Northern Rhone Flashcards
Paul Jaboulet Aine
Important rhône Valley merchant and wine producer, whose most famous wine is Hermitage la Chapelle. The house was founded in the early 19th century by Antoine Jaboulet and takes its name from the older of his twin sons. Jaboulet’s own vineyard holdings in production, which provide between a quarter and a third of the firm’s needs, totalled more than 115 ha/2,85 acres in 2014, in every northern Rhône appellation. Recent acquisitions included additional holdings in Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage, a stake in Condrieu (first vintage 1996), Domaine St-Pierre in Cornas (1994), most of Domaine Raymond Roure in Crozes-Hermitage (1996), Domaine des Pierrelles in Côte Rôtie (2006), and Domaine de Terre Ferme in Châteauneuf-du-Pape (2007). Of the raw materials bought in, from 150 growers the length of the Rhône valley, two-thirds is wine rather than grapes, and in the late 1990s quality was notably variable. The firm was based in its old cellars in Tain l’Hermitage from 1834 until 1984 when a modern winery and warehouse was built in La Roche de Glun just south of the town. Jaboulet sell a range of more than 20 different wines, most of them in the firm’s own deep-punted bottle, and the best are their own special cuvées. Their crozes-hermitage, Domaine de Thalabert, was some of the earliest proof offered to wine drinkers outside France that this appellation could produce serious, age-worthy wine. The firm’s La Chapelle 1961 is an acknowledged classic. The white Hermitage, Chevalier de Stérimberg, demonstrates the late Gérard Jaboulet’s admiration for the roussanne grape. In 2005, after years of under-performance, the company was sold to the Frey family, owners of Ch La Lagune in Bordeaux and investors in Champagne Billecart Salmon.
Chapoutier
Family-owned merchant-grower based at Tain-l’Hermitage in France’s northern rhône. One of the Rhône Valley’s great names established in 1808 and with 32 ha/80 acres of precious hermitage vineyard, it languished somewhat in the late 20th century. During the 1980s, when Chapoutier’s peers (guigal and jaboulet, for example) and numerous small growers were catching the imagination of the wine world with the improving quality of their wines, Chapoutier wines stood out precisely because they seemed unexceptional by comparison. This situation changed dramatically in 1990 when Max Chapoutier’s son Michel took over the running of the company, with outspoken passion and an early devotion to biodynamic viticulture. In 1996, the firm became the first wine producer to have labels in Braille. But what really distinguishes the company is its combination of high quality, often vineyard designated, and almost restless vineyard acquisition. By 2014 Chapoutier had a total of 260 ha/642 acres of vineyard in France alone, plus 428 ha of land as yet unplanted. These included vineyards the length of the Rhône Valley, nearly 100 ha in Roussillon, and three characterful Riesling vineyards in Alsace. Chapoutier also control 15 ha of vines in the Douro Valley and a total of 58 ha in the Australian state of Victoria together with a much greater area of unplanted land, some of these ambitious projects being joint ventures. In 2014 further possibilities in the Gard département in the southern Rhône and in georgia were under review.
Guigal
Family-owned merchant-grower based at Ampuis, côte rôtie, in the northern rhône. Although established as recently as 1946 by Étienne Guigal, Établissements Guigal is the most famous of any of the Rhône valley’s merchants or growers with collectors and investors. This is very largely due to the efforts of its manager since 1961, Étienne’s only son Marcel, a man of exceptional modesty and a gifted, meticulous winemaker. Guigal owns slightly more than 30 ha/75 acres of prime vineyard in Côte Rôtie, and it was the wines made from three of its best parcels, extravagantly praised by influential American wine writer Robert parker in the early to mid 1980s, that first drew international attention to Marcel Guigal. It would be fair to say that the quality of Guigal’s top wines, along with Parker’s persistent enthusiasm for them among many other Rhône wines, spearheaded a resurgence of interest in the whole region. Guigal’s so-called cru wines (La Mouline, La Landonne, and La Turque) are dark, dramatic, mouth-fillingly rich and oaky expressions of the syrah grape (supplemented by up to 11% of co-planted viognier in the case of La Mouline); made from low yields of very ripe, late-picked fruit aged for three and a half years in 100% new oak, and bottled without fining or filtration. They are particularly impressive when young and their quality is beyond question, but opinions are divided about their style; purists in particular feel that their character is masked by excessive oak. Reputation and rarity combined (only 400 to 700 cases of each are made each year) have also made them extremely expensive and therefore game for criticism, fair or not. More recent offerings include the more plentiful Côte Rôtie Ch d’Ampuis, La Doriane, a special condrieu, and, from the 2001 vintage, Ermitage Ex Voto. Because of the ballyhoo over his top wines, it is easy to overlook the fact that Guigal’s négociant wines, made substantially from bought-in grapes, are also very good and deservedly popular. In 1984 Guigal bought and revitalized the firm of Vidal Fleury, the company where Étienne Guigal worked at 14 years old (from 1923 until 1940) before founding his own. Vidal Fleury is run quite independently of Guigal although Marcel, helped increasingly by his son Philippe, makes its Côte Rôtie wines.
Chateau Grillet
One of France’s smallest wine appellations and one of the few with a single owner. Ch Grillet’s few hectares of vineyard represent an enclave within the condrieu zone in the north of the northern Rhône (see map under rhône). A virtual amphitheatre carved out of the granite shelters the narrow terraces of viognier vines from the north winds which can so seriously prejudice both quantity and quality in Condrieu. Already appreciated by Thomas jefferson in the late 18th century, Ch Grillet has always been in single ownership. Until it was bought by François Pinault, owner of Ch latour, in 2011 it belonged to the Neyret-Gachet family and descendants. Annual production was barely 2,000 cases of Ch Grillet’s distinctive brown bottle, one of the last to grow from 70 to 75 cl. Since the 1970s, the wine maintained its high price more by its rarity than because it was obviously one of France’s finest wines. The new team in charge of the original 3.5 ha estate make a second wine, sold as Côtes du Rhône, and are refining rather than changing the style which is more austere and less headily perfumed than the best Condrieu. The result is a restrained, taut, longer-living wine which, unlike Condrieu, may improve in bottle for a decade or even two. The potential of the vineyard is undoubted, as earlier eulogies testify.
