Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Same River Twice. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache Noir 80%, Syrah 20%. About: This wine is a fresh take on a classic blend of Grenache Noir with a touch Syrah that expresses aromatic richness of place with fruit purity for freshness and drinkability. It’s made to capture the aromatic richness of … Continue reading Heliocentric Wines Same River Twice VDF Rouge
Who: James Dunstan What: Vin de France Where: Southern Rhône When: Since 2019 Same River Twice is our own wine project. We buy and blend and bottle wines from our vigneron friends to make wines we love to drink, and which are a bit different. Our goal is to make everyday drinking wines that express … Continue reading Same River Twice Wines
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: see Vintage Notes below and back label for Cuvée name. Colour: Red. Grapes: from Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Syrah, Cinsault. About: Every year, Nadia and Christian Charmasson make one or two or three reds according to what the season and their different parcels around Tavel and Lirac gives them. They are … Continue reading Balazu des Vaussières VDF Rouge
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: name depends the year – see Vintage Notes below. Colour: Blanc. Grapes: Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier. About: Another off the wall wine that’s rich and viscous and appears to have almost no acidity yet is remarkably fresh, energetic and well-balanced with an extraordinary aromatic depth. Biodynamic, made … Continue reading Balazu des Vaussières VDF Blanc
Who: Christian and Nadia Charmasson. What: Vin de France. Where: Tavel, Gard, France. When: Since 1995. Note: there may be several Cuvées of red each year, and variations on a theme of white and Rosé so the details are noted under each when you click on the wines. This tiny Domaine, based in Tavel, has … Continue reading Balazu des Vaussières
Appellation: Saint-Joseph. Cuvée: Rouge. Colour: Red. Grapes: Syrah. About: from vines that Yves and Mathilde bought in 2007, requiring several years to get into good condition. Offers Côte Rôtie-like aromatics and tension, but less fine. Vines Location: From steep hillside vineyards in the northern sector of St Joseph close to Condrieu in the Peyraud lieu-dit. … Continue reading Domaine Gangloff Saint-Joseph Rouge
Appellation: Condrieu. Colour: White. Grapes: Viognier. About: one of the stars of the Appellation. Gangloff’s style is exuberant but disciplined, and complex. There’s an idea that Condrieu doesn’t age. Perhaps it’s more to do with the fact that a Gangloff is so enjoyable when it’s young, ideally with a year to two in bottle. But … Continue reading Domaine Gangloff Condrieu
Appellation: Côte-Rôtie. Cuvée: La Sereine Noire. Colour: Red. Grapes: Syrah. About: One of the world’s great Syrah wines. Stylishly aromatic, elegant, taut, thrilling old vine Cuvée from a blend of schist and granite soils, that fully expresses the richness of fruit character of traditional Côte Rôtie. Vines Location: From several parcels on steep hillsides in … Continue reading Domaine Gangloff Côte-Rôtie La Sereine Noire
Appellation: Côte-Rôtie. Cuvée: La Barbarine. Colour: Red. Grapes: Syrah, with 3 to 5% Viognier. About: the younger vine of two Cuvées, from granite soils in the “Côte Blonde”, which give more finesse, and soft fruitiness, than the schist soils of the Côte Brune. This wine is accessible, indeed recommended, in its first seven years or … Continue reading Domaine Gangloff Côte-Rôtie La Barbarine
Who: Yves Gangloff. What: Côte Rôtie, Condrieu, Saint-Joseph. Where: Condrieu. When: Since 1988. The Story Since the mid 1990’s Yves Gangloff has developed a passionate following for his beautifully crafted wines which walk a fine balance between following tradition and appealing to modern tastes. Today he’s organic in the vineyard and his obsessive attention to … Continue reading Gangloff
Almost everything we know about Valentin Valles’s wines for now has been posted here! Valentin makes some of the most original and natural wines in the Rhône. He worked for a several years at L’Anglore. His own wines have a wonderful lightness of touch, sense of fun and play about them, as well as great balance … Continue reading Valentin Valles information posted!
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Déjà. Colour: Red. Grapes: Syrah. About: Déjà means “already” and it refers to Valentin’s interesting method here to bottle the wine very young then release it only after several months ageing in bottle. It’s the same Syrah as the Voilà (or “there you go”) that will continue to age in … Continue reading Déjà Vin de France
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Lundi. Colour: Pink. Grapes: Grenache 60%, Cinsault 30%, Syrah 10%. About: more of a pale red, richly flavoured, and quite deeply coloured – especially by comparison with watery pale (and insipid) Côtes de Provence rosés. Remarkable salty acidity balances the deliciously ripe fruit without any cloyingness. It’s named after a … Continue reading Lundi VDF Rosé
Everything we know about Laurent Charvin’s wines for now has been posted here! Laurent Charvin is one of the greatest producers in all of France, crafting great Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône unlike almost any others in these Appellations, bringing incredible freshness and elegance to the rich natural taste of the terroir.
Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Cuvée: Rouge. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache 85%, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Vaccarèse, around 5% each. About: a classic of the Appellation and an outstanding southern French wine, an outstanding example of Grenache Noir. Every year the wine gets better and fully reflects the vintage. It’s fabulously rich, yet always refreshing and very elegant. Always … Continue reading Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Appellation: Côtes du Rhône. Cuvée: Rouge. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache 80%, Syrah 15%, Carignan 5%. About: as far from generic Côtes du Rhône as you could imagine, this is made from old Grenache Noir lying just outside the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation. The vines are looked after with the same attention as the Châteauneuf and the wine … Continue reading Charvin Côtes du Rhône
Who: Laurent Charvin. What: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône, Rhône. Where: Orange, Vaucluse. When: Since 1850. The Story This small Domaine of 8ha of Châteauneuf and 15ha of Côtes du Rhône produces some of the finest and most elegant wines in the south of France. It’s one of the few estates in the Rhône valley that … Continue reading Charvin
Everything we know about Bois de Boursan’s wines for now has been posted here! Jean-Paul Versino is one of the few remaining producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape to work traditionally: a blend of all terroirs of the Appellation, very old vines, whole bunch fermentation with natural yeasts, minimal intervention and long ageing in foudre. He consistently produces … Continue reading Bois de Boursan information posted!
Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Cuvée: des Félix. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache 75%, Mourvèdre 20%, Syrah 5%. About: both of Jean-Paul’s grandfathers were called Felix. He created this blend in 1995. In a blind tasting by collectors of 15 year-old 1998’s (a great year), published in the Wine Advocate in 2013 (but not tasted by Parker), the 1998 … Continue reading Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Félix
Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Cuvée: Tradition. Colour: Red. Grapes: Grenache Noir 60 to 70% depending on the vintage, Mourvèdre around 10%, Syrah around 10% and all the others notably Cinsault, Counoise, and Vaccarèse. About: the way Châteauneuf-du-Pape used to be. As traditionally made as it gets, and all the more elegant for it. The key elements are … Continue reading Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tradition
Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Cuvée: Blanc. Colour: White. Grapes: Grenache Blanc 35%, Clairette 35%, Roussanne 15% and Bourboulenc 15%. About: a classic blend of both grape varieties and soils, this white is all about the elegance that comes from working traditionally to express terroir purity. Quite different from most modern white Châteauneuf-du-Papes (or single varietal wines).. Vines … Continue reading Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc
Who: Jean-Paul Versino. What: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône. Where: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Vaucluse. When: Since 1955. The Story Jean-Paul Versino is one of the most affable and enthusiastic vignerons we know. He’s also one of the few remaining producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape to work traditionally (a blend of all the terroirs of the Appellation, very old vines, whole bunch fermentation … Continue reading Bois de Boursan
Appellation: Crozes-Hermitage. Cuvée: Blanc. Colour: White. Grapes: Marsanne 50%, Roussanne 50%. About: Just 300 litres produced from 1000m2 of vineyard, made in stainless steel. And Thierry is very generous with his thirsty friends so not even that gets put into bottle. It’s a pity because it’s a spectacular wine, very refined and gentle, from very … Continue reading Thierry Alexandre Crozes-Hermitage Blanc
Appellation: St Joseph. Cuvée: Les Baraques. Colour: Red. Grapes: Syrah. About: There’s a production of just 1,500 bottles of this wine and you can feel the love and hand-craft in each bottle. It comes from one of the best sites in the Appellation, a tiny slice of steep hillside near Ste Epine. It’s marked by … Continue reading Thierry Alexandre St Joseph Rouge
Appellation: St Joseph. Cuvée: Blanc. Colour: White. Grapes: Marsanne. About: There’s a micro-production of just 500 bottles of this wine. It comes from one of the best sites in the Appellation, a tiny slice of steep hillside near Ste Epine. Vines Location: It comes from one of the best sites in the Appellation, a tiny … Continue reading Thierry Alexandre St Joseph Blanc
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Cul Sec. Colour: Red. Grapes: Syrah. About: The name is a play on words, Cul-de-Sac, a French term adopted by the English to mean a road that goes nowhere, has no thoroughfare, or a dead end. Cul literally means bottom. The vines lie in a kind of cul-de-sac between the … Continue reading Thierry Alexandre Cul Sec VDF Rouge
Appellation: Vin de France. Cuvée: Cul Sec. Colour: White. Grapes: Marsanne. About: The name is a play on words, Cul-de-Sac, a French term adopted by the English to mean a road that goes nowhere, has no thoroughfare, or a dead end. Cul literally means bottom. The vines lie in a kind of cul-de-sac between the … Continue reading Thierry Alexandre Cul Sec VDF Blanc
The Story Thierry Alexandre runs one of the smallest jewels of a Domaine in the Northern Rhone. He’s located near the village of St Jean de Muzols which is at the original heart of the Appellation. The lieu-dit of St Epine, considered the finest terroir of St Joseph, is located here. Thierry posseses just 1 … Continue reading Thierry Alexandre
