Domaine des Cigalounes

Domaine des Cigalounes is a small seven-hectare property on the rocky plateau between Tavel and Lirac, on the far bank of the Rhône from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The vines sit in a pocket of greenery that the Lemoine family have cultivated for several generations.

Severine Lemoine makes the wine, and makes it charming and flavoursome rather than grand: this is Lirac as it should be, generous southern Rhône red at a fraction of what the famous name across the river commands. Lirac has long been one of the better-value crus of the southern Rhône, sharing much of the galet-strewn geology of its neighbour without the reputation or the price.