"This is up front and satisfying with dark plum, cranberry, olive, dark mushroom and roasted almond characters on the nose, followed by a succulent palate that is plump and fleshy. The wine offers terrific fruit power backed by silky texture and polished tannins, leading to a persistent mouthfilling finish. At its best: now to 2020" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

This luscious red perfectly captures the ripeness, depth and sheer drinkability of the best Côtes du Rhônes. Made from the usual suspects from this part of France - Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault. This beauty has rich, ripe flavours of spiced blackberry, raspberry and redcurrant. Lovely, long, smooth and silky on the palate but with plenty of structure making it feel more serious than the price tag suggests.

A consistent top Gold medal winner, this gorgeous, velvety Rhône red also offers tremendous value. It's from our friends Bouachon in Châteauneuf du Pape. The reason it's not labelled Châteauneuf (and is not twice the price!) is that the grapes are from vineyards not far to the famed appellation. What they do share is the same rock strewn soil that promotes superb richness and ripeness - and vines that are similarly aged and gnarled, which results in tiny quantities of concentrated fruit.

Food Piring: Created by the gifted Laurent Sauvage, this exceptional Côtes du Rhône is a real gem - spot-on with rack of lamb, a robust cassoulet or roast duck.