The land

The southern Rhône begins where the northern Rhône ends — south of Montélimar, where the river spills out into a broad Mediterranean valley. The climate is hot and dry, with the dramatic mistral wind blowing down from the north for much of the year. The soils are a mosaic of sandy clay, limestone, and, most famously, the galets roulés — large rounded stones rolled smooth by ancient riverbeds — that cover the most prestigious sites of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The appellations

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the flagship: red blends typically dominated by Grenache, with Syrah, Mourvèdre, and up to ten other approved grapes filling in. Gigondas and Vacqueyras are the village-level appellations just east of Châteauneuf, producing slightly more structured wines on cooler higher-elevation sites. Lirac sits across the river on the Right Bank. The broader Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages appellations cover the rest of the southern Rhône — the home of every-night-value Grenache-Syrah blends.

Style of the wines

Grenache-led blends with Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and others. The classic profile: ripe strawberry, raspberry, dried herbs (garrigue — wild rosemary, thyme, lavender), white pepper, leather, with alcohols routinely 14.5-15.5%. The wines are full-bodied but rarely tannic; the structure comes from alcohol and concentration rather than grip. Whites — based on Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Marsanne, Bourboulenc, and Picpoul — are an underrated category.

Vintages to know

2022 — concentrated, balanced. 2020 — outstanding. 2019 — exceptional, classical structure. 2017 — heat-marked but high quality from those who managed yields. 2016 — superb across both colors. 2015 — powerful and age-worthy. 2010 — legendary. See /encyclopedia/vintage-chart/.

Producers we know

Château de Beaucastel, Château Rayas (the cult Châteauneuf made entirely from Grenache on sandy soils), Domaine du Pegau, Vieux Donjon, Clos des Papes, Vieux Télégraphe, Domaine du Vieux Lazaret. Across the broader Côtes du Rhône and Villages: Domaine la Soumade, Domaine de la Réméjeanne, Coudoulet de Beaucastel.