Walls’ hidden gems: Domaine A Berthet-Rayne, Cairanne

In November 2022, French broadcaster RTL published an article with the following alarming headline: ‘Red wine consumption has dropped by 32% in France over the past 10 years.’ Soon after, winemakers would be referring to it as la crise (the crisis).

The report offered multiple explanations: a big drop in consumption among young people; wine becoming associated more with festivities than everyday meals; people eating less red meat; the increase in single-parent households where people drink less frequently; and the discouraging slogans of public health policies.

Whatever the reasons, for Rhône Valley winemakers it’s a disturbing trend.

At a recent press conference, regional wine association Inter Rhône announced it would be putting considerable resources behind the area’s white wines, with an aim to double production by 2031. It’s a laudable aim, given that it’s primarily red wine in decline, with global demand for whites still relatively steady.

Scroll down for Matt Walls’ notes and scores for eight Domaine A Berthet-Rayne wines

In recent years in the southern Rhône there’s been a virtuous circle of increased demand for white wines leading to improved quality, which increases demand. When I visit wineries, I hear the same story repeatedly: all their whites are sold out. So government bodies seeking to cultivate production can only be a good thing for wine lovers.

One producer that has long been leading the way with its whites is Domaine A Berthet-Rayne in Cairanne (not to be confused with Domaine Berthet-Rayne in Châteauneuf-du-Pape).

Cairanne is the source of some of the southern Rhône’s finest whites. Compared to Vacqueyras and Châteauneuf, it benefits from higher-altitude vineyards which help bring freshness. Soils are different too; Cairanne is more about clay limestone than stones or sand. The result is wines that offer both generosity and tension.

The Berthet-Rayne family’s winemaking roots go back to 1880, and current owner André Berthet-Rayne is the fourth generation. His daughter Alexandra joined him in 2017, her husband Axel in 2019.

André has 40 seasons under his belt. He began farming organically in 2000, when he was part of an informal group of winemakers including Domaine la Cabotte and Domaine Oratoire St Martin. They were interested in the effects of the moon and the cosmos on their vines too; Berthet-Rayne will soon be joining them in biodynamic certification.

A hefty 94% of Cairanne’s production is red, and like all of its winemakers, André and family produce mostly red wines, which are often excellent. But what marks out this estate is the consistent quality of their whites.

It’s a style that Berthet-Rayne has been championing for decades. ‘The market at the time wasn’t really there; it was us making good products that created the demand,’ says Berthet-Rayne. Today 20% of the estate’s vineyards contain white varieties and they intend to plant more.

And the resulting products are indeed good – all the way from the Côtes-du-Rhône Villages blanc M&A, up through the range of white Cairannes. I would reserve my highest praise for the Cairanne blanc Castel Mireio. It’s a blend of 30% Roussanne, 30% Clairette, 10% Grenache Blanc, 10% Marsanne, 10% Viognier and 10% Bourboulenc, partly fermented and aged in old barriques for six months. In a vintage like 2020, it beautifully expresses the bounteousness and finesse that the best southern Rhône whites can achieve.

‘The culture here is one of red wine, but that will change,’ says Berthet-Rayne. It’s true that Rhône winemakers tend to measure themselves more by their reds than anything else. I’m sure Berthet-Rayne is right though – evolution will be gradual but there’s space for much more than 6% white in Cairanne. Especially when they’re as good as this.

Matt Walls tastes and rates eight Domaine A Berthet-Rayne wines:

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