Côtes du Rhône Les Vignes du Prince 2010 (6 bottles)

At last, the 2010 vintage of our best-selling Côtes-du-Rhône ‘Les Vignes du Prince’ has arrived! We say at last because, in our view, the 2010 is its best incarnation for many years.

We loved the 2008, despite the critics’ blanket criticisms of the vintage. It showed a soft, red-fruit-scented elegance, with a light body and peppery flavours. The 2009, by contrast, was hailed as another great year, but we found Vignes du Prince 2009 rather too rustic for our tastes – so we didn’t buy much.

Now the 2010 has arrived, and it combines the fine, red fruit and bramble aromas of the 2008 with a rich body more akin to the well-structured 2007.