Northern Rhone production…..
High reputation and prices, but only 5% of local Rhone production.
Topography- Northern Rhone
Narrow and steep, vines mostly planted on the western slopes of the Rhone
Soils- Northern Rhone
Granitic soils prone to soil erosion
Climate- Northern Rhone
Dominate feature is the Mistral, a strong, cold north wind that cools the climate but inhabits disease. Summers are hot, but not stifling. Risk of frost in early spring and delayed ripening. Rain usually in early spring and late autumn. Hail an occasional problem.
Viticulture- Northern Rhone
Little mechanisation due to slope, production costs high. Eroded soil often to be put back on the slopes, pulled up the slopes by a pulley system. Vines tend to be individually staked to combat the affect of the Mistral.
Vinification- Northern Rhone
Red winemaking mostly still traditional, lengthy maceration and barrel ageing for up to 3 yrs. Partial carbonic maceration used for cheaper wines. White wine generally cool fermented in stainless steel and bottled within 6 months. Fine condrieu and white hermitage may see some oak ageing.
Syrah- Northern Rhone
Dominant red grape. Deep colour, tannin and has long ageing potential. Aromas and flavours of blackberries, blueberries and pepper. Takes on gamey characters when aged. Only red grape permitted for AC wines.
Viognier- Northern Rhone
Low yield, opulent wine with exotic fruit aromas. Plantings increasing.
Rousanne- Northern Rhone
Planting declining, poor resistance to disease and wine. Adds fruit and acidity to a blend.
Marsanne- Northern Rhone
Similar to Rousanne, but less aromatic.
Rhone Blends- Northern Rhone
Marsanne and Rousanne often blended. Viognier never blended with other white varieties.
Cote- Rotie AC- Northern Rhone
Most Northernly vineyard area, translates as ‘roasted slope’. Steep narrow terraces, impossible for mechanisation. Vines trained to a teepee to stabilise against the mistral. Only red production, with up to 20% viognier added. Deep coloured reds, full bodied spicy and complex.
Condrieu AC- Northern Rhone
Viognier production only. Unique floral perfume, best drunk young. Best from low yielding old vines. Steep vineyards and tiny production pushes up prices. Chateau Grillet AC is a single vineyard producing oak aged viognier.
Saint- Joseph AC- Northern Rhone
West Bank of the river. Mostly Syrah, small quantities of Marsanne and Rousanne. Syrah has raspberry and pepper characters and is the largest bodied northern Rhone red. Terraced vineyards near Tournon produce the best quality. Large volume production from flatter sites.
Crozes- Hermitage AC- Northern Rhone
Situated around the town of Hermitage. Highest production, lighter bodied wines made from high yielding flatter sites, concentrated complex wines from steeper slopes. Some expensive wine aged in oak. Most wine medium priced due to large volume and less prestigious reputation. White wine from Marsanne, fruity with medium body and to be drunk young.
Hermitage AC- Northern Rhone
Production of two of the world’s greatest wines with premium prices. Located on a steep, south facing hill, on the east bank of the river behind the town of Tain- l’ Hermitage. Syrah fermented with up to 15% white grapes is complex, full bodied, with ageing potential up to 50 years. A fifth of production is white; a blend predominated by Marsanne. Full bodied, long ageing capacity developing honey and hazelnut flavours.
Cornas AC- Northern Rhone
Undervalued. Sun baked sheltered location gives deep, full bodied wines to rival Hermitage. Cornas must be 100% Syrah, unlike other Northern Rhone appellations where a small percentage of white can be blended.
Jean- Louis Chave: Region of Production
Hermitage; Saint-Joseph
Jean- Louis Chave: Winery Location
Mauves
Jean- Louis Chave: Summary
One of the legendary wine families of France, Domaine Jean-Louis Chave has, since 1481, been passed down from father to son for 16 generations. The family initially grew Saint-Joseph wines before phylloxera wiped out their vineyards on the hillsides above the domaine at Mauves. A wise ancestor chose to purchase land on the hill of Hermitage and rebuild the domaine there. Now widely considered the greatest grower on the hill, Chave makes world-class white and red Hermitage with exceptional ageability. One of the keys to the Chaves’ success is their ability to blend across multiple climats to create the best possible wine in any given year. To maintain this enviable track record, they do not produce single parcel “reserve” wines, believing that the blended wine is the best expression of the terroir of Hermitage. However, in top vintages they do produce 200 cases of a red, barrel-selection “Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin” that is as expensive as it is rare. Gérard Chave took over the domaine in 1970 and brought it to worldwide fame; his son Jean-Louis Chave is now in charge with a CV that includes studies in the United States. Jean-Louis has also built up the family’s négociant business, J.L. Chave Selection, presenting a more affordable opportunity to experience the family’s winemaking skills as their domaine wines have become increasingly rare and expensive.
