A vibrant purple hue in the glass. Brooding but fleshy aromatics are laced with an herbal spice note. Tannins are prominent but don’t dominate – cherry pip flavours wash over the mid palate. A savoury finish with an immense length and persistence. This wine will blossom with some bottle age.

Théo Dancer, like his father, is a big fan of Grenache. The vineyard he works with is in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes (between Orange and Montélimar) near Cairanne. It’s a beautiful, shaded vineyard that looks out to Mont Ventoux, and the soils are littered with smooth galets roulés (the rounded stones that dominate so much of the southern Rhône). The vineyard has been managed organically for years—a key attraction for Théo. This 2023 is an engaging whole-bunch Grenache through a Burgundian lens. The fruit was harvested in late August and fermented as whole clusters, and the wine was raised in used 456-litre barrels. The stems are perfectly integrated, bringing freshness and lift to the wine’s ripe, fleshy-yet-floral core. Expect a Pinot-lover’s style of Grenache, with lots of orange rind, crushed blackberry and wild rose notes among the aromas, and a fleshy yet fine, super-floral palate with powdery tannins in abundance. A remarkable and unique interpretation of Grenache!