2023 M. Chapoutier Côtes du Rhône Belleruche Rouge, Rhône, France 🇫🇷

The Moment

Some Côtes du Rhône are built around softness.
Others are built around spice and momentum.

The 2023 M. Chapoutier Belleruche Rouge feels like the kind of bottle that does exactly what a good southern Rhône should do — dark-fruited, peppery, and generous, but still polished enough to keep the whole thing moving. Blackcurrant and raspberry on the nose, complemented by white pepper, with a palate that is powerful and fruity with lovely roasted notes and silky, delicate tannins. A blend of 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 5% Marselan, with black raspberry, peppery, violet, and spice notes and a rounded, medium-bodied, beautifully structured style. 

What It Feels Like

Think grilled lamb, roasted vegetables, and a red that feels open from the first pour but still has enough southern Rhône spice to hold the table’s attention.

What makes this wine work is the balance between fruit and savor. Blackcurrant, raspberry, pepper, violet, and roasted notes is exactly the kind of mix that makes Côtes du Rhône so useful: enough fruit to feel welcoming, enough spice to feel like dinner wine. 

In the Glass

Aromatics
Blackcurrant, raspberry, white pepper, violet, and spice.

Palate
Juicy and medium-bodied, with dark and red fruit, roasted notes, and a rounded Rhône shape.

Texture
Silky and approachable, with delicate tannins that keep the wine easy to drink.

Finish
Spiced, fruity, and persistent, with roasted notes carrying through the close. 

Why We Love This Bottle

A Southern Rhône Red That Knows Its Lane
This sounds exactly like what many people want from Côtes du Rhône: ripe fruit, pepper, roasted savor, and enough polish to make it easy to open on a weeknight.

Grenache-Led, But Not Soft
Jeb Dunnuck’s 2023 note makes the blend and personality especially clear: mostly Grenache, but with Syrah and Marselan adding structure, spice, and color. That helps explain why the wine feels rounded without becoming plush.

A Great Grill Red
Chapoutier’s own food-pairing note for the current Belleruche red recommends young milk-fed lamb, and the winery’s broader Rhône food-pairing page points to dishes like quesadillas for Belleruche red. That matches the wine’s peppery, roasted-fruit style very well.

Pair It With

• Lamb
• Burgers
• Roasted vegetables
• Quesadillas
• Sausages off the grill

Technical Notes

Producer: M. Chapoutier
Wine: Côtes du Rhône Belleruche Rouge
Vintage: 2023
Region: Rhône, France
Blend: 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 5% Marselan

Body: Medium
Structure: Silky tannins · juicy fruit · peppery spice · roasted finish

Flavor Profile
Blackcurrant · Raspberry · White Pepper · Violet · Spice · Roasted Notes

Drink Window
Now–2028