Jean- Louis Chave: Vineyard Holdings
Hermitage: 13.9 ha
Les Bessards: Syrah; soil is rocky granite
l’Hermite: Syrah on granite soils; Roussanne on loess; Marsanne on clay-lime
Péléat: Syrah on alluvial stones, silex and clay soils; Marsanne, planted in 1910 on sandy granite
Le Méal: Syrah; soil is alluvial granite stones with clay-lime
Rocoules: Marsanne and Roussanne; soil is clay-lime
Maison Blanche: Marsanne; soil is alluvial stones with clay-lime
Saint-Joseph: 5 ha Syrah
Dardouilles Les Oliviers Pichonnier Bachasson: 1.5 ha, planted 1996-2002; soil is hard granite Crozes-Hermitage
Gros des Vignes: 0.9 ha Syrah, planted in 2003-2004; soil is granite sand and loess
Jean- Louis Chave: Average Total Production
5,000 cases
Jean- Louis Chave: Top Wines Produced
Hermitage Blanc (80-85% Marsanne, 15-20% Roussanne)
Hermitage Rouge: Les Bessards forms the core of this blend of seven climate
“Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin” (rouge): a barrel selection done just before bottling, produced only in top years (1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2009 and 2010 to date) and only if the quality of the regular cuvée is not compromised
Hermitage Vin de Paille: rarely commercialized, but bottles do pop up from time to time
Jean- Louis Chave: Inaugural Vintage for Top Wines
“Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin” in 1990; Vin de Paille in 1974
Jean- Louis Chave: Vinification Technique
The Chave wines have evolved a bit since Jean-Louis took charge: There is a bit more new oak (10-30% for the reds and up to 33% for the whites—though this has decreased recently), and the wines are cleaner than his father’s. The reds are de-stemmed completely, punched down, fermented in stainless steel and oak vats, then aged in 228-liter barriques for 26 months. The white is whole-cluster pressed and 90% barrel-fermented in up to one-third new oak, then aged for 18 months. All wines are blended in tank prior to bottling. The strength of the domaine lies in the diversity of their holdings across the hill of Hermitage and the family’s mastery of blending, passed down from generation to generation. These factors, combined with their sensitivity to the vintage’s conditions and the classic expression of Hermitage, allow the Chaves to consistently produce some of the finest wines of the appellation.
Lirac
Large and growing (782 ha/1,932 acres by 2013) appellation on the right bank of the southern rhône producing mainly full-bodied reds, and a small amount of rosé and full bodied white wine. The rosés can offer good-value alternatives to nearby tavel, made in very similar conditions and from the same sort of grape varieties, while the reds generally resemble a particularly soft, earlier maturing Côte du Rhône-Villages, although there are one or two notably more ambitious exceptions such as Domaines du Joncier and de la Mordorée and some of the better producers in châteauneuf-du-pape across the river who also make a Lirac. The appellation includes three communes other than Lirac, of which Roquemaure was an important port in the 16th century from which wines would be shipped as far north as England and Holland (see rivers). In the 18th century, Roquemaure was a much more important wine centre than Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Modern red and rosé Lirac must contain at least 40% Grenache with Mourvèdre and/or Syrah making up at least 25%, while in 2014 Carignan was limited to 10%. Many of the minor Châteauneuf varieties may make up the rest, while Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, and Roussanne are the main white wine grapes. Quality has increased considerably.
Tavel
One of France’s few all-rosé appellations on the right bank in the southern rhône. Its historic reputation is still sufficient to justify a sometimes unwarranted price premium over other rosés, although Tavel at its best manages to combine refreshment with interest and concentration of flavour. Tavel was already favoured by Louis XIV in the 18th century, and writers Balzac and Mistral continued to promulgate its superiority. The wine is always bone dry, but the Grenache and Cinsaut grapes give the blend a certain apparent sweetness. Chilling is essential, and the wine should be drunk young, as an alternative to red wine in hot weather. Grenache in all three hues is the dominant grape variety, as throughout the southern Rhône, and should constitute between 30 and 60% of the blend. Such was demand for the wine in the 1950s that the area was considerably extended, by clearing garrigue. A steady 900 ha/2,220 acres of sand and clay is shared mainly by members of the Tavel co-operative, although there are some quality-minded estates. Ch d’Acqueria was for long the best-known estate but some of the best wine is made by Domaine de la Mordorée in nearby lirac, a more dynamic and often more remarkable appellation.
Cote Rotie
In the far north of the northern Rhône. In the 1970s, the area and its wines were somewhat moribund, a rather isolated outpost well north of Tain, where the major négociants and the famous hermitage vineyard are situated. One man, Marcel guigal, is chiefly responsible for the renaissance of this zone. Côte Rôtie may be the site where the vine was first cultivated in gaul, and vineyards have been sculpted from these, some of the steepest slopes of viticultural France, since at least the time when nearby Vienne was an important Roman settlement. The vines then grown were identified with the local tribe, the Allobroges. ine-growing brought so little reward in the 1960s and 1970s that total plantings were only about 70 ha/175 acres in the early 1970s; by the mid 1990s, however, plantings had reached 150 ha (rather less than the extent of the single biggest wine château in the médoc) and by 2013 276 ha of vineyards qualified for the appellation. Guigal’s single-vineyard bottlings of La Mouline, La Landonne, and, later, La Turque reminded the wine-buying world of the potential majesty of wines hewn from the Côte Rôtie, or ‘roasted slope’, even if their concentration is not typical of the appellation. Because of the turn of the river here, the vineyards banked up the schist behind the unremarkable town of Ampuis face directly south east, and are angled so as to maximize the ripening effect of any sunlight, while being sheltered from the cold winds. The slopes have traditionally been distinguished, with associated legend, either as Côte Blonde, supposedly producing alluring wines for relatively early consumption (often as a result of blending up to the permitted maximum of 20% scented white viognier in with the mandatory syrah grape—see co-fermentation), or Côte Brune, associated with firmer, more durable, all-Syrah wines. Syrah is trained particularly distinctively on these slopes (so steep in parts that winches have to be used), single guyot on single or double stakes. terraces are essential here, where they are known as cheys and have been in place for centuries. The theoretical minimum potential alcohol of these wines is 10%, but most growers manage to achieve considerably more ripeness than this, and wines are made, with more or less new oak (more chez Guigal). More typical examples of Côte Rôtie can be relatively light and fresh with a particularly haunting savoury perfume. Côte Rôtie should always be more ‘feminine’ than Hermitage. Clusel-Roch, Jean-Michel Gerin, Jamet, René Rostaing, and Vidal Fleury also produce very fine Côte Rôtie.
