Cote du Rhone reds deliver rustic French charm

But among the thousands of vineyards scattered across the 170-odd villages that have the geographic right to make wines classed as Cote du Rhone, a little local knowledge goes a long way.

Like the roots of those vines snaking across the hillsides from Lyon down to Avignon, relationships don’t just run deep but reward nurturing.

There’s the families of multi-generational winemakers, passing down irreplaceable oenological understanding in a region whose winemaking tradition harks back to Roman occupation.

There’s also the adopted locals whose deep friendships with those growing the grapes – particularly those producing on a quality-over-quantity scale – go back decades.

Channel Islander Mark Hoddy has been making, blending and sourcing wine for more than 20 years across the south of France, often for The Australian Wine Club.

“This is how you get the good stuff!” he says. “These are people I know well, we work together but we also have dinner.

“Their wines are the ones you don’t see everywhere, they’re almost underground wines, if you know what I mean, or selling only at the cellar door.”

Longstanding relationships are at the heart of the four Cotes du Rhone in this week’s special mixed dozen offer: two contrasting offerings from one fourth-generation estate, one with an RRP of $55; a powerful number from a domaine (or vineyard) that Hoddy calls one of his Rhone favourites (RRP $50), plus an organic Cote du Rhone created by one of Roddy’s longest-standing friends.

The geography of each is significant: the Pere Guillot Sablet 2020, for instance, is a very close neighbour to one of the Rhone’s most upmarket regions. “It comes from literally on the border of Gigondas, it’s grown in the same sandy soils and tastes like it, so it’s superb value,” Hoddy says.

“Pere Guillot is a winery I’ve worked with for a long time, in this case with Laurent, who’s a fourth-generation winemaker.”

That same estate produced the grapes for the Cuvee Prestigieux Cotes du Rhone Villages 2022, a year whose weather was kindly and fruit-enhancing, and the grenache for which came from vineyards around Orange and Avignon – very close, as Hoddy notes, to the storeyed soils of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Meanwhile, the Domaine Martin Cairanne 2022 comes from one of 18 cru – the smaller, higher-quality areas – that was designated as such only a decade ago after decades of exemplary quality.

“Domaine Martin I love working with, they’re 120 years old and their wines across the board are incredible – silky and velvety,” Hoddy says. “Likewise, Domaine de la Bastide – the original family (from its founding nearly 40 years ago), from the most northern end of the Southern Rhone, they’ve been working with us for a long time.”

Domaine Martin Cairanne 2022

From a very good year comes a very good wine, earthy and herby on the first sniff but also with sweet spices, blackberry and vanilla. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with ripe blackberry and red fruits plus a hint of tar, kept in good order by firm tannins and a balanced acidity. 15% alc, RRP $55 a bottle.

SPECIALS $47.99 a bottle in any dozen; $29.99 a bottle in Cote du Rhone dozen.

Pere Guillot Sablet 2020

Pretty much the essence of Cote du Rhone, from the dried fruit and earthiness on the nose to the full-bodied, rounded palate with a tingling of spice. That nose has layers to it, some red cherry and cedar, hints of aniseed and herbs, while each mouthful has a focused intensity, splashed in black fruits, dark chocolate and black olive. 13.5% alc, RRP $50 a bottle.

SPECIALS $44.99 a bottle in any dozen; $29.99 a bottle in Cote du Rhone dozen.

Domaine de la Bastide Cotes du Rhone Organic 2023

A dark ruby hue flags the intense blackberry and brambles that suffuse a generous nose, with a swirl of vanilla, spice, some dried herbs and a sprinkle of cocoa. Somehow the velvetiness on the palate segues perfectly, the blackberry and red fruits full of soft texture but balanced with a crunchy, food-worthy acidity and some dusty tannins. 13.5% alc, RRP $30 a bottle.

SPECIALS $23.99 a bottle in any dozen; $29.99 a bottle in Cote du Rhone dozen.

Cuvee Prestigieux Cotes du Rhone Villages 2022

It takes a moment for a savoury, cedary nose to give itself up, but the pan juices, herbs and subtle red fruits that flow practically scream “roast lamb” before you’ve even sipped it. You’ll get more redcurrant and herbs when you do, some black olive and earthy brambles amid a silky mouthful with balanced tannins. 14.5% alc, RRP $30 a bottle.

SPECIALS $21.99 a bottle in any dozen; $29.99 a bottle in Cote du Rhone dozen.

COTE DU RHONE DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $29.99 a bottle. SAVE $135.