. But if nobody talks about this place and its wines, then Massif d’Uchaux is fated to remain a hidden appellation.

It took Gigondas decades to be promoted to cru status. It will likely take Massif d’Uchaux just as long. But I’ve no doubt that this exceptional terroir deserves it.

22 wines to try

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Languedoc-Roussillon: two words, three syllables each. You’d be forgiven for assuming some kind of parity. But Roussillon makes only about 5% as much wine as Languedoc.

Take a walk around Perpignan, just 10km from the Mediterranean and 20km from the Spanish border, and you’ll sooner spot the blood-and-gold stripes of the Senyera than the French tricolour. Street signs offer both Catalan and French names. Many locals believe Roussillon is more naturally grouped with Penedès and Priorat than Pic-St-Loup and Picpoul de Pinet.

Ask wine lovers to name the greatest estate in Languedoc and Mas de Daumas Gassac will undoubtedly feature. But what about Roussillon? Not so obvious, but there’s one producer that I would suggest without hesitation – Domaine Danjou-Banessy.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 10 Domaine Danjou-Banessy wines

A singular estate

Travel eastwards along the Mediterranean coast from Roussillon and Languedoc and you reach the southern Rhône. The pinnacle of wine here? Château Rayas is the main contender. In fact, when I first tasted bottles from Danjou-Banessy, it was the wines of master winemaker Emmanuel Reynaud that sprang to mind.

Now comparing the greatest estate of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with a relatively unknown Roussillon domaine might raise some eyebrows; but let me explain. Like Rayas, Danjou-Banessy’s wines are not only brilliant, but they are stylistically unlike anything made by their neighbours.

Both producers make wines of tremendous personality. Not always faultless, polished or perfect – but always exciting, fascinating and memorable. They share similarly extreme climates but make wines with delicacy. ‘Our aim is to make fine wines,’ says Sébastien Danjou, one of two brothers who run the domaine, ‘even if we have a hot and dry climate, you don’t have to make something violent or brutal.’

There are even similarities in the way both domaine’s work. Both use whole-bunch fermentation and shy away from new oak. Rather than rigorous extraction, both opt for gentle infusion. ‘Extraction is very important in northern areas,’ says Sébastien, such as Burgundy, ‘but we have lots of sun, so it’s not needed.’ His brother Benoît adds: ‘we work on concentration not in the cellar but in the vineyard.’

Ancient vineyards

Old vines help them to achieve this concentration; and by ‘old’ they mean between 60-120 years. They don’t know how far back their family roots go here in the Agly Valley, but ‘my grandfather used to talk about his grandfather in the vines,’ says Benoît. He’s the younger of the two brothers, enthusiastic and funny; Sébastien was a teacher before joining the estate, and still has a professorial presence.

They aim to have three ages of vines for each soil type: old vines, middle-aged, and young, as well as fallow areas for the land to recover. The domaine is certified organic, and they use biodynamic methods where practicable.

Depending on the cuvée, they’re happy to blend across vine age and varieties – but not soil type. ‘We can’t blend slate with limestone or clay,’ says Benoît, ‘because slate soil gives a different taste to clay and limestone.’

The wines

The cuvée Estaca – one of my wines of the year in 2023 – is pure Grenache planted on black marl. The Cinsault of cuvée Espurna is planted next to it. I have only once tasted French Cinsault this good – grown by Emmanuel Reynaud, part of the blend for Château de Fonsalette.

Les Mirandes is a herbal, mentholated Syrah of unusual pungency. Les Myrs is very old Carignan grown on slate. There are many fine examples of this underrated variety grown in Roussillon, and this one is particularly delicate and compelling.

As with Grenache, Carignan grapes come in three colours – noir, gris and blanc. La Truffière blanc is pure Carignan Gris, a grape the brothers love for its bright acidity. Clos des Escounils is a white made from all three colours of Grenache. Coste is a pure Macabeu, another Roussillon speciality, here producing a light, fresh and stony white.

One question that remains for me is this. Considering this is the hottest wine region in mainland France, how are the alcohols so mild? Whites range from 12% to 12.5%; reds from 12.5% to 13.5%. Sébastien says they’re not even the first to pick; as with Rayas, some mysteries remain.

Any comparison with the wines of Reynaud can only go so far; both he and the Danjou-Banessy brothers are firmly rooted in their own local cultures after all. But those seeking the finest expressions of Mediterranean grapes, especially Grenache, will find much to love in both.

10 fabulous wines from Domaine Danjou-Banessy:

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In just over a decade Momento, in South Africa’s boutique Bot River region, has added its name to the crowded but illustrious list of new Cape wine projects.

This rapid success is down to the passion and determination of the talented Marelise Niemann who founded the label in 2013.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of six new-release Momento wines

We meet at the start of the 2024 vintage. It’s late January and grapes are already arriving at the winery; the only problem is that Marelise is in London.

She is meant to be shopping, having extended her trip by a day to pick up gifts for her family. But instead of being on Regent Street she is on her phone, exchanging WhatsApp messages with her picking team in the Western Cape.

