Matt Walls’ most exciting Cairanne wines

When I asked Denis Alary of Domaine Alary why it took so long for Cairanne to decide to push for promotion from ‘AOC Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Cairanne’ to its own appellation of ‘AOC Cairanne’, he said ‘because in the minds of many winemakers, we were already a cru.’

It’s true that Cairanne had long been head and shoulders above the competition. But since being officially granted cru status in 2015 the standard has improved even further and now Cairanne is unquestionably the source of some of the best wines in the Southern Rhône – both its reds and its whites.To be promoted to the top tier, the winemakers of Cairanne had to work together to submit a proposal to the appellation authorities, and in the words of Romain Roche of Domaine Roche this communal work and tasting created a lot of ‘positive energy’. They learnt from each other and upped their game.

The final dossier included three ground-breaking clauses. Firstly, they committed to reducing herbicides. Secondly, they set an upper limit to sulphur additions. Thirdly, they banned machine harvesting. ‘The first is for the health of the vineyard,’ explained Alary. ‘The second is for the health of consumers… and the third is for quality, and for our landscape.’

See Walls’ pick of 30 exciting Cairanne wines here

Terroir

Cairanne and Rasteau share an extensive hummock of grey and blue marls and galets roulés that sits between two rivers, the Ouvèze and the Aygues. Cairanne occupies the western side of the hill, Rasteau the east.

Though hilly, the vineyards of both appellations largely face south, with the flat Plan de Dieu stretching out to the south-west at its base; follow it and you’ll eventually reach Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the Rhône River.

A hot, dry climate, water-retaining marls and freshening altitudes of up to 350m (high for the Southern Rhône) combine to create a particularly favourable environment for vines.

Grenache makes up around 60% of plantings, Syrah 20%, Carignan 10% and Mourvèdre 10%. Whites are in the minority – only 4% of production, but increasing – and are based mostly on Clairette, followed by Roussanne and Grenache Blanc.

Style

Cairanne occupies something of a stylistic sweet spot in the Southern Rhône. Whereas Rasteau is powerful and bass-driven with an inner sweet ripeness to its dark fruits, Cairanne tends to be more vibrant and lighter on its feet. It may lack the thunder and ageability of Châteauneuf, but the wines are often more drinkable. Its tannins are rounder than Plan de Dieu, its fruit fresher.

Ripe Grenache-based wines from the Southern Rhône will always have a generosity of fruit and broad, flowing texture, but the best Cairannes combine this with their characteristic elegance.

Tasting

This summer I paid a visit to Cairanne for a blind tasting of 80 wines, from 2015 to 2018. It’s no surprise that many of the most impressive bottles came from estates with a solid track record of making excellent wines: Domaine Richaud, Domaine Alary, Domaine les Hautes Cances, Domaine de l’Oratoire Saint Martin and Domaine des Amadieu.

But it also revealed the quality of some new and less renowned domaines. Domaine les Chemins de Sève was only established in 2013 and is already making excellent wines in both colours. Both Domaine le Renard’s cuvées showed well, and the resurgent Cave de Cairanne’s sans souffre (no added sulphur) bottling was remarkably successful.

The 2016s, a superlative vintage in the Southern Rhône, are particularly successful and harmonious. The 2017s aren’t far off in quality, typically more tannic than the 2016s, with darker fruit profiles. There weren’t many from the hot 2015 vintage, but I was surprised how much I liked them. Though some were overripe, others had real depth and complexity – but they won’t develop for as long as the 2016s and 2017s. The few 2018s I tasted were lighter in style – some a little weedy, some enjoyably drinkable. I’ll be reporting on this vintage in detail towards the end of the year.

The wines of Cairanne have long been a smart buy, but the process of reaching for cru status has pushed quality up even higher. Prices however remain remarkably reasonable; even the best rarely break the £25 mark, making them among the best value wines in the Rhône.

Cairanne Key Facts:

Birth of the appellation: 2015

Total potential surface area: 1088ha

Total surface in organic viticulture: approximately 25%

2018 vintage production: 23,020hl

2018 average yield: 27hl/ha (maximum yield for reds is 38hl/ha)

Colours: 96% red, 4% white

Number of co-ops: 5

Number of private domaines: 53

Reds: Must contain 40% Grenache and either Syrah or Mourvèdre (or both); 16 other local varieties also permitted in small quantities.

Whites: Must contain at least two of the following: Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne (and at least 20% of any that are used). May also contain small amounts of Bourboulenc, Marsanne, Piquepoul Blanc or Viognier.

Matt Walls’ exciting Cairanne wines from recent vintages:

Below are the top 16 wines tasted, scoring 92 points and above. See Walls’ pick of 30 exciting Cairanne wines here.

See also:

Best Rhône 2016 wines

Best Rhône 2017 wines