A rich, savoury satisfying mouthful!

Since the elevation of Cairanne to a southern Rhône cru, 'La Côte Sauvage' continues to be characterised by its finesse and finely-grained texture, due in part to the famous ‘argilo-calcaire’ of our hilltop vineyards such as La Pauline and Les Six Terrasses, slow winemaking methods and gentle maturation in different sized barrels of old French oak.

Tasting Notes

A serious, restrained and complex example of cru Cairanne. This is rich, intense and drenched in dark red fruits. With morello cherry and a touch of cinnamon spice on the nose, soft dark plummy fruit, liquorice, chocolate, a hint of black tea on the palate, this wine is full-flavoured and smooth with supple tannins. 

Method of Production

The cru of Cairanne lies in the heart of the Southern Rhône valley, northeast of Orange. For this La Côte Sauvage, fully ripe Grenache and Syrah grapes are hand-picked from old bush vines on selected hillside slopes within Cairanne. The vineyards have the classic argilo-calcaire soil of limestone pebbles over clay and the vines are harvested by hand. Vinified traditionally with only the natural yeasts present on the grapes, followed by a long cuvaison period with gentle remontage and manual pigeage. A blend of four varieties (Grenache, Syrah, Carignan and Mourvèdre) matured for 22 months in French old oak barrels and demi-muids to develop great concentration, complexity and finesse in the wine.

Specifications

A perfect pale pink that screams Provence!

Tasting Notes

This is a perfect, pale, raspberry-pink wine that is very drinkable. Delicate aromas are followed by lovely sweet fruit from Grenache grapes. Clean and well balanced with good depth.

Production Method

The Domaine's vineyards are situated in the best area of the AC Côtes de Provence with a very particular micro-climate and sandstone clay soils. A classic blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault, the grapes are picked by hand. This is a rosé de presse produced in an ultra-modern gravity-fed winery.

Producer

Domaine de la Vieille Tour is a 22-hectare estate in the Côtes de Provence, situated between Pierrefeu and Cuers and not far from Château Gairoird. The Domaine's vineyards benefit from lying in a slight geographical depression which has a particular microclimate, encouraging the long and even ripening of the grapes. Grapes for the rosé, Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault, are cultivated on sandstone clay soils and harvested by hand, before being transported to a very modern, gravity-fed winery.

A Note on Sustainability

As a négociant, Gilardi is very keen to minimize its own environmental impact and to work with sustainably-minded growers. For example, on its bottling line, Gilardi has switched from a traditional sediment filtration system to a more efficient cross-flow filtration system and chooses eco-friendly dry goods such as Normacorc’s carbon neutral "Select Green" corks which are made from plant-based polymers from renewable resources and which are recyclable. Gilardi is expanding its collaboration with HVE Level 3 certified winemakers and currently, two of the wines it offers are organic.

Specifications

Proper, traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Tasting Notes

Nose

This is a traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with ripe black fruit aromas balanced by lightly herbal, oaky notes.

Palate

The palate is generous with dark plum and blackberry characters, and plump textured tannins balancing the significant 15% alcohol, which is expertly managed and integrated.

Production Method

The soils of the vineyard are made up of clay and chalk covered with a layer of the classic large peebles ('galets') found in this area, which naturally keep yields low. The vines are over 60 years old and situated near the plateau de Carbières (close to Château Montredon). Harvesting is by hand, with selective sorting of the grapes. The grapes undergo a traditional long 'cuvaison' at quite high temperature and with extended maceration on the skins, 21-24 days to extract plenty of colour, fruit and tannins. This is followed by ageing for between 14-18 months in 'foudres' (large oak barrels), 70% vats, 30% Burgundian pieces and casks.

Producer

Domaine Chante Cigale is located within the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and has been owned by the Sabon Favier family for several generations. Consisting of 41 hectares, the Domaine benefits from old vines, some of which are veritably ancient at over 100 years old. Alexandre Favier took over from his father, Christian, and is part of a new wave of producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, combining modern technical expertise with time-honoured winemaking practices.

Alexandre is lauded by notable journalists including Steve Danzier and Jancis Robinson for his deftly-made and reasonably-priced wines. Domaine Chante Cigale has also built a reputation for specialising in white wines, of which they produce more than any other estate in the appellation.

