The southern Rhone.
A week in the life of a Rhône correspondent during en primeur…
Monday 2 October 
Gigondas village. Credit: Matt Walls
I start the week with a particularly challenging tasting: 120 samples of 2022 Gigondas, tasted blind. It’s challenging not just because of the number of wines (though high), but their tannic intensity this year. Picking them apart requires sustained concentration. Some are very good this year, others really not: a refrain of the vintage.
Dinner at Les Florets near Gigondas with some friends from the London wine trade who happen to be in town. The restaurant has a great wine list: I order a Domaine des Tours Grande Réserve Côtes-du-Rhône 2014. On paper it might not look exciting: a generic appellation in a weak vintage. But this is Emmanuel Reynaud’s Vacqueyras, declassified in 2014 just because of its pale colour. It’s fabulous – one of my wines of the year so far.
Tuesday 3 October 
Frédéri Férigoule at Le Sang des Cailloux. Credit: Matt Walls
An early start today at the Vacqueyras growers’ association to taste a similar number of samples from this appellation. It tastes like a different vintage here compared to Gigondas: juicier and more accessible. Considering the heatwave and drought conditions I didn’t expect such balanced wines.
In the afternoon, I meet with Frédéri Férigoule of Le Sang des Cailloux. His reds are lovely, but he had
