MY TOP 50: RHONE WINES UNDER £20
If money is no object and you want the finest wines possible, it’s a safe choice just to go straight to those appellations that have earned a reputation for excellence. It’s hard to go wrong with Hermitage. But when you’re prioritising value, this rule gets turned on its head. Underrated or overlooked appellations are often where the smart buys are to be found – as this tasting confirmed.
The only criteria were as follows: Rhône wines, at no more than £20 a bottle. I gathered together 110 bottles, spanning seven vintages, spread across 28 appellations. The diversity, quality and value available from the Rhône valley at this price level is extraordinary.
More than a third were AP Côtes du Rhône. It was a highly variable assortment from this generic appellation (some were dreadful), but the best were really delightful wines, some for as little as £10 a bottle. If you’re looking for value, exploring the straight Côtes du Rhône of top producers such as Stéphane Ogier, Domaine Alain Voge and Domaine Gramenon is a shrewd place to start – in good vintages, they are some of the most convincing bargains of the wine world.
Prices for northern Rhône wines are creeping up, but it’s still possible to find exemplary Crozes-Hermitage – and the occasional St-Joseph – for less than £20. And don’t forget IGP Collines Rhodaniennes, which can be an inexpensive source of nordiste Syrah and Viognier.
Village and vintage
The majority of the wines tasted were southern Rhône reds. Of the crus, Lirac stood out as a reliable source of both quality and value. As expected, there were plenty of rewarding options among the Côtes du Rhône ‘Named Villages’. If you’re looking for robust reds, Plan de Dieu is an obvious place to start; for finesse, try Sablet. One of my personal favourites is Massif d’Uchaux, an intriguing limestone and sandstone terroir hidden among woodland producing tense, vibrant reds that remain, for the time being, largely undiscovered. Try them.
One of the most dynamic areas in the Rhône at the moment is Ventoux, illustrated by an impressive seven recommendations. It’s a sprawling area, mixed in quality, but it has pockets of fantastic terroir. Its calling card is a fresh, aerial style with good acidity, in whites and reds, and prices are still very keen.
In the southern Rhône, all the crus are still accessible at this level – apart from