A note on Sustainability

As you might expect from someone born and raised on an estate named after singing cicadas, Alexandre Favier keenly promotes the biodiversity of his vineyards. He is very conscious of his role as guardian of his land for future generations and Chante Cigale is currently in conversion to full organic status.

Specifications

Each vintage, from our base in Cairanne, we are able to select exceptional Grenache and Syrah from the best Côtes du Rhône Villages to make Les Coteaux, which we then enrich with classified wine from Séguret and Sablet.

Tasting Notes

Immediately impressive, this wine reveals its class from the start. Brambly fruit underpinned by subtle oaky nuances, lovely sweet spice - warm star anise with a touch of cinnamon. This classic Côtes du Rhône Villages is enriched with specially-selected parcels from Séguret and Sablet.

Production Method

Common practice in the Côtes du Rhône is to bottle the best cuvées as a single, named, village wine and the rest as more basic Côtes du Rhône Villages. Boutinot’s philosophy, on the other hand, is to start with the intention of making the very best Côtes du Rhône Villages possible by sourcing wine from the vineyards of named villages, and enriching them with a small proportion of barrel-aged wine from Sablet and Séguret.

Boutinot's Côtes du Rhône Villages 'Les Coteaux' is therefore a selection of the best Grenache Noir and Syrah from some of the 17 named Côtes du Rhône Villages. We source wine from a number of growers with exceptional terroir and so have the flexibility to select only the very best fruit each vintage (rejecting parcels which do not meet our high standards). Mostly unoaked, a small proportion (15%) is part-aged for up to 20 months in a few new, but mostly older, oak barrels to bring depth and subtle notes of complexity.

Producer

Boutinot’s love affair with the Southern Rhône spans thirty years of making wine in the region. In 2010, the relationship was sealed with the purchase of a winery and vineyards above the village of Cairanne. Domaine Boutinot’s seven vineyards are planted with classic southern Rhône grape varieties – old vine Grenache Noir and Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan Noir – and they all sit within the Cairanne Cru boundaries, sanctioned in 2016 when Cairanne was granted its own appellation status.

Working with our vigneron neighbours we are helping to revive traditional grape varieties such as Cinsault and Counoise, and in the cellar we prefer time-honoured winemaking methods such as a long cuvasion aided only by natural yeasts, gentle remontage, manual pigeage and patient maturation in a nursery of French oak barrels.

Awards

• A Bronze Medal in the 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards (2020 Vintage)

Specifications

A distinctive, intense and organic Châteauneuf-du-Pape, rich and concentrated yet with lovely balance and great elegance.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Made from organically-grown grapes, this very deeply-coloured red offers aromas of dried fruit and dark roast coffee on the nose. 

Palate

Typically bright and fresh despite its full body and intense colour, the palate shows ripe berry fruit, subtle savoury spice, and bright, upright tannins. Both savoury and fruity, with a very long finish.

Production

Château Maucoil’s vineyards are located in the northwest of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape area (on the left bank of the River Rhône) on the appellation’s four soil types: pebbles, clay-sandstone, Urgonian limestone and, more unusually, sand. Unlike the famous pebbles of the area, sand doesn’t retain and transfer heat during the night, resulting in slower ripening and more finesse. The youngest vines average 40 years old, so roots run deep to sustain the vines during the hot summer months.

For the Tradition Rouge, four main grape varieties are selected solely from sandy soils - Grenache Noir, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. Yields are around 25 hl/ha and harvesting is carried out by hand, with the grapes individually sorted by variety and by parcel before vinification in concrete tanks. After around 30 days in vat, with pumping over, rack-and return and punching down, the wine is matured separately for different lengths of time, in tanks and in 2-3-year-old barrels. The wine is then blended and bottled.

Producer

Château Maucoil (pronounced “moh-kwahl”) in Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a longer history than most estates we represent. It served as a base for Roman legions who were attracted by the spring that runs through the property and by the proximity of the Via Agrippa; it was the home of Joseph de la Pise, archivist to the Dutch royal family; and from the 17th century onwards it was owned by a succession of winegrowing families. The Arnaud family, who already owned vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, decided to purchase the estate in 1995 and devoted a great deal of energy and passion to Château Maucoil.

