Wills Wine Côtes du Rhône “Avant Midi” 2023
We have 12 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Wills Wine Côtes du Rhône “Avant Midi” 2023 comes from Séguret (north of Gigondas), a classic southern Rhône setting where vine age and soil mix are the driving force behind this wine. The fruit is sourced from an organically farmed grower, with parcels groan in clay-limestone alongside stretches of galets roulés—two soil types that tend to pull in different directions: clay-limestone giving shape and savory grip, galets (round river rocks) contributing warmth, ripeness, and breadth. Vine age runs from 15 to 60 years, with the older Grenache and Cinsault carrying the mid-palate density and the younger Syrah adding darker-toned structure and lift.
The Wine
“Avant Midi” is a Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault blend built around 100% whole-bunch fermentation in concrete, favoring a slower, gentler extraction and a brighter, crunchier profile rather than anything heavy-handed. It spends 12 months in well-seasoned demi-muids, so oak stays firmly in the background and the wine reads Rhône-first: ripe but fresh red fruit, a savory herbal edge, and a clean, tapered finish that’s just as compelling with a slight chill as it is at cellar temperature. It’s deliberately un-fussy yet quietly elegant—pure bistro red energy—but there’s more depth here than the label suggests, with an inviting nose of brambly berries, peppery herbs, floral lift, and a subtle stony note that carries into a lightly savory, complex finish. Killer wine to have in our wine club!
The People
Wills Wine is Will’s ten-year progression from learning to execution—simple vinification, deliberately minimal styling, and a clear preference for growers who work organically or with genuine environmental respect. “Avant Midi” was first produced in 2020 as a personal homage to his late grandfather, who famously opened Côtes du Rhône most mornings before noon—an origin story that actually matches the wine’s intent: convivial, delicious, and made to be opened without ceremony. Will’s range spans multiple grapes and terroirs from southern Beaujolais down to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with an emphasis on returning to the same parcels each year to refine how each site speaks. Along the way, he credits formative encouragement and inspiration from a serious bench of mentors and peers—including Pierre-Yves Colin, Tamra Kelly-Washington, Doug Tunnell, Jean-Louis Chave, and Julien Pilon—while keeping the finished wines firmly in the “drinkable, alive, shareable” lane.
Food pairing
Crispy chicken thighs over lemon-herb couscous with caper-butter pan sauce, Castelvetrano olives, toasted pine nuts, and dried sour cherries.
This plays directly into the wine’s bright fruit energy and savory-herbal edge (caper-butter + olives), while the cherries echo its brambly red-fruit core. Couscous keeps the dish light and elegant, and the pine nuts add a subtle richness and texture—pure bistro polish, but absolutely doable on a weeknight.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
The Rhône Valley is a diverse and historic wine region, divided into two distinct areas. The Northern Rhône is the birthplace of Syrah, with steep, terraced vineyards that produce some of the world's most revered wines, such as those from Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. The Southern Rhône is much more expansive, offering a wider range of styles, but typically based around Grenache-based blends, with wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape known for their complexity and power. While the region is celebrated for its reds, it also produces incredible textured whites, and as a whole the region displays the spectrum of French wine and the incredible differences that can come from small geographic changes.
Rhone Valley
Grenache is a widely planted grape variety that thrives in its Mediterranean home. In Spain, it's known as Garnacha, where it reaches its peak in the Sierra de Gredos as a pure varietal wine, while also being a key blending component in Rioja. France's Southern Rhône, notably Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is another well-known region, where Grenache is often the base of a blended wine. Grenache also finds a home in Sardinia as Cannonau, and it has spread beyond its Mediterranean origins, most famously to Australia's Barossa Valley. The resulting wines are typically light in color, yet they possess a full body and flavor, displaying mature red fruit notes, herbal spices, and often a hint of orange peel, along with soft tannins and moderate acidity. It is an incredibly versatile grape, showing different expressions based on its terroir and the winemaking style employed.