She seems energised by the adrenaline of the harvest and one thing quickly becomes clear: she has vineyards on the brain. It’s rather like talking to someone who is in love. All conversational roads lead to vineyards, grapes and farms, and doubly so when they feature Grenache.

Getting started

After studying winemaking at Stellenbosch University, Marelise’s first major post was as assistant winemaker from 2007 to 2014 at Beaumont Family Wines in Bot River, where she worked under second-generation owner Sebastian Beaumont.

‘I studied for four years, and then I had to unlearn all of that to become more creative again,’ Marelise says.

Starting with a new perspective was formative, and her early years at Beaumont shaped her later priorities.

‘Saz [Sebastian] farms like an absolute pro. He is a farmer more than a winemaker, which is the way it should be,’ she says.

Farming is also in Marelise’s blood. Her grandparents owned a dairy and vegetable farm in Grabouw in Elgin where she spent a lot of time as a child.

‘Even when I was older I went to the farm and developed a great love for agriculture during those days. Even though my grandfather was not farming grapes, he was the most important person getting me into farming in the first place.

‘During those years with Sebastian, I did harvests in France, Spain, Portugal, everywhere I could,’ she continues. However, it wasn’t a bottle of wine from an iconic domain that inspired Momento, but the vineyards of Priorat in Spain.

‘At Terroir Al Límit I really started connecting with Grenache. I started forming this relationship with Grenache.’

Finding the focus

Marelise bought her first Grenache grapes in 2011, after returning from Priorat. She managed to get in touch with a grape farmer who had a Grenache vineyard with 50-year-old vines in Eendekuil, near Piekenierskloof in what was then the up-and-coming region of Swartland.

‘I ended up buying two tonnes with Donovan Rall [of Rall Wines in Swartland]. He picked it because he didn’t have a day job then.’

She smiles. ‘Our friend in Stellenbosch University secretly kept it in the cold room overnight. I took Sebastian’s bakkie [pickup truck] the next morning at 4am and drove to the university and collected the grapes, all secretly.’

‘I made it at Beaumont and when I bottled it the next year, I thought, yes, I’m gonna start a project and I’m gonna call it Momento. I phoned the farmer and he said, “Sorry – I’ve just ripped out the vineyard”.’

Marelise was undeterred. ‘It was sad, but it made me focus on getting to know the different Grenaches of South Africa. It also gave me a real urgency to make sure people know that Momento is a long-term project.’

After the loss of the original vineyard for her 2011 harvest, the close-knit Cape winemaking community was there to support Marelise’s vision of site-driven Grenache – even though, in 2011, it was largely a blending grape used to bulk out inexpensive wines.

‘I went through a few phases of different grapes, and Grenache was the one that always just kept coming back to me.’

Momento: At a glance

Founded 2013 (with 2011 vintage)

Owner Marelise Niemann

Winery Anysbos, Bot River since 2019 (formerly made at Beaumont until 2014, and Gabrielskloof from 2015 to 2018)

Bottles 25,000 a year on average

Vineyards Parcels from 12ha to 15ha on contract from 10 farms

Varieties Chenin Blanc, Verdelho, Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Noir, Tinta Barocca

New projects Three new site-specific Grenache Noir bottlings launching in 2024, from sandstone, schist and shale soils.

The way forward

In 2014, with the help of celebrated Cape viticulturalist Rosa Kruger (winner of the 2022 Decanter Hall of Fame award), she was able to access a new source of Grenache.

The plot is next door to Raaigras, the oldest Grenache vineyard in the Cape, currently in the hands of Adi Badenhorst, founder of AA Badenhorst in Swartland. ‘This is an older clone, thick-skinned, light-coloured. It’s got beautiful tannins,’ Marelise remarks.

But, she notes, Grenache is not an easy variety to work with. ‘People see a Grenache vineyard and it’s hardy, it’s well adapted, it can take sun, it can take heat, it can take dry conditions. But once the grapes are picked, it is the complete opposite. Once you pick the grapes, it is not so hardcore – then, it’s very sensitive.’

Despite her romance with Grenache, in those early years Marelise developed a parallel enthusiasm for Portuguese varieties, initially kindled with Sebastian Beaumont.

In 2013 she released two new wines. One was a Chenin Blanc with a considerable proportion of Verdelho in the blend. The other, a red made from Tinta Barocca, an old Portuguese variety from the Douro originally brought to the Cape for Port-style fortified wines. The white wine remains Marelise’s best seller.

In 2017 she was able to acquire a parcel of Grenache Gris, and in 2019 a plot of Grenache Blanc followed, completing the trinity. The Grenache Gris is a scant four rows within a larger vineyard, the only one in the Cape, and Marelise often does four or five laborious picks.

‘People probably think I’m nuts,’ she admits.

The Grenache Blanc started as a single vineyard on granite, with two new additions from 2022, also on granite, to increase production.

Next steps

The direction of travel for Momento is clear. ‘I love my Chenin and Verdelho,’ Marelise says, ‘but my main focus is Grenache. I can see myself in 10 years only making Grenache.