The estate's old vines (the youngest are merely 40 years old; the oldest date back to 1895!) grow on the appellation’s four soil types: pebbles, clay-sandstone, Urgonian limestone and, more unusually, sand. Unlike vineyards littered with the famous pebbles of the area, the fine, sandy soil doesn’t retain and transfer heat during the night, resulting in slower ripening and giving wines with more finesse.

Bénédicte, the Arnauds’ youngest daughter, and her husband, Charles Bonnet, took up the torch in 2009, with a strong desire to secure the future of the estate and to manage it in an environmentally responsible manner. They began the process of converting to organic viticulture in 2011, becoming fully certified in 2014. Along the way, in 2013, they partnered with Frédéric and Benoît Lavau and the four now run the estate together.

Maucoil is one of the few Châteauneuf-du-Pape estates that has conserved all thirteen of this famous appellation's original grape varieties, and grapes must pass through three rigourous stages of manual sorting before being deemed of high enough quality to be made into wine.

Specifications

Crowd-pleasing, bistro-style red and stalwart of Boutinot's house wine offer.

Tasting Notes

A classic southern uncomplicated Rhône red which is deliciously drinkable yet serious enough to accompany food.

Nose

Rich fruit and an appealing herbal freshness

Palate

Lusciously textured with plum, strawberry and a touch of spice.

Production

South-eastern France is swathed in sunny vineyards and peppered with pretty villages that lend their name to famous appellations. In the bistros of these villages, local vignerons often choose not to drink the wines bearing the village name. Instead, they cannily favour a glass of IGP, aware that, although made to different guidelines, wines from the larger IGP Méditerranée can be made from plots which share very similar characteristics to these more prestigiously classified vineyards. Cuvée Jean-Paul Rouge is now sourced from this wider area, working with specialist growers who own such plots. Grenache and Syrah are selected from individual vineyards, specifically for the profile they will each give to the final wine. Classic vinification techniques continue - temperature-controlled fermentation to gain immediate fruit flavours, with maceration lasting between 5 to 10 days before the wine is pressed. For the final blend, an understanding of how each component will evolve is critical in maintaining the consistent and very drinkable style expected of Cuvée Jean-Paul - a judgement which can only be made with many years’ experience of creating blends.

Producer

Like all good stories, that of Boutinot France is both long and a little bit complicated! Boutinot began as a tiny importer in 1980, specialising in French wines. Paul Boutinot himself began by personally selecting the wines from France, back in the UK he would unload the trailer by hand. And deliver the crates of wines to customers himself. But good things grow and by the end of the decade, we had become a bigger and better company. A company that not only sought out great wines but made them too. After 10 years later, Boutinot France started in January 1990. The first office was in the middle of the vines in Julienas; perfectly located to navigate the Beaujolais and Macon regions on the quest to make beautiful wines.

Samantha Bailey, who started as a wine enthusiast, was there at the beginning of this adventure. Since then, she has grown into our Master Blender and has key responsibilities: building long-standing relationships, tasting, understanding the terroir and appellations, and pushing the boundaries. She is at the heart of the whole process from blending to quality assessment, making sure there is always a Boutinot touch in every cuvée. We are proud to also count Guillaume Letang and Julien Dugas in our winemaking team. Guillaume oversees the South of France and Languedoc, whilst Julien looks after our property in Cairanne. Together they have the local knowledge to select and blend the very best wines from throughout. Eric Monnin oversees every aspect of production and makes sure everything our winemakers blend and source is top quality.

Today, Boutinot’s French office has recently relocated to Macon, and has over 20 employees who take care of production across the whole of France, covering fresh whites and rosés from Gascony, mineral wines from Burgundy, and joyful varietal wines from Languedoc among others. We don’t use any single model to source our wines; instead, a combination of sources are used, from large-scale, high-quality co-ops to small, family growers and single domains, as well as our own vineyards in Cairanne and Saint-Vérand. Drawing on the expertise of our four winemakers and a network of partner growers, we seek to deliver the highest quality-to-price ratio possible for every wine

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Colour

Deep ruby ​​red color.

Nose

The nose is dominated by fresh black fruits (cherry, blackcurrant), with notes of undergrowth, delicately spicy, finishing with mineral notes.

Mouth

The palate is tense, with a dominant fruity (cherry) and a finish of sweet spices (licorice). 

Background

Specifications

A superb Châteuneuf-du-Pape from vines in their prime.

