Rhône 2023 – Gigondas and Vacqueyras reds

Alistair Cooper MW at Vacqueyras 2023 blind tasting

A challenging vintage for vineyards on sandy, light soils, though if you look hard enough, you'll find some impressive wines. Ali has done a considerable amount of the legwork here. See this guide for all our extensive coverage of the 2023 vintage in the Rhône Valley.

Quality in Gigondas was more variable than in some other crus. As I mentioned in my overall southern Rhône vintage report, Gigondas has a considerable amount of sandy soils and less clay than some other areas, so the vineyards do not hold water as well. There was considerable variation across the appellation, some...