Beaumes de Venise

Domaine des Bernardins 94

£ 24.40 Christopher Piper TOP VALUE Nose of fresh pepper and herbal bitters. Full, lively palate with sculpted fruit and tannins. Saline finish. Drink 2019-2026 Alc 13.5% fresh fruit and robust tannin structures will give the top wines impressive longevity.

The 2015 vintage in the southern Rhône was broadly very good, but some wines were overly rich and alcoholic. The 2016s are firmer, fresher, with better structure and balance. White wines are also marginally better this year thanks to their increased freshness and acidity, but this is emphatically a year for reds, particularly Grenache, while Mourvèdre and Carignan are juicy and concentrated.