‘I believe in focusing and learning and getting to know certain varieties that you love and not multi-tasking. I’m excited about Grenache and I’m excited about the future of the grape for South Africa because it’s becoming even more hot and dry.’

Marelise will add three new expressions of Grenache Noir to her range, starting with the 2022 vintage, released this year. ‘I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but the time was not right. First I had to get people to drink Grenache! Now they’re drinking it, I can show them the next phase.’

She emphasises that it isn’t about promoting single vineyards, although her commitment to finding and bottling the fruit of old, distinctive sites is a thread that runs through our time together.

The new releases will showcase sandstone (Piekenierskloof in Olifants River), schist (Riebeekberg in Swartland) and shale (Bot River), while her current Grenache from granite soils in Swartland will be renamed Paardeberg to fit within the range.

There is no doubt Marelise thinks Grenache is a pragmatic variety to champion in climate change-inflected South Africa. But it’s far from a calculated angle. Hers is a practical love, a farmer’s pleasure in the well-crafted tool, the beautiful implement.

‘I’d love to buy parcels of Grenache and then farm them, own them, work with them, invest in them, and obviously plant. If I have any money to invest, it will be in vineyards and not in an estate. I just love Grenache. I love working with it,’ Marelise laughs. ‘I love making it, I love drinking it.’

Momento: six new releases

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As I drove into a small hamlet just north of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, I wondered which building was Château Mont-Redon. It quickly became clear that the hamlet was Château Mont-Redon.

The average Châteauneuf estate has 10 hectares of vines and a small, functional winery. Mont-Redon has its own petrol station and full-time mechanic to service its fleet of tractors. It’s big enough to have a library of older vintages going back decades. I paid a visit to find out if its reputation for exceptionally long-lived wines is merited.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 28 wines tasted across six decades

A Châteauneuf whale

I toured the grounds with the current owner, Pierre Fabre. There are 40 permanent staff, and they can house a further 60 seasonal workers here. ‘It’s a small town,’ said Fabre, ‘the only things we don’t have are a church and a bakery!’

The Fabre family celebrated 100 years at Mont-Redon last year, but the estate’s roots go back much further. In 1344, these vineyards were owned and farmed by the church. They were later purchased by Provençal poet Anselme Mathieu (1828-1895), and, after the area was devastated by phylloxera, the estate was bought by Fabre’s great-grandfather Henri Plantin in 1923.

When Plantin bought the estate, the vineyard area had dwindled to just 2.5ha. Today, Mont-Redon is the second-largest estate in the appellation with 95.7ha of vines (the largest is Vignobles Quiot with 98ha; the third is Vignobles Brunier with 95.6ha).

A monumental block

Fabre and I climbed to the top of a viewing platform at the edge of the winery. We surveyed a vast regiment of woody vines standing to attention on an endless sea of parchment-coloured stones.

For a large Châteauneuf estate, to own one continuous block of vines is rare; most have small parcels dotted all over. Fabre says it’s easier to cultivate like this, but if there’s a localised hailstorm your whole harvest can be wiped out in an instant. ‘What would be less good,’ he says, ‘is having one block with all the same soil.’

The view behind us stretches across bleached limestone and yellow sands interspersed with woodland. The estate’s Châteauneuf is a blend of all three soils.

Most of the appellation’s permitted grapes are grown here, with 60% of the land planted with Grenache, and an unusually high proportion of Syrah, at 31%. Fabre finds it performs well on the sandier soils, giving fresh aromatics, red fruit flavours and soft but grippy tannins. He also grows Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Muscardin. Experiments with Vaccarèse have been promising, but he finds Counoise too dilute.

A more successful experiment has been with the ‘Bakus’ driverless electric tractors, made by French company Vitibot. Fabre says Mont-Redon is the first estate in the Rhône to use them, and that they complete tasks twice as fast as those with drivers.

Château Mont-Redon’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape:

Grapes: A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Counoise, Muscardin, Vaccarèse

Soils: Galets roulés, sand and limestone

Harvest: Hand-picked and sorted, all destemmed

Winemaking: Natural yeasts used where alcohol levels allow. Punching down at the start of fermentation only.

Ageing: Matured 50% in stainless steel tank, 35% in 228-litre barrels (one quarter new) and 15% in large old foudres for about 12 months. Further 6 months maturation after bottling

Production: Average production between 200,000 and 220,000 bottles

Any lots that aren’t satisfactory after tasting are sold in bulk

An extensive tasting

The tasting started with some recent vintages of Domaine Oratoire St Martin, a leading Cairanne estate which was bought in 2020. As if that wasn’t enough, the Fabre family also bought Domaine du Joncier in Lirac in 2021. Both estates are certified biodynamic – will Mont-Redon follow suit? ‘The boat is too big to turn quickly,’ says Fabre, but organic would be a good first step, and they are not far off.

The first five vintages of Mont-Redon’s ‘Le Plateau’, a new top-tier cuvée first produced in 2016, were also brought out to try. It’s a blend of Grenache and Syrah taken exclusively from old vines grown on a field of galets roulés. These are immensely powerful wines that will be very long lived, but it’s currently hard to see past the robust new oak influence – I look forward to tasting them again when they’re ready.