Chateau Grillet
One of France’s smallest wine appellations and one of the few with a single owner (although see also domaine de la romanée-conti). Ch Grillet’s few hectares of vineyard represent an enclave within the condrieu zone in the north of the northern Rhône. A virtual amphitheatre carved out of the granite shelters the narrow terraces of viognier vines from the north winds which can so seriously prejudice both quantity and quality in Condrieu. Already appreciated by Thomas jefferson in the late 18th century, Ch Grillet has always been in single ownership. Until it was bought by François Pinault, owner of Ch latour, in 2011 it belonged to the Neyret-Gachet family and descendants. Annual production was barely 2,000 cases of Ch Grillet’s distinctive brown bottle, one of the last to grow from 70 to 75 cl. Since the 1970s, the wine maintained its high price more by its rarity than because it was obviously one of France’s finest wines. The new team in charge of the original 3.5 ha estate make a second wine, sold as Côtes du Rhône, and are refining rather than changing the style which is more austere and less headily perfumed than the best Condrieu. The result is a restrained, taut, longer-living wine which, unlike Condrieu, may improve in bottle for a decade or even two. The potential of the vineyard is undoubted, as earlier eulogies testify.
Condrieu
Distinctive and fashionable white wine made in minuscule quantities in the northern rhône. It is made exclusively from the viognier grape, whose successful wines manage the unusual combination of a pronounced yet elusive perfume with substantial body. The recent wave of Viognier planting all over the world was originally inspired by enthusiasm for Condrieu. This small appellation encompasses seven right-bank communes (which happen to span three départements, the Rhône, Loire, and Ardèche) just south of the red wine appellation côte rôtie where the river turns a bend and the best vineyards are exposed to the south (see map under rhône). The vine has probably been cultivated here for two millennia, since nearby Vienne was an important Roman city, although the total Condrieu vignoble fell to fewer than 10 ha/25 acres in the 1960s, when the wine was virtually unknown outside local restaurants, and when other fruit crops were much more profitable. Since the 1970s, however, Condrieu’s fame and price have risen steadily, and an increasing number of growers have been prepared to reconstruct small patches of vineyard on the steep slopes, often granitic in the south around the village of Chavanay, the best of which are traditionally said to have a topsoil of arzelle, or decomposed mica. The best sites should also be sheltered from the north wind, which can decimate the potential crop at flowering, but little can be done to combat the inevitable soil erosion. Average yields here are notoriously low (and very much lower than for Viognier planted further south), which is one reason why Condrieu is relatively expensive for a wine that is best drunk young, at between two and four years in general. At one time, Condrieu was a sweet or medium-sweet wine but almost all is made dry today. Vinification standards are extremely variable, particularly since some vignerons are relative newcomers (even if their grandfathers were experienced in making Condrieu). Two of the most experienced producers are Georges Vernay and guigal, the appellation’s dominant force whose top bottling is La Doriane. Policies on such fundamentals as the desirability of malolactic conversion and use of oak vary considerably in Condrieu. In 1990, there were 40 ha/100 acres of vineyard old enough to produce aoc wine, but the total area under vine grew rapidly in the early 1990s so that by 2013 168 ha/415 acres were in production, but further expansion is difficult on these steep, indented slopes and many growers have had to content themselves with extending into a Viognier-based local Vin de Pays. château grillet, France’s other all-Viognier appellation, is an enclave within the Condrieu zone.
St- Joseph
Ambitiously expanding and improving northern rhône right bank appellation producing mainly red wines from the syrah grape and less than 10% full-bodied dry whites from the marsanne and, occasionally, roussanne grapes. The vineyard area increased sixfold during the 1970s and 1980s although a more stringent development plan was put into place in the early 1990s as the better producers realized that the reputation of this relatively new appellation (1956) would hardly be enhanced by the produce of the new vineyards on the plateau. The appellation now extends from condrieu in the north (where there is some overlap) to a small pocket of St-Joseph vineyards between st-péray and the town of Valence. It totalled 875 ha/2,160 acres in 1996 and 1,211 ha by 2013. The heart of the region, however, is the stretch of old, terraced vineyards around the town of Tournon (including the communes of Vion, Lemps, St-Jean-de-Muzols, Tournon, Mauves, and Glun) just across the wide river Rhône from the hill of hermitage. The wines are lighter and certainly faster maturing than the northern Rhône archetype across the river, not so much because the soils are very different—on the best sites granite predominates, supplemented by sand and gravel—but because St-Joseph’s east-facing vineyards simply lose the sun up to two hours earlier in the crucial ripening season. For this reason, locals view St-Joseph as their answer to beaujolais, a fruity wine for drinking in the first three years or so. Those less accustomed to the sheer weight of a good northern Rhône red may prefer to drink them at between two and six years old, depending on the character of the vintage, but the best wines of Bernard Gripa, chapoutier, and Chave can easily repay a decade’s bottle age. Red St-Joseph can be a delightfully transparent expression of Syrah fruit, and is one of the most flattering northern Rhône reds to taste young but others can be too light and insubstantial to be worth the price premium that St-Joseph can, often inexplicably, command over the other basic northern Rhône appellation crozes-hermitage.
