Nick Jackson, MW | September 17, 2025
From the slopes of Côte-Rôtie to the sand of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it's hard to conceive of the Rhône Valley as one wine region, so various are the climates, landscape and grape varieties. To make it easier, here are a few recommendations with some useful bottle age.
From the north, Clape remains the benchmark in the Cornas region, making meaty, savoury wines of great gamey appeal, especially with bottle age. The 2014 is fully ready now; the 2015 will continue to improve for another decade.
From the south, the elusive but brilliant Henri Bonneau estate is represented by Rouliers, the multi-vintage blend made from just beyond Châteauneuf's borders. The transluscent, pure style of Bonneau Grenache is firmly in evidence. A contrasting style is Beaucastel's Mourvèdre-heavy Châteauneuf blends; this variety gives a particularly meaty quality to these brawny wines. The rare Hommage bottling is the estate's top wine, a selection of the best sites and grapes to make a wine of stunning intensity and ageworthiness.
