Tavel 'La Nymphe', Guillaume Gonnet 2025

These days Tavel rosé is somewhat overlooked, outflanked by fashionable, Provence-inspired pale pink styles. Yet it was the first French rosé to gain appellation status in 1936 and has long been known for its deeper colour, extra weight and greater structure than the norm. And La Nymphe is right in that mould: ripe strawberries and cherries are at its core, backed by stone-fruit notes and a hint of watermelon. It’s dry, rounded and firm, with a persistent finish. As a counterpoint to the pale, delicately fruity pinks, this is more substantial and – dare we say it – grown-up, which is precisely the idea.

Although it has the ability to age and mature a few years it's already right on the money and very rewarding. A versatile wine with food, try with salads and barbecues, pasta, goats cheese or simply with freshly cut melon or just on its own.

The energetic and charismatic Guillaume Gonnet is not your average Rhône winemaker. Extremely open in his attitude, his curious, boundary challenging approach extends beyond wine. He travelled to the far ends of the earth, revelling in the opportunity to surf some of the best waves in the world while learning his craft in various Australian and New Zealand regions. Returning to the Rhône, now with his Australian wife Kelly, Guillaume has shown similar energy for his family estate and for his own project. This land locked surfer may be miles from the ocean but is happily riding the wave of newfound enthusiasm for Grenache based wines. Pursuing biodynamics wherever possible, allowing his fruit to express itself freely through hands-off winemaking and displaying his fascination for the varying soils of the Rhône through his diverse range of wines, he's just the sort of restless creative always on the lookout for improvement.