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Winner Details

Red Rhône

A slightly smaller entry meant a lower medal count than we’d typically see here (almost half what we got last year, for instance). But that was pretty much where the bad news ended – our tasters were (as so often) happy with this category from North to South and across the price ranges.

Majestic Commercial contained some impressive work in France at the ‘affordable’ end of things with the excellent Rémy Ferbras, which stood out in a strong Côtes du Rhône flight to pick up a By The Glass award.

This was backed up with really good mid-price and ‘show-off’ wines from the North and South to create a supremely strong section. Plenty of other good wines outside the Gold List worth ferreting out, as well.

Congrats to Yves Cuilleron on its four Rhône Golds too. Quite a performance!

From The Tasting Teams

‘The Côtes du Rhônes were very generous: consumer driven and highly enjoyable. Overall, these wines were a testament to the good value of the region.’ Harry Ballmann, Folie

‘All of the Northern Rhônes were very good. I found them to be more on the fruity side, with less of the peppery character of Syrah coming through, but they were well balanced. Definitely worth it.’ Mikolaj Harmider, Cava Spiliadis Collection and Simpsons Restaurant

‘Overall, we were impressed. Some of the Southern Rhônes were young and needed a few more years but there was good quality in the middle and upper ranges.’ Charlie Young, team leader

‘Côtes du Rhône delivers plenty of flavour and energy and often needs food, but you can see why it’s a classic. These would work with salami, cold meat – the bigger ones need hearty food. Very good-value wines, a must-have for a by-the-glass list.’ Sarah Jane Evans MW, team leader

‘All of the Southern Rhônes had high alcohol and a jamminess that wasn’t there before. Climate change and global warming have caused a dramatic shift over 10 to 15 years.' Chris Delalonde MS, The Dorchester

‘The Côtes du Rhônes were one of the best flights I’ve tried so far: juicy, fruity, great expression and very good value for money.’ Luma Monteiro, Wineria

‘There were definitely a few Southern Rhônes in there that I wanted to put on the menu, where the tannins were well integrated, and there was nice spice.’ Sarah McKenzie, Nut Tree Inn

‘The Northern Rhône flight had really nice quality across the board, from the first wine to the last.’ Lionel Periner, team leader

Award winners

Found 26 wines

Red Rhône

Amouroux , Les Chorégies du Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes 2016, Rhône , France

Gold medal winner

'Elegant and refined, with light, juicy fruits emphasised by white pepper spice. Rich and velvety overall.' Bianca Potenza, 212 Amsterdam. 'Lovely and perfumed, with big concentration, black pepper and blackberry fruit, and superb structure.' Charlie Young, team leader. 'Tart strawberry and cherry, with a hint of mocha and dried flowers, plus great tannins.' Tim Handley, Royal Automobile Club.

£43.92 Matthew Clark

Les Grandes Serres, Rémy Ferbras, Côtes du Rhône 2018, Rhône, France

Gold medal winner By the glass

'Crushed red cherries and some blackcurrant too, leading to cranberry juice and crushed red fruits on the palate.' Tim Handley, Royal Automobile Club. 'Easy-drinking, rounded and polished, this is a nice glass of Rhône without being too pretentious.' Bianca Potenza, 212 Amsterdam. 'This good-value wine with youthful cherry notes and punchy acidity was made for saucisson.' Sarah Jane Evans MW, team leader.

£6.18 Majestic Commercial

Domaine de la Janasse, Terre de Bussière, Principauté d'Orange 2017, Rhône, France

Gold medal winner Food Match

'A massive cherry bomb with lots of candied red berries, as well as some peppery notes.' Alonso Abed, Trivet. 'This is packed full of ripe fruit, with a hit of spices like cloves and black pepper.' Sarah McKenzie, Nut Tree Inn. 'Juicy, ripe, jammy black fruits together with some nice spice and a mineral finish. This is a very good value by-the-glass option.' Laura Rhys MS, team leader.

£10.67 Enotria&Coe

Domaine Yves Cuilleron, Côte Rôtie, La Madinière 2017, Rhône, France

Gold medal winner

'A wonderful balance of ripe black fruits and spice, with earthy notes and a lovely texture with strong ripe tannins.' Daniel Eriksen, Anglian Country Inns. 'A rich and meaty wine with some forest fruits carrying through. Lovely balance.' Sue Jones, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn. 'Very elegant and balanced, with ripe fruit.' Mikolaj Harmider, Cava Spiliadis Collection and Simpsons Restaurant.

£50.27 Enotria&Coe

Domaine Combier, Cuvée Laurent, Crozes-Hermitage Organic 2018, Rhône, France

Gold medal winner

'A savoury wine with pure, luscious black fruit.' Deniz Bayram, Novel Wines. 'Youthful, with red fruit and some berry character, leading to a palate that's full-bodied and with dark fruit notes.' Lionel Periner, team leader. 'Brooding dark fruits here, with some nice pepper and meaty rustic notes. Beautiful balance and integration of ripe tannins.' Daniel Eriksen, Anglian Country Inns.

£17.83 Enotria&Coe

Domaine des Carabiniers, Lunar Apogé, Côtes Du Rhône 2018, Rhône, France

Silver medal winner

'A gloriously juicy wine that's bound to make friends by the glass. With its ripe red fruits, one to enjoy with savoury pastries like onion tart.' Sarah Jane Evans MW, team leader. 'Bramble all day... this is fresh, light and easy-drinking, with enough fruit and acidity to carry it. A brilliant local restaurant by-the-glass option.' Tim Handley, Royal Automobile Club.

