There is a reason why every wine we stock has made it to the list and - whatever the category - there is no point in having a bunch of identical clones populating it. Saint Cosme has its very attractive, medium-term drinking place; Bouissiere has that incredible fruit. Pallieres, too, has lovely fruit, but - above all - structure and ageability. This is not an easily approachable, early drinking wine, but one which needs a minimum of five years in the cellar. The Bruniers are implacable on this point and don`t care whether you or anyone else love it or hate it during that adolescent period.

Franck Balthazar makes his best wines from 2 very old parcels of vines on the granitic slopes of Les Chaillots above the village of Cornas – the Cornas Chaillot includes some vines planted in 1911. The domaine was founded by Balthazar’s grandfather, and has always been in family hands, growing over time. In 2006 Balthazar acquired a further prestigious parcel in the Chaillots vineyard from his uncle, the great Noel Verset, who was then winding down his own domaine. Ploughing is done by horse, and the domaine converted to fully organic viticulture in 2010.

Domaine Gerin was born in 1983, when they bought a single plot in the heart of Cote-Rotie. Four years later they bottled their first wine, and have been producing highly regarded red and white wine from the Northern Rhone ever since. Today, the property has expanded to over 17 hectares and brothers Michael and Alexis are at the helm. Since 2020 they have been farming organically and continue to produce high class wines which are powerful and structured, yet also elegant and refined. (DS 04/04/22)