Domaine de la Girardiere Côtes-du-Rhône Villages 'Séguret'

Whenever I visit Domaine Richaud, just outside the village of Cairanne, the winemaking team remind me of friends I made at free parties in the 1990s in fields and disused warehouses. I’m not talking dreadlocks and dogs on strings, but there’s always an anarchic frisson in the air. You get the impression they know how to enjoy themselves. Perhaps it’s to be expected, given the radical furrow Marcel Richaud has ploughed. He’s approaching 70 now, but still thrums with pent-up energy, his ice-blue e ...

I clearly remember the summer of 2014 in the Rhône. We were there on holiday, staying not far from the hill of Hermitage. It rained incessantly, I got tonsillitis and we had to rush our two-year-old son to hospital with a severed thumb. It wasn’t the best holiday we’ve ever had. That wet summer of 2014 also made an indelible impression on the wines. The 2013 vintage wasn’t without its challenges either – it was certainly unlucky for some. Positioned between the excellent 2012 and 2015, the 2013s ...

Emmanuelle Verset is the sixth generation to make wine in her family, and represents the E in Domaine A&E Verset. The A is for Alain, her father. She took over from him in 2016 at the age of 24, and is one of the few female winemakers in Cornas. The Verset name runs deep in this part of the Rhône. You might have heard of Noël Verset (1919 – 2015), whose bottles are highly sought-after today – Noël was Alain’s uncle. Scroll down to see Matt Walls tasting notes and scores for six Domaine A& ...