Rasteau, Cairanne & Vinsobres 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

A tasting of six different barrel samples with winemaker Jérôme Bressy shows that all are distinctly different. He's now using 100% whole bunch. The overall...

Very dark in the glass. Wonderful aromas, brimming with garrigue herbs. Very full-bodied, with lovely fruit sweetness, so smooth and velvety. More thyme and bay...

Silky, velvety blackberry fruit that’s smooth on the palate, no blockages in ripening here it would seem, clearly some clay terroir. Deep and resonant, this...

A charmingly expressive, fresh style of Rasteau with well-defined blackberry and plum fruit, bright acidity and firm, muscular tannins. The finish is long and the...

Lovely smoky nose, burnt herbs and liquorice, then more thyme and ash on the palate. It’s fresh, with plenty of space in the wine, the...

Strawberry and blueberry characters on the nose here, it's a classic aromatic expression of Rasteau Grenache. Remarkably structured, this is really quite tannic. Alcohol is...

Bright, violet-scented style, very floral. Then super soft and silky on the palate with elegant tannins, good focus and definition. Tense, with a grippy finish...

Gorgeous smoky nose, with burnt herbs among the thick black fruit. Full-bodied and muscular palate profile, bold and rounded. There's some space in the wine...

Full of fruit, really dense, but satisfyingly fresh. The acidity is well balanced, as is the alcohol, and it ends on blackberry jam and liquorice....

There’s an attractive, lifted, floral side to the aromatics. Then very aromatic and fruity when in the mouth, they've really captured a gorgeously fresh profile...

A fresh, pure expression, perfectly ripe fruit with no excesses. Lovely brightness on the palate, with fine tannins, and a stony finish. Long, straight, pure...

Great density and freshness on the nose here, really concentrated with bright blackberry fruit. Robustly tannic, it will take time to soften, but there's good...

Great concentration of fruit, full of liquorice and blackberry. It’s dense, but there's good freshness here too, it has depth and length. Still painfully young....

Light and remarkably low in tannin for a 2022. There’s a delightful sense of lightness, elegance and drinkability. The tannins are fine, buried deep in...

Fresh plum, damson and menthol. Very smooth, very full but not massive, with fine tannins. Concentrated, silky and fresh, this will be delicious young, and...

Raisined fruit, fruitcake and prune on the nose with a hint of leaf tea. It’s exceptionally sweet and concentrated, with strong acidity and quite robust,...

Fresh, expressive and lively throughout the nose and palate, this is really bright and expressive. It's structured with big burly tannins, so give this some...

Tangy violets and elderberries on the nose, fresh and velvety on the palate. Lively, with a little volatile acidity lift. Expressive, vibrant and rambunctious, with...

Black olive and blueberry aromas lead to a soft, rounded palate that has some power, good weight of fruit and a long finish. It's all...

Detailed, fresh, slightly mentholated aromas. Soft, yielding and juicy on the palate, this is complex, with just-ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit, bay leaves and real...

Lovely aromatics of black olive and rosemary, then fresh blueberry, lavender and blackberry on the palate. All very well defined and layered, this has much...

Expressive, detailed, complex nose, layered with spices, herbs and berry fruits. Soft, juicy, approachable style that's not overly tannic like so many 2022 Cairannes. Well...

Darkly coloured. The oak is really quite marked still aromatically. Full-bodied, this has taken some silkiness and sweetness from the oak which helps to paper...

Dark, inky colour. The oak is quite dominating aromatically at this early stage, but it has great concentration and immensely smooth tannins. Dark chocolate, black...

Quite discreet aromatically, then punchy tannins come in on the intense attack, really quite leathery and tannic, with high acidity – this will take time....

Lovely light perfume and silky black cherry fruit, with blackberry accents. Brisk acidity and chiselled tannins. Concentrated but fluid, with ripe berry compote on the...

Fresh and spicy on the nose, there's some fluidity on the palate despite the robust tannins. It’s powerful and will need time to settle down....