Hermitage
The most famous northern rhône appellation of all, producing extremely limited quantities of seriously long-lived reds and about a third as much full-bodied dry white wine which some believe is even more distinguished. Although the appellation is only the size of a large Bordeaux estate, Hermitage was one of France’s most famous wines in the 18th and 19th centuries when the name alone was sufficient to justify prices higher than any wine other than a first growth bordeaux (which were sometimes strengthened by the addition of some Hermitage until the mid 19th century). The origin of the name Hermitage is not so much shrouded in mystery as obscured by many conflicting legends, most of them concerning a hermit, ermite in French. Not least of the puzzles is how and when Ermitage acquired its H (dropped for some modern bottlings, notably by chapoutier), although there was no shortage of English-speaking enthusiasts of the wine in the 18th century (including Thomas jefferson). The first recorded mention of Hermitage in English was in Thomas Shadwell’s 1680 play The Woman-Captain, ‘Vin de Bon, Vin Celestine, and Hermitage, and all the Wines upon the fruitful Rhône’. These ‘manly’ wines were also a great favourite with the Russian imperial court, but the economic upheavals of the first half of the 20th century affected Hermitage as much as any Rhône appellation. While the surrounding appellation crozes-hermitage has, like most of the Rhône valley, seen considerable changes and extension over the last 20 years, Hermitage is a constant, give or take a winemaking tweak or two. The wine comes from an almost unenlargeable 136 ha/336 acres of particularly well-favoured vines on the extraordinary hill of Hermitage, a south-facing bank of granite, thinly covered with extremely varied and well-charted soil types, which almost pushes the town of Tain l’Hermitage into the river Rhône just as it turns sharp left (see map under rhône). Wines produced here in the Roman town of Tegna were already known to writers such as pliny and martial. The combination of heat-retaining granite and a reasonably steep southern exposition does much to encourage grape ripening here. It is not surprising that such a celebrated vineyard has been for long divided into various climats, all with their own soil types and reputations for wine types. Professor Pierre Mandier, a geologist at Lyons, has charted the hillside in considerable detail. The most famous climats are at the western end of the hill, which benefits from the highest temperatures. Les Bessards has a topsoil of sandy gravel on granite and produces some of the sturdiest wines. Le Méal produces more aromatic wines from a soil with more limestone, and bigger stones towards the top of the slope, where l’Hermite is crowned with a small stone chapel owned by Paul jaboulet Aîné and has more sand and fine loess. Clay predominates in the lower climats of Les Gréffieux and Les Diognières. Other famous climats include Beaume(s), Maison Blanche, Péléat, Les Murets, Rocoule, La Croix, and Les Signeaux in the extreme east. Although white and red grapes are planted all over the hill, some of the finest white Hermitage comes from the higher vineyards, and clay-limestone soils are considered the best suited. Producers such as Jean-Louis Chave, the modest master of Hermitage, delight in blending the produce of holdings all over the hill to produce a complex, well-balanced expression of each vintage. Producers with less diversified holdings may produce less complex wines, some of them labelled with a single climat. Unlike côte rôtie upriver, red Hermitage is in practice made from the syrah vine alone (although the AC regulations permit the addition of up to 15% white grapes); indeed Hermitage has laid claim to be the cradle of Syrah, while white Hermitage may be made from the robust marsanne or the nervier, and less common, roussanne. soil erosion is a frequent problem here, the result as much of exposure as of gradient, although the hill is steep enough in parts for terraces to be necessary, and some retaining walls are used as advertising sites for the local merchants. The appellation regulations limit yields to a basic 40 hl/ha (2.3 tons/acre) and 45 hl/ha for whites, but enrichment may be allowed in some vintages, so long as the alcoholic strength of the resultant wine is no more than 13.5% for reds and 14% for whites. Wine making philosophies vary here, but are essentially traditional. Red wines are the result of relatively hot fermentations matured in often quite old cooperage of varied capacity, according to vintage characteristics. Red Hermitage should be very deeply coloured and headily perfumed. They can evolve for two or three decades after which they may be mistaken for great red bordeaux. Some of the finest red wines of Hermitage come from Chave, Le Pavillon from Chapoutier, La Chapelle from Jaboulet, and Le Gréal from Sorrel. White wines are possibly even more varied, according to the blend of grape varieties used, ripeness, whether malolactic conversion has taken place, and whether wood is used for fermentation and/or ageing. Almost all white Hermitage is notably full in body, and some of the more serious examples such as Chave’s and Chapoutier’s Chante Alouette are among the longest-living dry white wines of France. In very ripe years, some of Hermitage’s white grapes may be transformed into vin de paille so long as the must is not enriched and the yield is no more than 15 hl/ha. This sweet white Hermitage is delicious but all too rare.
Crozes- Hermitage
The northern rhône’s biggest appellation, regularly producing more than eleven times as much wine as the much more distinguished vineyards of hermitage which it surrounds, and still considerably more than the similarly priced, and similarly extended, appellation of st-joseph across the river. Like both these appellations, Crozes-Hermitage is usually red and made exclusively of the syrah grape, although a certain proportion, just over a tenth, of full-bodied dry white wine is made from the marsanne grape supplemented by roussanne. Up to 15% of white grapes may theoretically be added to red Crozes at the time of fermentation. Although some bottlers have treated the appellation with little respect for quality, a nucleus of excitingly ambitious producers such as Belle, Colombier, Graillot, Pochon, and Tardieu-Laurent emerged from the late 1980s to provide thoughtfully made Crozes-Hermitage of real distinction and mass. The best reds are softer and fruitier than Hermitage because the soils are richer (and because it is more difficult to justify barrel maturation at Crozes prices), but they tend to share more of Hermitage’s solidity than average St-Joseph. A more typical red Crozes, however, exhibits the burnt rubber smell and sinewy build of overstretched Syrah, although the co-operative in the town of Tain l’Hermitage, two-thirds of whose production is Crozes-Hermitage, should not be underestimated. Les Chassis, between the autoroute south of Tain and the river, provides some of the finest red Crozes, including jaboulet’s Domaine de Thalabert, which was for long the appellation’s principal standard-bearer. Parts of Gervan just north of Tain enjoy a mesoclimate very much closer to that of Hermitage than the flatter vineyards to the east, which are some of the few in the northern Rhône which can be harvested by machine. The clay-limestone alluvial soils of Crozes-Hermitage seem generally less well suited to white wine production, although there are some successful vineyards around Mercurol. The appellation, which dates from 1937, takes its name from a small village just north of Tain without any particular vinous claim. Total vineyard area in production expanded by about a quarter between 1990 and 2005 and by the early 2010s was more than 1,500 ha/3,700 acres. The best reds can be kept for five years or more (and in good years can happily survive for ten) but the average Crozes, red or white, is probably at its best drunk young.
