Southern Rhône - Day 3 Having left Tain L'Hermitage feeling a perceptible chill it was pleasing to head South into sunshine and pitch up at Le Vieux Donjon in Châteauneuf-du-Pape in positively Mediterranean warmth. The Northern and Southern Rhône vineyards may only be an hour's drive apart but they distinctly different in terms of climate, […]

Northern Rhône - Day 2 An audience with Jean-Louis Chave at his HQ in Mauves is always a pleasure and he has a gift for succinctly describing the different facets of any given vintage. This is a fascinating insight into his fastidious attention to detail and profound understanding of the vine-holdings over which he presides. […]

Northern Rhône - Day 1:     Having left home at an unearthly hour to catch a 7am flight to Lyon we touched down in chilly mists. after an hour's drive south to Ampuis the clouds parted and we were treated to a vista of vines in glorious sunshine. On the steep La Viallière vineyard […]

  By the time we arrived in Châteauneuf-du-Pape on Monday, morning mists were clearing to reveal a vista of vines in golden Autumn sunshine. Our first port of call was at Le Vieux Donjon where a smiling Claire Michel told us she was relieved to have completed the complicated 2014 harvest. Hot on the heels […]