2023 Côtes du Rhône Villages Rouge, Visan, Native, Dom. Dieu-le-Fit, Pouizin, Rhône

Grenache (Noir) is widely grown and comes in a variety of styles. Believed to originate in Spain, it was, in the late 20th century, the most widely planted black grape variety in the world. Today it hovers around seventh in the pecking order. It tends to produce very fruity, rich wines that can range quite widely in their level of tannin. In many regions – most famously the Southern Rhône, where it complements Syrah and Mourvèdre, among other grapes – it adds backbone and colour to blends, but some of the most notable Châteauneuf du Pape producers (such as Château Rayas) make 100 percent Grenache wines. The grape is a component in many wines of the Languedoc (where you’ll also find its lighter-coloured forms, Grenache Gris and Blanc) and is responsible for much southern French rosé – taking the lead in most Provence styles. Found all over Spain as Garnacha Tinta (spelt Garnaxa in Catalonia), the grape variety is increasingly detailed on wine labels there. Along with Tempranillo, it forms the majority of the blend for Rioja’s reds and has been adopted widely in Navarra, where it produces lighter styles of red and rosado (rosé). It can also be found operating under a pseudonym, Cannonau, in Sardinia.

Rémi and Geraldine Pouizin of Domaine Dieu-le-Fit are at the top of their game. Demeter accredited from 2016, we are delighted to be working with them for our Own Selection Côtes du Rhône. Rémi inherited most of his vineyards from the property known as Fourmente, where he built his own winery. Their wines are given branded names as they are essentially assembled from different plots. Red clay and pudding stones are at the lower altitudes, then “saffre” (sandstone) is just above the village itself. The more varied garrigue-strewn soils sit on the plateau heading in the direction of Rasteau.