Dauvergne Ranvier Vin Rare Gigondas 2015 Rhône, France 75cl

Dauvergne Ranvier is the project of two seasoned Rhône hands who set out in 2004 to make wine on their own terms. Their Vin Rare range gathers small parcels and low yields from the region’s better terroirs, aiming for concentration and character in the glass.

This Gigondas is built on Grenache, with Syrah and Mourvèdre in support, the classic recipe of the southern Rhône. Gigondas sits under the jagged Dentelles de Montmirail, where stony soils and altitude give reds that are powerful yet perfumed, long regarded as one of the finest crus outside Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The 2015 vintage was an excellent one across the southern Rhône, warm and even, producing ripe, deeply coloured wines with generous fruit and ripe tannins. It shows in the density and warmth of this bottle, which has the balance to age well.

Expect black cherry, plum and blackberry, laced with black pepper, liquorice and garrigue herbs, all on a full-bodied palate with firm, ripe tannins and a long finish. Decant it an hour ahead and serve at cool room temperature, with roast lamb, daube of beef or a peppered steak.

If Châteauneuf-du-Pape is your usual splash, Gigondas offers much the same southern Rhône power for less. A generous, cold-weather red for a proper Sunday roast or a hearty midweek stew, and one that will keep improving for several years yet. Open it for a gathering where the food is rich and the evening is long, and it will more than earn its place on the table, holding its own against the biggest flavours.