‘We have absolute faith in the longevity of our wines,’ says Fabre as we embark upon a tasting of 18 vintages of his classic Châteauneuf, from 2022 back to 1961.

Click here for more wines from the Château Mont-Redon stable

Arc of maturity

When young, the wines can show some oak influence and they take time to take shape, sometimes lacking harmony or appearing disjointed. A typical vintage starts drinking well around seven years old; powerful vintages take three to four years longer.

Mont-Redon isn’t an overtly ripe Châteauneuf; it’s relatively lean, dry and tense. It isn’t the most concentrated expression, but that doesn’t mean it’s one for early drinking. On the contrary, this athletic shape gives it staying power.

It doesn’t excel every year. Lesser vintages like 2018 and 2011 were considerably weaker than the highly impressive 2020 and 2010. The surprise of the tasting was the 2013, which was remarkably fresh, pure and well balanced. Given its affordable price tag, buying in top years with long ageing in mind is a smart move.

At around 20 years old the wines start to take on real complexity, with layers of game and chestnut over strawberry and plum fruits. As the wines approach 30 years old, the gaminess subsides to reveal notes of menthol, wet earth and mushroom. Around 40 years old, aromas of smoke and black olive come to the fore. At 50, orange peel and dried rose petal notes emerge. The oldest wines we tasted, from the 1960s, were still fascinating and delicious, with the oldest displaying balsamic notes, madeirised touches, soy and meat stock.

Though the staying power of southern Rhône wines is often underestimated, Châteauneuf has an incredible life force. Along with its physical scale, it’s the longevity of its wines that give this appellation such grandeur. To cover hectares is impressive, but to straddle decades is altogether more profound.

Tasting notes and score for 28 wines tasted across six decades:

Wines are ranked from youngest to oldest

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With a degree in Systemic Botany from CalPoly San Luis Obispo, Justin Smith, a Paso Robles local, didn’t receive many job offers after graduation. Smith and his friends enjoyed working summers in the James Berry Vineyard owned by his parents, and along the way, Smith realised that growing grapes had a lot in common with his love of plants.

‘It was a lot of hard work growing up on the farm. I was ready to go out in the world and do something else, but I still loved growing plants,’ he says. Without a job, Smith returned to manage the family vineyard and decided he wanted to make wine.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 10 Saxum wines

Paso pioneers

Smith and his parents, James Berry Smith and Terry Smith, moved from Encinitas, California, in San Diego County to Paso Robles when he was 10 years old. James Berry Smith, affectionately known as ‘Pebble’, was a veterinarian who wanted a change of pace. In 1981, he and Terry bought land in Paso Robles, planted 13 hectares of mostly Chardonnay, and sold all of the fruit, much of it to Fetzer, where he also managed grower relations.

John Alban of Alban Vineyards in Edna Valley, a pioneer of the Rhône movement, convinced James Smith to graft over some of the Chardonnay to Mataro and Viognier in 1988. Around the same time, Wild Horse Winery, another of his clients, asked him to plant Syrah, which led to an increased focus on Rhône varieties.

James Smith sold off almost all the fruit and never made wine commercially save for a couple of barrels a year he kept for himself, a practise he exposed son Justin to and which laid his winemaking foundation as opposed to any formal training.

In 1997, Justin Smith and his college roommate, Matt Trevisan, started a brand called ‘Linne Calodo’.

The wine was made in the Wild Horse Winery cellar where Trevisan worked at the time, and the pair were given the run of the place between midnight and 5am. Smith left the brand in 2002 to build Saxum Vineyards.

Latin for ‘stone’, Saxum refers to both the rocky, stony sites in the vineyard and the fact that ‘Stone’ was a family name on his father’s side, hence the nickname Pebble.

In starting Saxum Vineyards, Justin Smith kept back some Syrah he had already made from the Bone Rock Syrah block of the James Berry site. He built a small ‘winery’ on the property – no more than a garage with floor drains.

In this garage, Saxum Vineyards was born. The strategy was to grow slowly and stay small. As contracts expired with other wineries, he’d keep more fruit for himself and slowly grow Saxum’s production.

Saxum Vineyards at a glance

Founded: 2000

Owner: Justin & Heather Smith

Annual production: 8,000-10,000 cases (12 bottle cases)

Total hectares planted to vines:

27ha planted in total (breakdown below)

17ha James Berry Vineyard

4ha Old Creek Vineyard

6ha V2 Vineyard

Appellations: Paso Robles AVA – Willow Creek District, San Luis Obispo Coast AVA, and York Mountain AVA

Estate vineyards: James Berry Vineyard 1981-present, Old Creek Vineyard 2017-present, V2 Vineyard 2022-present

Key wine varieties: Syrah, Grenache, Mataro

Winemaker: Justin Smith 2000-present

The James Berry Vineyard

Located in the Willow Creek District, the James Berry Vineyard is responsible for nearly half of Saxum’s production, including the James Berry White and the James Berry Red, plus two block designates: ‘Bone Rock Block’ and ‘Rocket Block’.

