Châteauneuf · Gigondas · Crozes

Rhône, by the wind.

The Mistral runs the valley north to south, 200 km from the steep granite slopes of Côte-Rôtie to the wide pebble fields of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Syrah at the top, Grenache at the bottom, 13 grapes allowed in the south.

Sub-regionsBrowse by origin
DomainesProducer route
AdviceAsk before checkout
Two sub-regions

Northern, or Southern.

Rhône region map
Rhône: useful origins and range routes.
The domaines

Producer shortlist.

M
France · Châteauneuf-du-Pape · since 1923 Mont Redon

One hundred contiguous hectares centred on the Plateau de Mont-Redon — Chateau Mont-Redon is Chateauneuf-du-Pape's largest estate. Henri Plantin acquired it in 1923, before the Chateauneuf-du-Pape AOC was created in 1936; the oldest vines on the estate, planted by Plantin, are nearly a century old. The fourth-generation Plantin descendants — Pierre Fabre and Yann Abeille of the Abeille-Fabre family — now run it.

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S
France · Rhône · since 1821 Saint Damien

Forty-five hectares in Gigondas, run by Joel and Romain Saurel — the fourth and fifth generations of the Saurel family on the property. Domaine Saint Damien took its current name in 1979, after a chapel that once stood near the cellar.

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C
France · Rhône · since 1896 Clos des Papes

Paul Avril helped draft the Chateauneuf-du-Pape AOC regulations enacted in 1936 — France's first AOC. Clos des Papes was founded in 1896 by Paul Avril; the Avril family has been settled in the village since 1600, and Paul-Vincent Avril runs the estate today.

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L
France · Rhône · since 2002 La Barroche

Sixteen hectares of low-yield old-vine Grenache. Julien Barrot took over the family vineyards in 2002 and began estate-bottling that year under Domaine La Barroche.

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C
France · Rhône Clos du Caillou

Sylvie Vacheron and her son Jean-Denis Vacheron run Le Clos du Caillou at Courthezon, farming organically across vineyard holdings inside the Chateauneuf appellation and a larger Cotes-du-Rhone programme.

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C
France · Rhône Charvin

Old-vine, sandy-soil Grenache is the focus at Domaine Charvin in Orange, run by sixth-generation Laurent Charvin. The estate works around 8 hectares in Chateauneuf and 18 hectares in Cotes-du-Rhone.

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G
France · Rhône · since 1996 Gilles Robin

Eighteen hectares of Syrah on the Crozes-Hermitage flat clay-limestone terraces. Gilles Robin separated his parcels from the family co-op in 1996 to set up Domaine Gilles Robin in Mercurol.

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Caravan's pours

If you're writing onewine case this winter.

Six bottles that cover the range — gateway, sipper, cellar, presentation piece. Real prices, real producers.

Vintage chart · Rhône

Rhône vintages, at a glance.

Rhône reds split between Northern Syrah (steep granite slopes — Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Crozes) and Southern Grenache-led blends (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras). The two sub-regions often diverge significantly within the same calendar year.

Year Conditions Drinking noteNorthSouth
2023

Cool wet spring, hot dry July, balanced harvest.

Drink Crozes and CdR Villages now; cellar Hermitage and Châteauneuf 10+ yrs.

NorthExcellent ★★★★☆
SouthExcellent ★★★★☆
2022

Hot dry summer, irregular yields in the south. Fresher than 2020.

Northern Syrahs excellent; Southern blends solid mid-tier.

NorthOutstanding ★★★★★
SouthExcellent ★★★★☆
2021

Cool wet vintage, low yields. Selection matters.

Drink earlier reds now; cellar top wines 10–15 yrs.

NorthVery Good ★★★☆☆
SouthVery Good ★★★☆☆
2020

Hot dry concentration vintage. Powerful, structured.

Long ageing curve — drink lighter Crozes now; Hermitage and CdP 2030+.

NorthOutstanding ★★★★★
SouthOutstanding ★★★★★
2019

Hot summer, alcoholic ripe, structured.

Drinking now for entry tier; cellar top wines 8–12 yrs.

NorthExcellent ★★★★☆
SouthExcellent ★★★★☆
2018

Hot ripe vintage, generous crop. Some heat-affected southern fruit.

Drink CdR Villages now; cellar selectively for Hermitage and CdP.

NorthExcellent ★★★★☆
SouthVery Good ★★★☆☆
2017

Classical excellent vintage, slow ripening.

Northern Syrahs at peak window opening; Southern Grenache singing now.

NorthOutstanding ★★★★★
SouthOutstanding ★★★★★
2016

Cool but ripe, structured, modern classic.

Drink everything from village to cru — peak window for most.

NorthOutstanding ★★★★★
SouthOutstanding ★★★★★
2015

Hot ripe vintage, concentrated.

Long ageing — cellar Hermitage to 2035, Châteauneuf to 2030.

NorthOutstanding ★★★★★
SouthOutstanding ★★★★★
2010

Outstanding generation vintage. Concentrated structured.

Cellar darlings — peak now to 2030.

NorthOutstanding ★★★★★
SouthOutstanding ★★★★★

Caravan tastes the vintage before we write the note. Indicators reflect the Rhône vintages generally; individual climats, villages, and vineyards diverge.

How to shop Rhône

Three moves.

01

Domaine-bottled, named-village

No négociant Côtes du Rhône blended in volume. Even our entry bottles carry the parcel on the label.

02

Southern Rhône is the case-buy

Châteauneuf is famous but expensive; Gigondas and Vacqueyras give 80% of the experience at 50% of the price. Saint Damien's Gigondas Vieilles Vignes is the move.

03

Northern Syrah is the cellar play

Crozes-Hermitage from Gilles Robin holds ten years and overdelivers against the Côte-Rôtie tier. Buy young, drink old.