Rhône 2021 – other southern reds

As seems to be the common theme for red wines in the south, it was a heterogenous vintage. There was no shortage of wines that seemed slightly hollow, with low fruit concentration and pretty firm tannins. The red wines that I tried from Beaumes-de-Venise were a refreshing surprise – here the tannins generally seemed riper and the fruit was brighter and more dense than in many other crus. The...