Sometimes when I’m on the road, like right now in the Rhone Valley of France, I bump into a wine and the moment I taste it I think, “Yes!“
That’s exactly how I felt when I came across this excellent red from the southern Rhone that’s got everything we expect from these wines, but is modest in price thanks to the humble appellation on the label. The Famille Abeille-Fabre Côtes-du-Rhône Mont-Redon Réserve 2021 is warm and generous, with stacks of red and black fruit aromas. In short, it’s delicious.
But that’s only for starters, because this grenache-dominated blend has a slew of spice, licorice and old balsamic vinegar notes that give it a remarkable complexity for this price level. They make it fascinating to drink!
There’s a good reason this wine stands out in the Cote-du-Rhone category and that’s the producer behind it: Chateau Mont-Redon is one of the stars of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
We are always on the lookout for “simple” wines from leading winemakers like this, because they often provide both an exciting drinking experience and excellent value for money. The ethos behind these producers’ top wines and the experience they gain from producing them are the ideal basis for producing stunning wines for everyday drinking.
One thing to note is that this is not a declassified Chateauneuf-du-Pape. When a producer declassifies wine from that appellation she or he has only one option: Vin de France. And on paper that’s the lowest designation for French wines, period.
This wine comes from vineyards that Chateau Mont-Redon owns outside the boundaries of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. And this makes the wonderful rich texture on the palate and that aromatic complexity they achieved particularly impressive.
By the way, if someone tells you that the 2021 vintage in the Rhone is rubbish (as some of our colleagues have written), we suggest they taste a 2021 wine like this one to see what was possible in spite of the challenging growing conditions.
Grab this while you can, because the production is not huge!
– Stuart Pigott, Senior Editor