Cornas
Red wine appellation in the northern rhône with the potential to provide serious if rather earlier-maturing challengers to hermitage on the opposite bank to the north. Cornas was renowned in the era of charlemagne, and in the 18th century, but many of the terraced vineyards on its steep south-facing granite slopes fell into decline in the early 20th century. The appellation experienced a revival of interest in the late 1980s with the arrival of ambitious newcomers prepared to re-establish the terraces needed for high-quality vineyards, so that by 2013 there were 131 ha/324 acres of vineyards in production. Consultant oenologist Jean-Luc Colombo established a base here in the 1990s began making ultra-modern wine very unlike that of Auguste Clape, the standard-bearer during the lean years of the 1970s. Perhaps because Clape’s very traditional wines demand considerable bottle age, Cornas gained a reputation as a long-living wine, but the likes of Thierry Allemand, Domaine Courbis, Eric et Joël Durand, Mark Haisma, Vincent Paris, and Domaine du Tunnel are making a much more luscious style of Cornas. Many of the best slopes such as Les Renards in the south are well sheltered from the cold north winds and enjoy some of the best positions in the northern Rhône. Cornas can provide some of the most satisfying red wine drinking, and offers a much more uniform and dependable quality level than the extensive st-joseph appellation to the immediate north.
Rene Rostaing- Region of Production
Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu
Rene Rostaing- Winery Location
Ampuis
Rene Rostaing- Year Established
1971
Rene Rostaing- Summary
René Rostaing started as a part-time vigneron in 1971 while supporting his family in real estate. He had married into Côte-Rôtie royalty: His wife’s father was Albert Dervieux; her uncle was Marius Gentaz—both legends of the appellation. Upon their retirement in the early 1990s, Rene and his wife inherited their vineyards and now have an impressive array of 20 plots across 14 lieux-dits, including old vines in some of the greatest terroirs of Côte-Rôtie. They have also purchased plots in Condrieu, including some older vines, and have developed hillside land just outside the Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie appellations, from which they produce Syrah and Viognier vins de pays.
Rene Rostaing- Vineyard Holdings
Côte-Rôtie: 7.5 ha total
La Landonne: 1.6 ha Syrah, mostly planted in the 1970s, some planted in 2008; soil is iron oxide and schist
Fongeant: 1.5 ha Syrah, planted in the 1970s
Côte Brune: Syrah, replanted by 1997
Côte Blonde: 1 ha of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier, planted in the 1950s and 1970s; soil is decomposed granite
La Viallière: 1.2 ha Syrah, planted in the 1900s and 1980s
Condrieu: 1.04 ha Viognier total
Côte Bonnette: 0.6 ha, planted in 1987; soil is sandy granite with clay
Sainte-Agathe: 0.32 ha, planted in 1974
Côte Châtillon: 0.12 ha, planted in 2004
Rene Rostaing- Average Total Production
3,500 cases
Rene Rostaing- Top Wines Produced
Côte-Rôtie “Classique” (now called “Cuvée Ampodium” in the US): 100% Syrah from all of the lieux-dits except for La Landonne and Côte Blonde
Côte-Rôtie “La Landonne”: 100% Syrah from the old vines on La Landonne
Côte-Rôtie “Côte Blonde”: 95% Syrah, 5% Viognier from Côte Blonde
Condrieu “La Bonnette”: from Cote Bonnette and Sainte-Agathe
Rene Rostaing- Inaugural Vintage (for top wines)
unknown
Rene Rostaing- Brief Description of Style/ Vinification
Rostaing produces elegant and long-lived Côte-Rôties. De-stemming is determined by the vintage conditions; the “Classique” is usually 30-40% de-stemmed, while the single-vineyard cuvées are 10% de-stemmed. The must is vinified in roto-fermenters, which are rotated twice a day at the height of fermentation and less at the end of maceration. Total time on the skins is about three weeks. The wines are aged half in barriques and half in demi-muids. The percentage of new oak is less than 20% each vintage, and the élevage lasts 18-24 months, depending on vintage. The wines are not filtered prior to bottling. The Condrieu has been fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel since 1998 and completes its malolactic fermentation.
E. Guigal- Region of production
Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage
E. Guigal- Winery Location
Ampuis
E. Guigal- Year Established
1946
E. Guigal- Summary
This world famous house was founded in 1946 by Étienne Guigal, who’d gotten his start in Côte-Rôtie at age 14 when he worked in the vineyards of Vidal-Fleury. Étienne’s son Marcel joined him in 1961 (age 18) after Étienne was suddenly struck blind. Together, they built the house of Guigal into the most recognizable name in Côte-Rôtie, and they brought the world’s attention to the wines of the appellation. In 1984, the two bought out Étienne’s former employer, Vidal-Fleury, along with their impressive array of vineyards… and in subsequent years, they went on to expand by buying Domaine de Bonserine, JL Grippat, de Vallouit, and the Château d’Ampuis. They folded the vineyards of Grippat and de Vallouit into their own production while keeping Domaine de Bonserine and Vidal-Fleury operating as separate entities. In addition, they now have their own cooperage to better control the quality of the wood for their aging program. While their very modern wines have not always been the favorite style of the older generation in Côte-Rôtie, Guigal has generally received a tip of the chapeau for the attention they brought to Côte-Rôtie and the continuing success of the appellation.
