Rotem & Mounir Saouma 'Inopia' 2021

Rotem & Mounir Saouma make some of the most sought-after Rhône wines of the last decade — concentrated, terroir-driven, lower-intervention. Inopia is their southern-Rhône project: Grenache-led, intense red cherry, garrigue and spice, but with elegance and lift you don't usually see at this concentration. Serious wine.

Rotem and Mounir Saouma made their name in Burgundy as the founders of Lucien Le Moine. In 2011 they bought a run-down parcel near Orange in the southern Rhône and named the project Inopia. The word is Latin, roughly "made from nothing".

Grenache leads the blend, with Mourvèdre, Counoise, Syrah and Cinsault in support. The Saoumas ferment with whole bunches, then rest the wine at length in concrete eggs, large foudres and barrels. It is Burgundian patience applied to southern fruit.

Decant it and give it an hour before dinner. A slow-cooked lamb shoulder meets it well. Open it for anyone who thinks Côtes-du-Rhône stops at the cheap end of the shelf.