Tasting Notes

Intense and inky dark, with a concentrated, rich and complex nose of kirsch, bay and graphite. Very full bodied and weighty with some evident tannins, and there's a brooding power from such low yields. Despite its heft, the old vines provide great complexity and interest and we are left with a lovely juicy finish.

Production Method

Alex Favier inherited 37 different blocks of vineyards from his mother, Marie-Paule Sabon, comprising 50 hectares in total, making Domaine Chante Cigale one of the larger domaines of this most famous of French appellations. The terroir of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is made up of three different soil types and those domaines with vines on all three consequentially gain in complexity For his reds, Alex has a typically large palette of varieties but his ‘old vine’ cuvée uses only Grenache Noir, Syrah and Mourvèdre as these are his oldest vines and they provide the wine with great intensity and longevity. The vines for this bottling are over 65 years old, some as old as 100, and they are some of the oldest vines to be found on the plateau de Carbières (close to Château Montredon).The yield of these ‘Vieilles Vignes’ is very, very low indeed; the oldest vines may only yield a miniscule 15hl/ha, most others around 22-23 hl/ha, bringing the average to around 20hl/ha. Harvesting is by hand, with selective sorting of the grapes. Alex learned about viticulture and vinification from his father and took over from him whilst finishing his last year at school in 1999; eventually taking full control of the domaine in 2002. Each variety is vinified separately and undergoes an 18-24 day fermentation and a 32-36 day maceration period. Malolactic fermentation and ageing takes place in a combination of new oak barriques and concrete vats. Alex no longer uses the traditional larger casks known as ‘foudres’ for his Vieilles Vignes.

Producer

Domaine Chante Cigale is located within the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and has been owned by the Sabon Favier family for several generations. Consisting of 41 hectares, the domaine benefits from old vines, some of which are veritably ancient at over 100 years old. Alexandre Favier took over from his father, Christian, and is part of a new wave of producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, combining modern technical expertise with time-honoured winemaking practices.

Alexandre is lauded by notable journalists including Steve Danzier and Jancis Robinson for his deftly-made and reasonably-priced wines. Domaine Chante Cigale has also built a reputation for specialising in white wines, of which they produce more than any other estate in the appellation.

A note on Sustainability

As you might expect from someone born and raised on an estate named after singing cicadas, Alexandre Favier keenly promotes the biodiversity of his vineyards. He is very conscious of his role as guardian of his land for future generations and Chante Cigale is currently in conversion to full organic status.

Specifications

Only 7 miles along the road from Châteauneuf-du-Pape but not as well known globally so represents much better value! Freshness and Harmony are two words that can sum up this wine.

Tasting Notes 

Only 7 miles along the road from Châteauneuf-du-Pape but not as well known globally so represents much better value!

Tasting Notes 

A great wine with character, elegant and typical, honouring the historic grape variety and king of the southern Rhône Valley: Grenache Noir.

Tasting Notes 

Only 7 miles along the road from Châteauneuf-du-Pape but not as well known globally so represents much better value!

Tasting Notes 

Tasting Notes

Colour

Elegant pale-pink color, evoking a rose petal.

Nose

On the nose, Miraval Rosé shows all its elegance: beautifully fresh, it exudes aromas of fresh fruit, currants and fresh rose with a zest of lemon.

Palate

The refinement continues in the mouth with beautiful liveliness and gourmet notes that subtly balance the mineral and saline notes. An irresistible wine that ends with a long finish with lemony notes.

Vinification

The grapes are harvested exclusively in the morning and sorted twice. Destemming. ‘Pressurage direct’ for Cinsault, Grenache and Rolle. The Syrah is vinified partially using the «saignee» method. Vinified in temperature - controlled stainless steel vats (95%) and in barrels (5%) with batonnage.

Producer

Tucked away in its own private valley in the ancient village of Correns – the first organic village in France – Miraval covers 500 hectares of land in the heart of Provence. The magnificent Chateau is set in a cirque surrounded by ancient woods, olive trees, vi­neyards and abundant water supply. Lush wildlife combines with the beautiful Provencal climate and quality Mediterranean lifestyle to reveal an enchanting oasis. Miraval's exclusive valley location embodies an exceptional terroir. Terroir is the expression of the soil, the climate and the history of the land – the essence of the wine. At an altitude of 350 meters the vines are privileged to enjoy warm, sunny days and cool nights, bringing freshness and balance to the wines. 

Specifications