Rhone

This Chateauneuf du Pape is a full-bodied and rich blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. This is a concentrated, deep wine with dark fruit, cherry and spiced notes. Expect this wine to age gracefully over the next few years.

The lovely dry French rose comes from a great wine producer called Astralabe, a name that is extremely familiar to New Zealanders, only this producer is completely underelated to our own Astrolabe wines. 

Chene Bleu Rose is a relatively new wine brand at Regional from an exciting, high altitude vineyard in Vaucluse, in the region of Provence-Alpes-Cotes-d'Azur. All of the wines are certified organic with the EU and made to exactly quality standards. Hand picked grapes, double sorted in the vineyard, tiny yields and obvious high quality flavours are just some of the reasons to drink these wines.

This dry rose more than lives up to the promise of a refreshing southern French wine and it's made mostly from the Grenache grape which is blended here with Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvedre and Rolle - also known in Italy as Vermentino.

This is a great French rose to serve chilled and enjoy with salads on a warm summer day.

Wine growers in the northern Rhone since 1481, the Chave family represents 16 generations of unbroken lineage committed to the production of some of the finest Syrah, Marsanne, and Roussanne on the planet. Jean Louis joined his father in 1992 after completing undergraduate studies at University of Connecticut and a degree in oenology at Davis. It was at that time that he completely replanted vineyards on the family?s original estate in Saint-Joseph, which had been abandoned in the early 1900?s when phylloxera hit the region.

Jean-Louis Chave Selections, his negociant line which sources grapes from various areas in the northern Rhone, represents a more accessible way for the consumer to experience the wines of the Chave family.

'Using roughly 10% whole-clusters during fermentation, the 2021 Saint-Joseph offers a red-fruited profile paired with earthy gradations and leafy undertones. Medium-bodied and well balanced by bright acidity, the seamlessly sculpted 2021 comes with absolutely no hard edges and concludes with a clean finish. Chave bottled the 2021 slightly earlier than usual in order to help maintain its freshness.' 91pts Nicolas Greinacher - Vinous

One of the world's top 10 best known wine brands, Guigal is the producer of this incredibly smooth, spicy, soft and delicious full bodied red Cotes du Rhone. At least 4 million bottles of this wine are made in a good year and as it is aged for three years  minimum in Guigal?s wine cellars, there are about 12 million bottles of Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge in Guigal's cellars at any one time, either fermenting or maturing.

All of the grapes are grown and bought in from 850 growers in the Rhone Valley and while this is a vast amount of external input, all of the wine production from fermentation to ageing, bottling and marketing is done by the Guigal family. 

This blend is approximately 55% Syrah with smaller proportions of Grenache and Mourvedre to add roundness to the wine, which is softened out by the three year ageing process in Ampuis, in the Northern Rhone, which is the Guigal family's winemaking headquarters.

Classy unoaked Chardonnay from the Coteaux Lyonnais just north of the Rhone Valley and made by a well respected Rhone producer in the shape of Clusel Roch.

A bright fresh and energetic wine with citrus, white stone fruit and floral notes.

100% Syrah from the Northern Rhone's appellation of St. Joseph which is famous for its powerful wines. The palate offers Oodles of blackberry, black currant and plum fruit that meld with spicy savoury and herbal elements.  The finish is long with black tea and toasty notes.

One of the world's great reds for both plush softness and super great value for money. Guigal Cotes du Rhone is one of the world's biggest red wine success stories and its makers are on a constant mission of refinement in making this wine a better version of itself with regular work on the blend, the ageing and the overall quality. It's a big dark, smooth and soft textured blend of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre with the finished wine aged for 18 months in large oak foudres in the northern Rhone, in Ampuis. This town in the Cote Rotie appellation is home to Guigal's top red wines and this humble little sibling joins its more illustriously regarded, higher priced siblings there for its final ageing, pre release. 

This lush, silky reds a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah from the southern Rhone Gigondas appellation. Lush, plush and full bodied with bright red plum flavours and spice supported by the structure of Syrah's black plum flavours and firm tannins. 

Chene Bleu is a relatively new wine brand at Regional from an exciting, high altitude vineyard in Vaucluse, in the region of Provence-Alpes-Cotes-d'Azur. All of the wines are certified organic with the EU and made to exactly quality standards. Hand picked grapes, double sorted in the vineyard, tiny yields and obvious high quality flavours are just some of the reasons to drink these wines.

Sheer deliciousness is the main one. 

This dry white is made from a blend of Grenache Blanc, Rolle (also known, in Italy, as Vermentino), Clairette, Roussanne and Viognier. 

The balance is impeccable. Try it. 

Now we're talking next level. 

Domaine de la Solitude Chateauneuf-du-Pape is an exciting dry, full bodied, ageworthy white wine from the Southern Rhone's most famous appellation. It's a blend of Roussanne 40%, Clairette 30%, Grenache Blanc 20%, Bourboulenc and Picpoul 10%. Approximately 40% of the wine was aged in barrels on fine lees for 10 months and its smooth, full body and savoury flavours are beautifully balanced by the high acid components in the blend, namely Roussanne and Bourbolenc. 

Here is a wine to enjoy in a large glass right now or to age further for at least six to seven years, potentially beyond that. It will reward short, medium and long term drinking.

Winemaker Paul-Vincent Avril typically works with a blend of three main grapes - 20% Mourvedre, 50% Grenache and 10% Syrah, with the balance being a mix of all the other permitted varieties (Clos des Papes is one of the few estates to use all permitted varieties for both red and white Chateauneuf). This is dense and complex Chateauneuf that will profit from 20 years plus in the cellar.

95/100 Decanter, Matt Walls
"Defined raspberry and redcurrant fruits, some woody spices in the background. Quite a rounded, fluid style, the acidity is really quite marked this year. Tannins are gentle, and it finishes on raspberry and redcurrant coulis. There's a silky touch on the palate. It's built around the acidity, the tannins are just gently sandy. Good sense of purity, quite a Burgundian vintage. Less Grenache in the blend this year as it was particularly hit by the frost." Drink 2025 - 2038

Vacqueyras has always played second fiddle to Chateauneuf but the wines are finally starting to get the credit they deserve and this full bodied, deep and complex red is an excellent expression of this appellation. 

Sang des Cailloux means ?blood of the stones,? and the galets ridden nature of the soil comes across in the mineral, stony aspect of this wine which is deep and full of energy and with notes of lavender, red and black fruit and olive. It is ready to drink now but will age gracefully for at least ten to fifteen years.

This wine is made from grapes grown on the elevated Plateau des Garrigues, where the vines are planted on a mixture of red clay, limestone and galets roule - or pudding - stones that are famously found in Chateaunuef.

This Grenache dominant blend comes from certified organic vineyards in the southern Rhone. This wine offers excellent ripe red fruit notes and great structure. The palate is spiced, complex and rich. Charbonniere Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2016 is fresh enough for drinking young, yet promises to age gracefully.

The vineyards of Domaine du Vieux Lazaret are spread over 93 hectares, split into 35 different parcels of vines throughout A.O.C. Ch?teauuneuf-du-Pape. It is today among the largest domaines in Ch?teauuneuf and is owned by the Quiot family.

The Cuvee Exceptionelle is 60% Grenache, 40% Syrah and is juicy abd fruit forward with a decent smattering of new oak providing a palate that is all about dark berry fruits and vanilla. 2015 was a very decent vintage in the Southern Rhone ,and, although drinking now - will do well with time in the cellar.