An 80/20 split of Grenache and Mourvèdre brought up all in tank, the 2022 Côtes Du Rhône Villages Plan De Dieu Vieilles Vignes is a hidden little gem of a wine that delivers loads of pleasure. Sweet red (and subtle black) fruits, chalky minerality, black pepper, and bouquet garni notes all shine here, and this quintessential Southern Rhône is medium-bodied and has a pure, layered mouthfeel, ripe yet certainly present tannins, and a great finish. As with many 2022s today, it gains richness and depth with air, so don't be afraid to open bottles ahead of time. While there's no need to delay gratification, I'd be shocked if this still wasn't drinking beautifully in a decade.
92 points, Jeb Dunnuck (May 2025)
The 2022 “Plain de Dieu” Vieilles Vignes from Joel and Romain Saurel comes in at 14.5 percent alcohol in this vintage. The wine is made from its customary cépages of eighty percent grenache and twenty percent mourvèdre, with the former vines planted in 1949 and the latter in 1978! The wine’s aromatic constellation is deep and complex, wafting from the glass in a mix of raspberries, fruitcake, pepper, spiced meats, stony soil tones, garrigue and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, focused and full-bodied, with superb depth of old vine fruit, excellent soil signature, a bit of chewy tannin and fine balance on the long and complex finish. The very old vines here seem to have navigated the drought quite well, so the same concentrated effect from desiccated berries is not in evidence here. This is an excellent bottle in the making.
91 points, John Gilman, View From The Cellar (Oct 2024)
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