The Bone Rock Block, primarily planted with Syrah, is named after the whale fossil rocks in the vineyard. Rocket Block is their favourite Grenache block. ‘Seeing all the hard work that went into growing Paso grapes and seeing them sold off and put in with bigger California blends’ was challenging for Smith, who watched the region’s quality potential disappear. Growing quality Paso grapes and making quality Paso Robles wines became the goal.

The James Berry Vineyard is not yet certified but is farmed organically and with regenerative farming practices. In 1983, the vineyard saw the most rain it had ever experienced. James Smith consulted with the California Department of Conservation about protecting the hillside vines from such high rainfall in future.

They suggested using no-till cover crops and the vineyard has been no-till for over 40 years. In this high rainfall, high elevation sub-district, watering needs are minimal, if at all.

Though Paso is warm, the west side of Willow Creek District does not get as hot as east Paso. High-pH soils plus cool nights preserve acidity, so no acidification is used in their winemaking. Compost produced on site is the only nutrient used on the vines.

While James Berry Vineyard is the pinnacle for Saxum Vineyards, Justin Smith also sources high-quality fruit from noteworthy local vineyards such as G2, Heart Stone, Paderewski and 4hearts.

Smith is heavily involved in farming these vineyards in a more collaborative style. Having worked with Smith since the beginning of his vineyard career, Bill Gibbs, vineyard owner and manager, says: ‘I’m grateful for his influence on the success of my vineyards Heart Stone and G2. I couldn’t have done it without him.’

Winemaking philosophy

As a young winemaker, Smith’s wines were, in his own words: ‘Boisterous, big, extracted, and in your face, but the quality of the grapes shone through.’ Along the way, he’s fine-tuned things and backed off on extraction. At one point, he admits he backed off too much, and things were too lean. ‘Now I realise there’s a happy middle ground,’ he says.

Though ripe, rich, and higher in alcohol, the purity of Saxum’s wines comes through in the simple winemaking technique used for most of the wines – three weeks in a stainless steel tank or concrete vessel with no crushing and varying degrees of whole-cluster.

Not quite a cold soak, but it’s four days on average before fermentation starts, with no enzymes or acid added. When the tank ferments to dryness, they gently press it off with an old basket press into barrels to age for two to three years. The only ingredients in a bottle of Saxum wine are grapes, yeast, and minimal SO2 at bottling.

Expanding the estate

Early on, critical acclaim and high scores resulted in low market availability for Saxum’s wines. The 2007 James Berry Vineyard Red was the first wine to score 100-points from a major wine publication. Now, the wines are highly allocated and available by mailing list only, with a highly over-subscribed waiting list. There is no official tasting room, and the opportunity to taste at the property is rare.

Two new vineyards will increase Saxum’s estate wine offerings enough to become an ‘estate only’ winery shortly. Six kilometres from the Pacific and with a striking view of the California coastline is the 4.5ha Old Creek Vineyard in the San Luis Obispo Coast AVA.

Dedicated to Syrah, the vineyard will have a single bottling, with the first release coming later this year. The Syrah is the old Estrella clone, the same selection on the Bone Rock Block at James Berry. It is California’s ‘heritage’ massal selection Syrah of suitcase cuttings taken from Chapoutier in Hermitage.

The vines are own-rooted, high-density plantings on a gentle northeast-facing slope, away from the coast, protecting it from the hot sun. The San Luis Obispo Coast AVA is cooler than Paso, allowing the fruit to hang well into November (the first harvest for this vineyard was 14 November of last year), with good acid retention. The soils at Old Creek derive from the Monterey Formation and include fractured calcareous shales, sandstone, and limestone, the same soils found at James Berry.

York Mountain is home to Saxum’s newest estate vineyard. With 93ha of primarily steep and wooded land, the V2 Vineyard is two kilometres (as the crow flies) from the James Berry Vineyard. Topping out at 609m of elevation, the property boasts 6ha planted predominantly with Grenache, with some Mataro, Zinfandel, and various whites. York Mountain is a separate AVA within San Luis Obispo County that abuts the western edge of Paso Robles.

Established in 1983 and one of the smallest AVAs in California at 2,600ha, it is cooler, wetter, and foggier than the AVAs of Paso because the Santa Lucia Range does not protect it as much from oceanic influences.

York Mountain soils are well-draining, heat-retaining sandstone rather than limestone, a good combination for this cool and wet area, which boasts 30 – 50% more rainfall than Paso. The V2 Vineyard soils are predominantly fractured sandstone, including scallop and oyster shells from the ancient seabed, pushed up from tectonic activity and now broken down into sand.

Saxum’s next-generation

Justin’s son Colin is taking the helm of the York Mountain property. As the assistant winemaker, his father is his primary teacher in the cellar just like his father was to him – three generations of self-taught winemakers – and not a wine degree in sight.

