Walls: Exploring Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret

Lovely blackcurrant note on the nose, unusual for Grenache, with some well-integrated oak spice. Full-bodied, juicy, succulent, with lovely driving acidity and tense, crunchy tannins. A wine that has really used the vintage to its advantage; pure Grenache can be overly alcoholic and soft in hot vintages, but in cooler ones like this it has the necessary structure to hold the fruit together. The oak becomes more noticeable with air (it's aged in demi-muids for 18 months) but should be very good in time. 15.5% alcohol, but it holds it remarkably well. Grown on grey sandstone soils on steep slopes at 350m above sea level. In conversion to biodynamics.

A very interesting, complex nose; it's quite animal in fact, with gamey and smoky notes. Powerful, full-bodied, intense and concentrated, this has tons of impact and force. The alcohol is quite high, which is unavoidable for a wine of this concentration and ripeness. But the payoff is great depth, complexity and grandeur. Matured for one year, 60% in large oak containers and 40% in concrete vats. In conversion to biodynamics.

Full-bodied, but juicy with brisk, vibrant acidity. Remarkably fresh, with subtle violet hints to the blackberry fruit. A tense and upright style, as is common for the vintage. Enjoyably thirst quenching despite its power, for now; it will gain interest in time, and could be very long lived. 14.5% alcohol and doesn't feel unbalanced. Aged for one year, 60% in wooden vats and 40% in concrete vats. In conversion to biodynamics.

Smoky graphite notes on the nose. Good freshness and purity on the palate with brisk acidity and fine, ripe tannins. This has played the rather chilly vintage well, resulting in a wine with tension, freshness and drinkability, but not at the cost of ripeness and terroir expression. Very successful for the vintage. Fairly young vines grown high in the Montagne, low yields, no additions apart from a small dose of sulphites. In conversion to organics.

Very pure Grenache with a smoky, flinty top note. Easy-going, succulent fruit with good acidity, a sense of structure and tension and a long finish. Surprisingly structured and upright for a pure Grenache. Vines around 50 years old, the grapes were hand harvested and fermented with natural yeasts. Matured for 12-18 months in tronconic French oak barrels.

<p>With its notes of fresh forest berry fruits, this is crisply structured, with a lovely sense of tension and vibrancy, therefore exhibiting all the more positive elements of the 2021 vintage. Great energy and vibration. This is well balanced, fresh and drinkable. Fermented in concrete, matured on the less for six to seven months. Grown on La Plaine and La Première Terrasse areas.</p>

<p>Soft, yielding, easy going and juicy. The alcohol is high, but this has juicy, succulent plum and blackberry fruit. The oak lends a welcome, seductive sheen to the ripe fruit, and the overall effect is highly delicious, concentrated and impressive. A glass would be enough however, as this is highly potent! Grown on La Plaine and La Première Terrasse areas. Partly matured in oak barrels, from new to third use.</p>

A really enticing, smoky, spicy aromatic display, showing cardamom, wood smoke and cedar. There is lovely sweet fruit melded with star anise on the palate. The alcohol is really quite punchy, but this has huge impact and complexity. It really demands some meat cooked over fire to match it. Impossible to deny the complexity and power, but one glass is enough! A blend of three plots located at an altitude of 250m on west-facing slopes. The soils are made up of white clays and blue marls. HVE certified.

A touch of smoky reduction on the nose, then a fulsome and velvety sensation on the palate, generous but fresh. There are really plush tannins, and it’s remarkably ripe and juicy. Lovely acidity, and more concentrated than many 2021s, but without any excess alcohol. The oak is very well integrated. Syrah matured in barriques, Grenache matured in concrete, for one year.

Abundant savoury blackberry fruit leads to a really quite full-bodied, powerful, potent palate that shows a sappy liquorice flavour. The alcohol is quite marked, but there's also good acidity and surprising freshness. This is very Gigondas in style, much more so than Sablet, and should age with interest. The oak is quite marked but well integrated. Made by Eric Chauvin, fifth-generation winemaker, who works organically. The grapes were destemmed, and there were no yeast additions, followed by nine months in American oak.

Soft, harmonious and yielding, this still has good fruit, it has power but doesn't feel excessive and the length is good. It’s significantly more interesting than a standard Côtes du Rhône, with more depth and presence. It’s a selection of the domaine’s best parcels, with vines over 40 years old, and aged for 18 months in barrels.

Enjoyably ripe for the vintage, with precise berry fruits and good acidity. Fresh, with a little aniseed note in the background. No great concentration or ripeness, but very drinkable. Vines are on sandy, pebbly soils. The wine is fermented in cement tanks, matured briefly in stainless steel, and bottled without fining or filtration.

This spends one year in oak, but it has very little aromatic stamp on the wine. A fresh, spicy style of Séguret that's immediately winning on palate, with elegant tannins and good acidity. Ready now, no need to wait. Not hugely concentrated, but enjoyably crisp and fine. Pair this old-vine cuvée. with lighter dishes, nothing too heavy. In conversion to organics.

Fresh, if not terribly expressive, this wine has a juicy and softly rounded palate with good acidity. Structured with a sense of tension and power even if not hugely concentrated. Matured for 18 months in concrete tanks. In conversion to biodynamics.

This is majority Syrah, and it tastes that way, with intense blackcurrant fruit and a dense weave of matted tannins. Powerful, with high alcohol and a big structure, but it’s fresh too, and will take on complexity in time. Vines grown on the Plain, this is 50% whole-bunch fermented with no added yeast, then matured in concrete tanks and 25% barrels.

Fresh, fine, and well balanced, this does have some power but it's matched with freshness and acidity, leading to a fairly long finish. Certainly a cut above an average Côtes du Rhône.