Domaine des Anges Tom and the Peloton 2019 Ventoux, Rhône, France 75cl

Domaine des Anges sits high on the northern slopes of Mont Ventoux, an estate with long British ties that has been making wine on this dramatic Provençal mountain for decades. Cool nights and real altitude give its reds freshness alongside southern ripeness.

This cuvée is made as a mark of respect for Tom Simpson, one of Britain’s greatest cyclists, who collapsed and died during the ascent of Ventoux in the 1967 Tour de France at just twenty-nine. A donation from every bottle goes to help maintain the Simpson memorial that still stands near the summit.

The wine is a Syrah-led Ventoux red, around 90% Syrah with roughly 10% Grenache, a blend that leans into the peppery, savoury side of the appellation while keeping plenty of ripe fruit. The 2019 vintage was warm and generous across the southern Rhône, giving deeply coloured, full-flavoured reds.

In the glass it offers white pepper, cured meats, resinous garrigue herbs and sweet red and black fruits, with a warm, rounded palate, supple tannins and a fresh, herby lift on the finish that keeps it from feeling heavy. It is a natural partner for grilled lamb, merguez sausages, a Sunday roast or anything from the barbecue, and a decant of half an hour helps it show its best.

More than a novelty, this is a genuinely enjoyable mountain Syrah with a cause behind it and a memory worth raising a glass to. For cycling fans it is an obvious talking point and a thoughtful gift, and for anyone who simply likes a peppery, sun-warmed southern Rhône red, it drinks very well indeed.