Colin spent time at Stirm Wine Co. in Santa Cruz and Beaux Frères in the Willamette Valley in Oregon before his boomerang journey back home to Paso.

Over 20 years ago, Justin, ‘started with the intention that world-class wine can come from Paso.’ This goal has been achieved with Saxum’s success and slow, intentional growth.

10 wines from Saxum Vineyards

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Grenache, in the hands of McLaren Vale’s most astute producers, can be the most supple and beguiling of grape varieties. It all depends on the age of the vines and the complexity of the vineyard sites – and McLaren Vale has both in abundance.

The best Grenache vineyards, mostly dry-grown bush vines up to 120 years old, have arguably become Australia’s take on grand cru: rare, idiosyncratic and expressive vines on exemplary sites. And the results from the 67 samples submitted to Decanter by 30 invited producers for this elite regional tasting did not disappoint. The top wines were extraordinary.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for the top 30 McLaren Vale Grenache wines

The secret is in the soils. Flanked by the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Gulf St Vincent, this coastal region’s geology is hugely complex, a fact underlined by the map of its geology, first produced in 2008 (see mclarenvalewine.au). Indeed, the McLaren Vale Grape Wine & Tourism Association states that ‘more than 40 unique geologies are present’ – placing it among the world’s most geologically diverse wine regions – although the 7,375ha of vineyards are planted on only about half of that number. Among the wide range of soil types are some more than 500 million years old.

Single-site surge

McLaren Vale’s geological complexity, and the resulting diversity in wine flavour profiles, has prompted a surge in the number of single-site Grenaches produced in recent years. It has also triggered a tussle among boutique producers to procure the best fruit – especially that from two renowned family-owned sites: the Smart vineyard in Clarendon, first planted in 1922, and the Trott vineyard in Blewitt Springs, which dates back to 1952. Between them, they boast 10 single-site wines from eight different producers.

‘Different sites produce wines of significant difference, and we strive to capture that in the glass,’ says Aphelion owner-winemaker Rob Mack, who produces six varietal Grenache wines from across the region, as well as Grenache-led red blends and a Grenache Blanc.

The single-vineyard focus began with d’Arenberg’s Chester Osborn, who released three single-vineyard Grenache wines from the 2002 vintage, to demonstrate the effect that different McLaren Vale soil types have on vines and the resulting wine personalities.

Common ground

Many producers have expanded on that idea, including Bondar, SC Pannell and Willunga 100. In Thistledown’s seven pure-Grenache wines, winemaker Giles Cooke MW focuses on acidity, light-bodied fruit and sculptured palate texture.

‘I want to find common ground between Grenache’s fruit personality and mineral influence that speaks of site more than winemaking artifice,’ he says. ‘The trick is to be generous without sacrificing terroir definition.’

A raft of winemakers are finding their own answers to this tricky equation, dialling down alcohol and easing away from overt oak to allow the McLaren Vale Grenache fruit to shine.

Grenache can ride a perilous journey. An early-budding variety, it can be vulnerable to spring frosts and is also prone to coulure, which causes irregular flowering and fruit set, and can reduce yields. In 2023, cool, wet, windy and cloudy weather adversely affected fruit set across the region.

Rhône-style blends emerging

Another exciting chapter of McLaren Vale’s Grenache story is just emerging – in distinctive red blends. Wineries such as Chalk Hill, Hither & Yon and Samuel’s Gorge are removing the Shiraz, and sometimes also the Mataro (aka Mourvèdre) from the southern Rhône-style SGM and GSM blends.

This gives Grenache more space to shine as the dominant flavour, with Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional and Graciano stepping in to provide an inspired new take on a traditional style.

But that’s all another story. For now, if you haven’t already, it’s time to discover premium McLaren Vale Grenache.

David Sly’s top 30 McLaren Vale Grenache wines

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Ronan Sayburn MS, Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW and Ben Gubbins tasted 48 wines, with 21 highly recommended and 26 recommended.

Washington GSM: Panel tasting scores

48 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 0

Highly recommended 21

Recommended 25

Commended 2

Fair 0

Poor 0

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit their latest-release, blended red wines made using Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, either entirely or predominantly, from any Washington State AVA region.

A GSM blend is often associated with the Southern Rhône, especially Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where most of the blend is commonly Grenache, with some Syrah and Mourvèdre.

In Washington State, in the US northwest, the proportion of the most dominant variety in the blend is often not more than 50%, and it’s not always primarily Grenache. 

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Washington GSM panel tasting

Some wines in this tasting were led by Syrah (14) or even Mourvèdre (nine). So, as Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW commented, styles may be more like you’d find in a Languedoc blend (including a handful that had small percentages of other blending varieties in the mix, such as Cinsault, Carignan or Counoise).

The flavours here are very different from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with the warm roadkill and spice flavours replaced by sweet blueberry, black kirsch cherry, blackberry and dark chocolate and coffee oak flavours, a liquid form of black forest gateau.

The vineyards in Washington lie on the eastern side of the Cascade mountains (except for a very few in the Puget Sound and Columbia Gorge, which also spills across into Oregon), largely protecting them from the wet weather from the direction of Seattle.

