France — wine

Cotes du Rhone Villages

The quality tier above generic Cotes du Rhone, allowing 22 named village appellations to append their name to the label. The top villages — Rasteau, Cairanne, Roaix, Valreas, Visan — produce wines rivalling Gigondas and Vacqueyras in quality from old-vine Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. An underappreciated gateway to the finest southern Rhone wines at approachable prices, with remarkable consistency across the diverse village terroirs.

Year Rating Notes
2023 Excellent southern Rhone harvest; old-vine Grenache of rare fruit depth and village-level mineral character
2022 Very good Rhone vintage; structured, layered reds with the characteristic garrigue and dark fruit of the Villages
2021 Cooler year; more elegant, higher-acid style ideal for food pairing across the village appellation range
2020 Benchmark Villages vintage; concentrated, age-worthy old-vine Grenache from all 22 villages
2019 Classic year with reliable quality; particularly fine Rasteau and Cairanne