E. Guigal- Vineyard Holdings
50 ha total
Côte-Rôtie: 32 ha
Côte Brune: includes 1 ha La Turque section, planted in 1980
La Landonne: 2.1 ha, oldest vines planted in 1974
Côte Blonde: includes 1 ha La Mouline section, average age 60 years
Côte Rozier
Rozier
Verenay
La Viallière
Condrieu: 3.75 ha, decomposed granite and arzelle
Le Colombier: planted in 1973
Châtillon: planted in 1983
Volan
Hermitage: 3.5 ha
Greffieux: Syrah, average age 30 years
Bessards: Syrah, average age 90 years
les Murets: 1.2 ha Marsanne, planted in 1942; 0.3 ha Syrah, average age 30 years
L’Hermite: mostly Syrah with a small amount of Marsanne, average age 40-50 years
Saint-Joseph: 8.0 ha
Vignoble de l’Hospice: Syrah planted in 1900, 1913, 1955, 1998
Le Clos des Hospitaliers: Syrah
Saint-Joseph: 3 ha Syrah, 2.5 ha Marsanne with a small amount of Roussanne
E. Guigal- Average Total Production
90,000 cases of Northern Rhône wines, including négociant offerings
E. Guigal- Top Wines Produced
Côte-Rôtie “Château d’Ampuis”: 93% Syrah, 7% Viognier; from three lieux-dits in Côte Blonde (source of all of the Viognier) and four lieux-dits in Côte Brune; average vine age is 40-50 years
Côte-Rôtie “La Mouline”: 89% Syrah, 11% Viognier; sourced from a plot of the same name on the Côte Blonde, average vine age is 60 years
Côte-Rôtie “La Landonne”: 100% Syrah; average vine age is 20 years
Côte-Rôtie “La Turque”: 93% Syrah, 7% Viognier; sourced from an extremely steep plot on Côte Brune, planted in 1980
Ermitage Blanc “Ex-Voto”: 93% Marsanne, 7% Roussanne; 90% from Murets, 10% from l’termite
Ermitage Rouge “Ex-Voto”: 30% each Bessards and Greffieux; 20% each l’Hermite and Murets
E. Guigal- Inaugural Vintage (for top wines)
Côte-Rôtie “Château d’Ampuis” in 1995; Côte-Rôtie “La Mouline” in 1966; Côte-Rôtie “La Landonne” in 1978; Côte-Rôtie “La Turque” in 1985; Ermitage Blanc and Rouge “Ex-Voto” in 2001
E. Guigal- Brief Description of Style / Vinification Techniques
Guigal is credited as a pioneer in bringing modern winemaking techniques to the Northern Rhône. The house favors lush, ripe fruit supported by long aging in new barriques. This culminates in the “La La” bottlings (La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque) and “Ex Voto” red, all of which are aged for 42 months in 100% new oak. For the white wines, the Viogniers are macerated on the skins overnight before pressing, while the Marsanne and Roussanne grapes are immediately whole-cluster pressed. The top whites, Condrieu “La Doriane” and Ermitage “Ex Voto,” are vinified and aged in 100% new oak; the rest have a portion vinified in stainless steel prior to oak aging. The reds are sometimes de-stemmed, sometimes not, depending on vintage conditions.
M. Chapoutier- Region of production
Hermitage; also owns vineyards in every major Northern Rhône appellation
M. Chapoutier- Winery Location
Tain l’Hermitage
M. Chapoutier- Year Established
1808
M. Chapoutier- Summary
Michel Chapoutier took over this venerable family firm in 1990 at the age of 26. He immediately instigated changes that would have many critics place M. Chapoutier at the top of the list of quality Rhône producers. He lowered the yields in their vineyards, converted the estate vineyards to biodynamic farming in 1995 and began producing single-site micro-cuvées that rapidly became collector’s items. He also made the Chapoutier bottle labels the first in the world to have Braille descriptions. Michel is a man of boundless energy: In addition to growing the estate’s Rhône holdings and raising their image worldwide, he’s also founded estates in Australia and Portugal.
M. Chapoutier- Vineyard Holdings
77.5 ha in the Northern Rhône
Hermitage: 19.5 ha Syrah, 12 ha Marsanne
Bessards: 9 ha Syrah, planted in the 1910s, 1950s and 1979-80; hard granite soils
Méal: 3 ha Syrah and 2 ha Marsanne, planted in the 1910s and 1940s; alluvial and chalk soil
L’Hermite: 3.3 ha Syrah, planted in the 1910s and 1920s; 4.3 ha Marsanne, planted in the 1900s and 1960s; soil is loess and limestone
Greffieux: 2.7 ha Syrah, planted in the late 1940s; soil is alluvial and clay
Murets: 4.8 ha Marsanne, planted 1918-1920s and 1960s
Côte-Rôtie: 5 ha Syrah
Côte Blonde: 1.3 ha Syrah, planted in 1940s and 1970s; soil is decomposed sandy granite
Côte Brune: 1.4 ha Syrah, planted in 1940s; soil is schist
Saint-Joseph: 7.5 ha Syrah, 3.5 ha Marsanne
Saint-Joseph: 3 ha total; Syrah planted in the 1930s and 1950s, Marsanne planted in the 1950s; granite soil
M. Chapoutier- Top Wines Produced
Ermitage Blanc “De l’Orée”: Marsanne from the oldest vines on Murets
Ermitage Blanc “L’Hermite”: Marsanne from named vineyard; vines over 100 years old
Ermitage Rouge “L’Hermite”: Syrah from older vines on named vineyard
Ermitage Blanc “Le Méal”: Marsanne from named vineyard’s 1910 and 1940s vines
Ermitage Rouge “Le Méal”: Syrah from named vineyard’s 1910 and 1940s vines
Ermitage Rouge “Les Greffieux”: Syrah from named vineyard’s 1940s plantings
Ermitage Rouge “Le Pavillon”: Syrah from 1910s plantings on Bessards
Côte-Rôtie “La Mordorée”: Syrah from the 1940s plantings on Côte Blonde and Côte Brune
Saint Joseph Blanc/Rouge “Les Granits”: from the old vines on the Saint-Joseph parcel
Hermitage “Vin de Paille”
M. Chapoutier- Inaugural Vintage (for top wines)
Ermitage Blanc “De l’Orée” in 1991 (though there had been a mixed parcel cuvée with this name prior to 1991); Ermitage Blanc “Le Méal” in 1997; Ermitage Blanc “L’Hermite” in 1999; Ermitage Rouge “Le Pavillon” in 1989 (though there had been a mixed parcel cuvée with this name prior to 1989); Ermitage Rouge “Le Méal” in 1989; Ermitage Rouge “L’Hermite” in 1996; Ermitage Rouge “Les Greffieux” in 2001
M. Chapoutier- Brief Description of Style / Vinification Techniques
The Chapoutier wines are very modern and bold in flavor, all wines being the product of low yields in the vineyard and very late harvesting, with strong oak signatures. All grapes are sorted, and the whites are whole-cluster pressed. The top whites are fermented in half new oak demi-muids and half stainless steel, except for L’Hermite Blanc, which is fermented in 100% new oak demi-muids. The reds are completely de-stemmed, fermented in small concrete tanks with four to six weeks on the skins, then aged in barriques (50-100% new for the top wines). All of the reds are bottled with no fining or filtration.
