Our expert’s top 25 Côtes du Rhône 2024 wines

Beautiful ripe fruitiness, with Victoria plum and damson notes. Lovely juicy fruit on the palate – it’s very ripe, but has good balance, with marked acidity and silky tannins. Remarkable length and quality for a generic Côtes du Rhône. Around 10,000 bottles produced.

Fresh and pure with notes of liquorice and violets. There’s some reduction giving it a violet note but it blows off to reveal black cherry – it’s not as grilled and smoky as some previous, bigger vintages. Only medium-bodied this year, fresh and drinkable. Balanced acidity and alcohol. Great purity and drinkability.

Immediately impressive nose that bursts forth with olive, bay leaf, thyme and berry fruits. Full-bodied, fresh, detailed palate with lovely acidity running through it. Tasted blind, and this is clearly an exceptional Côtes du Rhône from very good terroir. Grown on galets roulés and sand, all destemmed.

Floral with exuberant and detailed fruits: plum, raspberry, strawberry. A dusting of Provençal herbs over the top. Medium-bodied, this has fine, grippy tannins and more silky red fruits on the palate. It has definition, delicacy and grace. The grapes were hand-harvested, destemmed and co-fermented.

Very full-bodied and concentrated for a Côtes du Rhône. Really mouthcoating, with intense acidity and drive. Packs an impressive tannic load that's ripe and dense. Finishes very long. Remarkably ripe for a 2024 Côtes du Rhône. Clay limestone soils, all fermented and aged in stainless steel.

This has a compelling, complex nose already, the different varieties all playing their part – layers of black and red fruit with appealing spice notes. Fairly full-bodied, no lack of concentration and some bright acidity all add up to an impressive, refreshing Côtes du Rhône with several years of staying power. No winemaking additions, no fining, no filtration, no oak.

Blackberries and plum skins, a dark display, ripe but not jammy. This is concentrated, with a strong tannic base. It's full-bodied, quite solid and muscular with a long finish. You really sense the Mourvèdre here, it's an ambitious style of Côtes du Rhône. Leave for a year to harmonise, then it will last for some time and improve in bottle. Destemmed, partial oak ageing.

Raspberry and pomegranate, quite a fresh but not overtly complex style. Grippy tannins and a direct beam of acidity running through it. Very drinkable, and the acidity makes it more enlivening than a typical vintage. Slim, fresh and direct this year. Also contains 10% Cinsault.

Brambly fruit with some woodland aromas, a touch of earth and cracked wood. Plenty of fruit, medium- to full-bodied, this has good concentration and a lovely sense of freshness. Impressive length too. A very good Côtes du Rhône that's not just about fruit, there's some terroir here. Destemmed.

A bit reductive, so decant this. It has an appealingly smooth, satin texture on the palate, with vibrant raspberryish acidity and a mineral touch that adds depth and interest. Remarkably long, pure and well balanced. Defined, precise and well judged. Stony clay limestone soils, all destemmed.

A natural-leaning style that’s saline, sapid and grippy, with juicy acidity. There’s a lovely notes of hibiscus, pomegranate and raspberry. Light-bodied, with good acidity and crunchy fruit, this really is fresh, clean and straight. Just 12.5% alcohol, would be good lightly chilled. Grown at high altitude on ancient clay limestone Trias soils; no winemaking additions, no fining, no filtration.

Medium- to full-bodied, this has real intensity on the palate, the dark fruits interwoven with subtle incense and sandalwood notes. It builds on the palate, it's generous and unmistakably southern Rhône. Good now, and will last and improve for several years. Drinkable, well balanced, made with care. Hand harvested, destemmed to 80%, grown near the Plan de Dieu.

Pure, cooling red berry fruit, raspberry, wild strawberry. Expressive and defined flavours, very fresh and clear thanks to precise ripeness and good acidity. Has length and some personality – drinkable and refreshing. This has finesse. Grown on sand and clay limestone soils.

Lovely nose that's complex already, with wood smoke, roasted meat and peppery herbs. With a fine and silky palate, only medium-bodied, with good acidity and focus. There’s a balsamic note on the finish, and it’s slightly drying, with a subtle farmyard tang. But nonetheless it’s detailed, drinkable and enjoyable; drink young. Grapes are hand harvested, no destemming.

Detailed herbal nose, with black cherry fruits. There are some punchy tannins, and a lovely sense of freshness from its good acidity and length. Not the most refined, but has lots to enjoy. Vines are 20 years old on average. Aged in barrel for 12 months, but no overt aromatic oak influence.

Fresh and bright raspberry and plum aromas, fairly light in body but fresh and smashable. A refreshing style that is vibrant and juicy. A good option if you're looking for a lighter, red-fruited style. Hand harvested, biodynamic.

This is delicious – so exuberantly fruity on the nose and palate. The alcohol is quite warming, but it's tempered by the bright acidity. A big juicy beast of a wine, if you're looking for big impact and potency at a low price, this is a good choice. From a 34ha parcel of vines three metres from the northern appellation boundary of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Raspberry characters lead to a fine and juicy palate that has good structure, the tannins are quite firm and grippy and the acidity is bright and zingy. Long finish. Offers some juicy, enjoyable, enlivening drinking. Has good energy and vibrancy.

Impressively open, ripe and exuberant for a 2024 Côtes du Rhône, this has lovely ripe plum, damson and blackberry aromas. Full-bodied, rich and mouthcoating. Good acidity and freshness. Amazing bang for your buck, surely this can't be a simple Côtes du Rhône! Tastes more like a Vacqueyras. The tannins are slightly grainy, but this is still a very good wine. Vinified without sulphur, no filtration, all destemmed.