Wine lovers are probably still familiar with the wines from Grignan-les-Adhémar, but rather under the old name "Coteaux du Tricastin". The name was changed in 2009 after several accidents at the Tricastin nuclear power plant and the associated uranium enrichment plant, during which radioactive material was released into the surrounding area in several ways.
The fairly large area lies in the departments of Drôme and Vaucluse between Montelimar in the north and Bollène in the south on the left bank of the Rhone. The majority of the wines from the approximately 2600 hectares of vineyards are red and generally robust and powerful. The best of them combine their power with polish, subtlety and, ideally, elegance. As in many areas of the Rhône, the importance of white wines is increasing here - in terms of area and quality. The rosés are reliable and often decidedly good value.
On the other bank of the Rhône opposite Grignan-les-Adhémar, on the Ardèche, are the vineyards of the Côtes du Vivarais. Classified as an AOC since 1999, this climatically relatively cool region has a past as a mass producer and is slowly gaining a reputation as a source of high-class wines. In any case, the few wines we were presented with were quite convincing.
Much further south, above Nimes, is the youngest and, with 300 hectares of vineyards, smallest of the three appellations: the Duché d'Uzes, which only became an AOC in 2012. Here, the qualitative dynamics seem particularly dynamic to us. The area is an excellent source of convincing, independent red and white wines and, as almost everywhere on the southern Rhône, of reliable rosés at often extremely reasonable prices, which deserve much more attention than they are currently receiving.
We have tasted a good 40 wines from the three regions in the past weeks, of which we present the best here. Links to all the wines can be found at the end of each list.