Château L'Ermite d'Auzan Rouge 2023

Not every Rhône red needs a famous postcode to deliver the goods. From Costières de Nîmes, this blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre stands shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Lirac or Vacqueyras, but at a friendlier price. Blackberry and plum fruit are layered with garrigue herbs, spice and a touch of liquorice. Ageing in barrel smooths the edges and adds depth while the fruit stays vivid. Farmed biodynamically, it is generous and structured, with all the ripeness you'd expect from the south but shaped by freshness and poise.

Ideal with grilled lamb, cassoulet or aubergine dishes, where its dark fruit, herbs and spice work seamlessly with rich, savoury flavours.

Vines have been grown around Château l'Ermite d'Auzan in Saint-Gilles just outside the Camargue for several centuries with records of l'Ermitage of Costieres producing wine for pilgrims en route to Santiago de Compostella as far back as the twelfth century. So, there’s a pretty long history of viticulture in these parts. Today the estate extends to 80 hectares of sunny, south-facing vineyards on sandstone soils where the owner, Jérôme Castillon and his son, Tanguy, now do things very much along biodynamic lines.