Whereas Pinot Noir in Oregon enjoys a cool north Pacific influence, Washington vineyards are arid, enjoying hot days and cool nights.

This diurnal shift in temperature works the vines to produce complexity in their grapes. Hot summers, during which irrigation is needed, are followed by sub-zero winters that can cause frost damage to the vines.

See notes and scores for all the Washington GSM panel tasting wines

While it was disappointing not to have any wines rated as Outstanding, three came close on 94-points – a ‘high silver’ in terms of medal equivalents – and in all, 43% of the wines tasted received a Highly Recommended score of 90-94pts, which shows a very high level of good wines and winemaking skill.

There was undoubtedly consistency in quality, commented Ben Gubbins, and stylistic diversity. We encountered no wines with cork taint, some with (acceptable) Brettanomyces and only one oxidised wine, so the wines were well made across the board.

Alcohol mostly topped 14%, but it was integrated into the generous fruit. Evidence of winemaking innovations such as large or neutral oak formats, amphorae and concrete eggs showed the use of progressive production techniques.

Gubbins noted that it was refreshing to see producers carving out their own style and not attempting to emulate the Rhône, or Barossa Valley in South Australia – another area well known for GSM blends.

And Cherutti-Kowal also commented on the regional character on show, with Yakima Valley and Red Mountain particularly strong among the higher scorers.

Washington GSM: Panel tasting scores

The judges

Ronan Sayburn MS is CEO of the Court of Master Sommeliers European chapter and runs his own consultancy and wine training company, RS Wine Academy. A previous winner of the UK Sommelier of the Year competition, he is also one of four DWWA Co-Chairs.

Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW is a widely published wine writer, consultant, educator and WSET lecturer. She is a regular judge and contributor for Decanter, and from this year is the DWWA Regional Chair for Tuscany.

Ben Gubbins is general manager and WSET wine educator at Vagabond Wines in London. A native of Chile, he previously worked as UK & Europe sales director for Dos Andes Wines before joining Vagabond in 2013.

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‘We’re not in the habit of tasting old vintages of Corbières,’ says Louis Fabre, who founded his Languedoc estate in 1982 and, until 2020, oversaw the five domaines which form the Famille Fabre portfolio.

The reason he’s not in this habit, though, is more to do with the culture of wine he’s been brought up in, rather than the ageability of the wines. ‘We’re in a region where we think our wines don’t age well, that they have to be drunk quickly,’ he says. ‘But it’s all in our heads and even I sometimes struggle to think otherwise.’

The arrival of the next generation, in particular Louis’ daughter Clémence and her husband Louis-Jacques Ramin, who took over the running of the family portfolio in 2020, is changing that.

Louis-Jacques, who comes from a finance culture, doesn’t have that ‘psychological glass ceiling’, says Louis. So the time had come to taste through 30 years of history, culture and change, through the lens of the new generation.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 20 vintages of Château Fabre Gasparets

A cuvée, not a château

Château Fabre Gasparets is the most iconic wine in the Famille Fabre portfolio – but don’t go looking to drop by the cellar door.

‘The actual château was sold about 15 years ago,’ says Clémence. ‘My father made some very audacious decisions, such as converting to organics in the 1990s and agroforestry, and economically he was obliged to sell some of the buildings.’

Boutenac is the only official cru within the sprawling 8,079-hectare mass of the Corbières appellation in Languedoc. Covering 220ha, the Boutenac vineyards fan out around the pine-littered Massif du Pinada, which peaks at 273m.

The vines that contribute to the Château Fabre Gasparets cuvée are dotted across the northeast flank of this massif, nestled among the garrigue within the smaller peaks and troughs between the villages of Boutenac, Luc-sur-Orbeiu and Gasparets.

Château Fabre Gasparets: the wine

Grape varieties Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah

Winemaking Syrah and Mourvèdre are destemmed, with regular pump overs; Carignan is whole-bunch fermented

Ageing 12 months, part in French oak and part in concrete egg-shaped tanks

Life and vine intertwined

Château de Luc is another of the family’s five domaines, and the home in which Louis and his wife Claire brought up their family.

In the cellar, there is a chunk of stone. ‘It is a fragment of a sarcophagus that my parents found in the garden when they started work to restore this building,’ says Jeanne Fabre, Clémence’s sister, who runs the wine tourism operations at Famille Fabre and is also president of the organisation committee of Millésime Bio, the world’s largest organic wine fair.

‘Carved into it are depictions of vines, as well as the Alpha and Omega signs’. It dates back to the time of the Visigoths. ‘The history of the vine has always punctuated our architecture, our landscape and our economic life in the Languedoc.’

Jeanne also highlights a ledger of revenue and expenses dating to 1800 and belonging to a farmer – by the name of Fabre – in the village of Gasparets, where Château de Luc is located.

More than simply quaint historical anecdotes, it explains how the domaine and surrounding area were once dedicated to polyculture.

‘I exchanged a sheep skin for a tool at the Lézignan fair; I sold this many litres of olive oil; I harvested my wheat,’ Jeanne reads aloud from the ledger.

