Walls: Exploring Côtes du Rhône Villages Massif d’Uchaux

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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