£9.00 Davy's Wine Merchants

Domaine Saint Damien, Plan de Dieu, Vielles Vignes, Côtes du Rhône Villages 2018, Rhône, France

Silver medal winner

'Full and complex, with some tertiary notes emerging on the nose, and with a palate that's rich and intense.' Bianca Potenza, 212 Amsterdam. 'Very good fruit concentration, with ripe dark cherries, supple tannins and length. Good either by the glass or by the bottle, to accompany red meat dishes or semi-hard cheeses.' Jurijs Nemkovs, StreetXO.

£12.74 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Domaine Georges Vernay, Côte Rôtie, Maison Rouge 2014, Rhône, France

Silver medal winner

'Just a treat, with complex aromas of red fruit, oak, vanilla and light smoke, leading to smooth velvet tannins on the palate.' Lionel Periner, team leader. 'An outstanding wine with no compromises, and suitable for ageing.' Mattia Mazzi, Cornerstone. 'Sweet spice and baked black fruit - this is well-balanced.' Vivienne Franks, Aspects of Wine.

£85.96 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Paul Jaboulet, Les Jalets, Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2017, Rhône, France

Silver medal winner

'Brooding ripe blackberry and cherry notes with some lovely earthy woodiness and some lifted leafy notes too, and good acidity. Good complex flavours and a rich, long finish.' Daniel Eriksen, Anglian Country Inns. 'Red berries and blackberries, with a leafy greenness, some cool spice and good length.' Sue Jones, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn.

£17.70 Bibendum

Domaine Brusset, Gigondas, Tradition Le Grand Montmirail 2018, Rhône, France

Silver medal winner

'Bold, fresh and complex, with black fruits - this is meaty and juicy.' Laura Rhys MS, team leader. 'Full and expressive, with notes of blackberry, blue plums, dark cherries and spice on the nose. The palate's big, with its power balanced by ripe, deep fruit and acidity.' Chris Delalonde MS, The Dorchester.

£20.41 Enotria&Coe

Domaine Yves Cuilleron, St-Joseph Les Pierres Sèches 2017, Rhône, France

Silver medal winner

'Buckets of red fruit, fresh leather and brown granary bread, with velvet tannins and a lengthy cinnamon finish.' Sam Winterbottom, The Albert Square Chop House. 'Complex aromas with some fresh red fruit, leading to good fruit concentration on the palate, with some smoky notes too.' Lionel Periner, team leader.

£31.41 Enotria&Coe

Charles Tort, Plan de Dieu, Côtes du Rhône 2016, Rhône, France

Bronze medal winner

'Classic Southern Rhône at a good price point, with farmyard and black-fruit notes.' Laura Rhys MS, team leader. 'Great concentration displaying a little more tertiary than your average Côtes du Rhône. A lot of stewed prunes and figs in combination with ripe red fruit and black pepper. Well-balanced.' Harry Ballmann, Folie.

£8.25 Frederic Robinson

Alain Jaume, Clos de Sixte, Lirac 2016, Rhône, France

Bronze medal winner

'Nice and herbaceous, with a certain pepperiness that enhances its savoury aspect while balancing out those luscious red fruits.' Alonso Abed, Trivet. 'Fresh red berry aromas as well as spice, and a warm, bready character, with a powerful palate that's fruity yet dry, with fine tannins and some poise.' Charlie Young, team leader.

£14.11 Bibendum

Louis & Cherry Barruol, St Cosme, St-Joseph 2017, Rhône, France

Bronze medal winner

'Very elegant and delicate smoky notes with some stony minerality, black fruit and ripe tannins, and an elegant finish.' Mikolaj Harmider, Cava Spiliadis Collection and Simpsons Restaurant. 'Ripe blackberry and black cherry fruit, with hints of pepper and sweet spice, and an earthy meatiness. A very complex and structured wine that will develop.' Daniel Eriksen, Anglian Country Inns.

£22.69 Bibendum

Domaine Brusset, Laurent B, Côtes du Rhône 2019, Rhône, France

Bronze medal winner

'Sophisticated Côtes du Rhône - opulent and balanced, elegant and with good integration of tannin with fruit.' Harry Ballmann, Folie. 'A dark, brooding style, with rounded fruits and bold structure - this offers a lot for the price.' Laura Rhys MS, team leader. 'Intense darker fruits like plum, with a little mocha edging in, and a little baked earth too.' Tim Handley, Royal Automobile Club.

£10.23 Enotria&Coe

Domaine des Carabiniers, Lunar Apogé, Lirac Rouge 2018, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

Charles Tort, Hommage, Côtes du Rhône 2019, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

Bouchard Aîné & Fils, Philippine Saint-Cyrille, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2017, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

Maison Les Alexandrins, Crozes-Hermitage 2018, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

£16.75 Liberty Wines

Domaine les Alexandrins, Saint-Joseph 2017, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

£22.10 Liberty Wines

Paul Jaboulet, Domaine de Thalabert, Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2017, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

£28.42 Bibendum

Alain Jaume, Les Champauvins, Côtes-du-Rhône 2017, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

£12.99 Bibendum

Louis & Cherry Barruol, Château de St Cosme, Gigondas 2017, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

£24.83 Bibendum

Domaine Brusset, Les Boudalles, Ventoux 2019, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

£9.11 Enotria&Coe

Domaine de la Janasse, Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2018, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

£10.95 Enotria&Coe

Domaine Christophe Curtat, Crozes-Hermitage, Fees des Champs 2018, Rhône, France

Commended medal winner

£19.16 Top Selection