Cotes du Rhone 'Terra Firma' Domaine l'Ancienne Ecole 2020

This is a serious Cotes du Rhone will a nice bit of bottle age on it. It’s a blend of 80% Grenache Noir and 20% Syrah which results in a soft, spicy, bramble fruited wine with great complexity. It is invitingly fruity and packed with dark red and black hedgerow fruit, black pepper and herb notes.

We spent a great deal of time searching for a Côtes du Rhône we liked and had almost given up when out of the blue Tarquin met a chap called Bill Thorburn in Edinburgh. It turns out Bill’s son, Wilson, and his wife, Anna, own a little estate called Domaine l’Ancienne Ecole just outside Vinsobres. “I’ll get you samples”, insists Bill. Now caution has to be taken here as it’s not uncommon for one of us to meet someone who knows someone who makes wine. It normally ends with a polite email including the words, “they were not right for us” (i.e. they were substandard). Thankfully Wilson and Anna’s wines were tremendous and we are proud to have them on our list. They are now certified organic, unfiltered and use very low levels or added sulphur. Their vineyards are in prime sites on the plateau above Vinsobres. Grenache dominated, the wines have excellent structure and above all are a pleasure to drink.