The landscape was much more varied, the economy more diversified. Crops were rotated and therefore soils were healthier and more alive than those farmed under the prolific monoculture of today’s wine production.

Famille Fabre: key facts

Earliest recorded family history 1605

Foundation of current company 1982, by Louis Fabre

Vineyard area 360ha

The domaines

Château Fabre Gasparets acquired in 1711 (Corbières Boutenac)

Château Coulon acquired in 1816 (Corbières)

Château de Luc acquired in 1870 (Corbières)

La Grande Courtade acquired in 1950 (IGP Pays d’Oc)

Tour de Rieux acquired in 2016 (Minervois)

‘Never will we manage to go back to the balance we once had,’ says Jeanne. ‘Today we are in the kingdom of monoculture.’ But now the family has embarked on a path of diversification, ‘to compensate for this lack of biodiversity’.

‘We see the land is in difficulty because of this monoculture. It’s now up to us to make decisions that are a bit radical, to quickly turn things around.’

Along with the family’s 360ha of vineyards, there are 80ha of fields filled with chickpeas, barley and wheat. André Fabre, the youngest of Louis and Claire’s children, has spearheaded an ambitious agroforestry plan, planting kilometres of hedges around the vineyards to increase biodiversity, as well as apple and quince trees (he’s a budding cidermaker, too).

Having founded his family company in 1982, Louis started converting his vineyards to organics in 1991. The new generation is forging ahead with a strong sustainability agenda.

Key dates

1953 Louis Fabre, current winemaker and owner, is born

1982 Louis Fabre creates the Fabre estate

1991 Organic conversion begins

1996 Bernard Rehs joins and remains oenologist for 27 years. André Fabré Jr is born

1998 Stephane Yerle joins, specialising in micro-oxygenation

2002 Collaboration with St-Emilion cooper Fombrauge stops. New barrels brought in, and part of Château Fabre Gasparets is aged in concrete tanks

2005 Boutenac cru is created

2011 Grenache removed from the blend to give more freshness and ageing potential

2012 First year all Famille Fabre wines are certified organic.

2015 The vintage served at Clémence and Louis-Jacques’ wedding; Clémence and sister Jeanne, the 16th generation, join the company

2020 Clémence and Louis-Jacques Ramin take over Famille Fabre

Tasting 20 vintages across three decades

The line up featured 20 vintages between 1994 and 2020. The idea was to see what changes in the climate, blend and winemaking methods have brought to the style of the wine over time.

The tasting was both a privilege and a stark reminder of the impact of ongoing climate chaos. This was perhaps most clearly observed in two areas. Firstly in the increasing alcohol levels:

1994-1999 12.5%

2002-2006 13.5%

2007-2014 14%

2015-2020 13.5%-14.5%

Secondly, the removal of Grenache from the blend from 2011. ‘Grenache can bring really jammy, pruney notes, but we wanted a wine that kept a lot of freshness. So from 2010 we started to reduce the Grenache in the blend,’ explains Clémence.

And, indeed, the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 showed bags of charm and approachability.

The removal of Grenache and an increase in Carignan has meant many more recent vintages balance their higher alcohols with Carignan’s fresh acidity. Syrah also used to be a more important component of the blend, but today it’s kept to 20% or less.

Vinification and ageing techniques have changed over time, too. In the early 1990s, carbonic maceration, little extraction and 100% ageing in old barrels was the norm. The late 1990s saw a change towards more extraction and Louis says this was when they started to work on the reaction between the wine and oxygen.

‘We realised Carignan needed to be worked a bit more: not too light in extraction and with a bit more oxygen,’ he says. This is also when the family started working with oenologist Stephane Yerle, who specialises in micro-oxygenation and organics, and makes his own wine at Vila Voltaire in St-Chinian. New oak was also introduced in the 2000s.

The wines from the first decade of the 2000s, although still delicious to drink, are bold and burly, with an overall feeling of extreme ripeness, dark chocolatey richness, char and toasty oak.

2017 was the first year that the Carignan was aged in small amphorae, and this particular vintage sings with vibrant fruit, unmarked by overt woody notes.

A key focus of the tasting was the levels of rainfall during each vintage, measured from October to October. Some of the exceptionally dry years (1998, 2002 and 2007), however, still show remarkable freshness. In fact some of my highest scoring wines came from very dry vintages. The effect of Boutenac’s deep stony soils, that allow the roots of the ancient Carignan vines to plunge deep in search of water, perhaps?

Best broached at least three years after release, Château Fabre Gasparets is an ageworthy wine and goes some way to put Boutenac in the much-deserved spotlight. The oak is still present in some vintages, but what linked these wines together was a seam of fine acidity aligned perfectly to bright, ripe fruit.

And as Louis says: ‘We’re working on making wines that are much more modern, are ready much earlier, and have much less power.’ They’ve clearly got a keen eye on the next generation of drinkers.

Château Fabre Gasparets: 20 vintages from 1994 to 2020

Wines are listed in order of vintage: oldest to youngest

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