The Winery Garances-Pommand of Beaumes-de-Venise of Rhone Valley

‘All good quality years have hydric stress,’ says Jacky Bernard, President of AOC Vacqueyras, ‘otherwise you don’t get the necessary concentration… But extreme stress is counterproductive.’ Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring Gigondas, Vacqueyras & Beaumes de Venise 2020 wines {"content":"PHA+VmFjcXVleXJhcywgcGVyaGFwcyB0aGFua3MgdG8gaXRzIHByb3BvcnRpb24gb2Ygb2xkIHZpbmVzICg0MiUgYXJlIG92ZXIgNDAgeWVhcnMgb2xkKSByb2RlIG91dCB0aGUgZHJvdW ...

Onwards, upwards. The roads get narrower, the corners get tighter. I step out of the car when I finally reach the winery and the air is so much fresher here. I go to take a sip from my water bottle and a gust of wind makes it whistle. I stand with Thomas Jullien and we look over the vineyards. It’s not yet spring, and the vines look little more than sticks. ‘It’s a lunar landscape at the moment,’ he says, as a friend’s flock of 300 sheep has just passed through to graze on every scrap of green b ...

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 ...