The discerning drinker: A great year in the Rhone

Compared with the frenzy of January's Burgundy en primeur tastings - I'm still recovering from last week - those of the new Rhône wines are a much more sedate affair, stretching from November to February. In the northern Rhône, 2009 looks like a banner year: this week I've particularly enjoyed Jean-Luc Colombo's fine Cornas 2009s.

The southern Rhônes are very nearly as good, if a bit more mixed. But see for yourself: there are already some more lowly '09s on the shelves.

La Rectorie 2009, Côtes du Ventoux (Waitrose, £4.99)
Hard to find a better red than this at under a fiver: fresh, spicy, bags of grenache fruit.

Domaine Durieu 2009, Côtes du Rhône (Majestic, £9.99 or £7.99 when your buy any two Rhône wines under £20)
Big, dark, herby, a bit wild. Unusually for the southern Rhône, this is majority carignan, from grapes grown by a Châteauneuf producer in Plan de Dieu, between Vacqueyras and Cairanne.

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Côtes du Rhône-Villages 2009 (£6.15)
I recommended this in the run-up to Christmas, but it's still as fine a cheap '09 as you could wish: from Chapoutier, chunky and brimming with spicy, brambly fruit. Then again, there are still some of the splendid 2007 Rhônes around (although not for long, with the exception of late releases such as Guigal's ever-reliable straight Côtes du Rhône: its notably good 2007 will be in Majestic, Waitrose and elsewhere soonish.)

Domaine La Florane 2007, Visan Côtes du Rhône-Villages (Wine Society, mail order only, £9.95: thewinesociety.com)
Ripe, sweet fruit, powerful and richly perfumed: just about as full-throttle as Côtes du Rhône gets.

The Society's Exhibition Vacqueyras 2007 (Wine Soc iety, £9.95)
Made by the excellent Clos des Cazaux (I've bought some of their 2009 en primeur this year), this is wild, earthy, and well structured. Good value.