Terraces
Make work in vineyards planted across sloping land considerably easier, and can also help combat soil erosion. Terraces more or less follow the contours of the land, and so row spacing may be irregular. Terraces are created when the hillside is re-formed into a series of horizontal steps between the rows. The world’s most famous vineyard terraces are those of the port wine region of the douro Valley in northern Portugal, where there has been considerable experimentation with different designs, although they are common in much of switzerland, the northern rhône, and elsewhere. In centuries past, such terraces were laboriously constructed by hand and supported by stone walls. For modern vineyards, the cost of laying stones by hand can be prohibitive and skilled craftsmen hard to find, so most modern terraces are formed by bulldozers. Terraces are expensive to create, and are therefore justified only for expensive wines. There is a modern tendency to avoid planting vineyards on such slopes. An alternative to creating terraces is to plant vines up and down the hillsides, as in Germany and other parts of northern Europe. This practice avoids the expense of forming terraces but can lead to soil erosion and worker fatigue, and some slopes are too steep for tractors.
Mediterranean Climate
A climate type characterized by warm, dry, sunny summers and mostly mild, wet winters. It occurs throughout the Mediterranean basin, on the west coast of the United States, in Chile, southern and south western Australia, and the Cape Province of South Africa. The autumn and spring seasons range from mostly dry on the hot, equatorial fringes bordering deserts, to wet at the poleward fringes, where Mediterranean climates merge into those with a more or less uniform rainfall distribution as in central and western Europe. Mediterranean climates have some distinct advantages for viticulture over uniform or summer-rainfall climates, provided that supplementary irrigation can be given as needed. Sunshine is mostly more reliable and generous. There is less risk of rainfall in the growing season and of excessive rainfall during ripening and harvest. As a result of these rainfall patterns, the risk of fungal diseases is generally lower. And to the extent that many Mediterranean climates have the disadvantages of low humidity and high temperatures during the ripening period, precise vineyard site selection can help to minimize these disadvantages, by seeking out cooler coastal or high-elevation sites, for example. Further favouring Mediterranean climates is the fact that some of the main advances in both vineyard management and winemaking technology have particular application there. drip irrigation in a summer-dry climate allows a degree of control over soil water availability and vine vigour, and permits the use of mesoclimates and soils that were too dry for viticulture before. Improved canopy management has at least as great an application as in other climates.
Rhone Rangers
Loose affiliation of American wine producers who, led by Californians Bob Lindquist of Qupé winery and Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon, decided in the 1980s to produce wines in the image of the reds and, increasingly, whites of the rhône valley in France. Such wines provided a useful outlet for the produce of old grenache and Mataro (mourvèdre) vines which had previously languished out of favour. It also resulted in a dramatic increase in plantings of such vine varieties as syrah (whose total California plantings grew from 2,000 acres/800 ha prior to 1995 to over 19,000 acres/7,700 ha in 2012) and viognier (500 acres/200 ha prior to 1995; 3,000 acres/1,214 ha in 2012). Joseph Phelps of napa was an early exponent, Bonny Doon of santa cruz a later but noisier one. The movement was regarded by some as providing welcome alternatives to the usual California diet of unblended Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay, by others as an act of treachery against the state’s own wine styles and vine varieties (petite sirah was only gradually accepted into the Rhône Rangers’ blending vats).
Primeur
French word for young produce which has been adapted to mean ‘young wine’. French aoc rules allow all of the following to be released on the third Thursday of November following the harvest: Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Grignan-les-Adhémar, Ventoux, Languedoc, Gamays from Touraine, Anjou, and Gaillac, Coteaux du Lyonnais, Côtes du Roussillon, Mâcon Blanc, Tavel Rosé, Rosé d’Anjou, Cabernet d’Anjou, Cabernet de Saumur, Bourgogne Blanc, Bourgogne Aligoté, Muscadet, and Gaillac Blanc.
Die
Town between the rhône Valley and the alps (see map under france) whose name features in the Clairette de Die and Crémant de Die sparkling wine appellations and Coteaux de Die, a light, still, dry white wine made from Clairette grapes. According to pliny, the local tribe in Roman times, the Voconces, made a sparkling sweet wine, and practised an early form of temperature control by plunging barrels full of fermenting must in the river. Most wines are sparkling and many of them are sweet and grapey.
Saint Peray
White wine appellation of just 73 ha/180 acres for still and sparkling wines made by the traditional method that seem something of an anomaly in the northern rhône, famous for the weight and longevity of its wines. Soils and mesoclimate here are admittedly cooler than most of the rest of the Rhône, with some granite in the area closest to cornas, and the Marsanne and Roussanne grapes grown here are now producing some wines of real finesse. A considerable proportion of sparkling wine production is given its first fermentation at the co-operative of Tain l’hermitage before being made sparkling in the St-Péray co-operative cellars.
Savoie
Eastern French alpine region on the border with both Switzerland and Italy, sometimes Anglicized to Savoy, comprising the two départements Savoie and Haute-Savoie together with small parts of neighbouring Ain and Isère. The dramatic countryside is so popular with visitors for both winter sports and summer relaxation that the wines found a ready market and it was rare for them to leave the region. However, 21st-century interest in lighter wines and indigenous varieties has encouraged exports. Savoie became part of France only in 1860, and grows a highly distinctive group of vine varieties that seem to be unrelated even to those of nearby aosta. Most Savoie wine is sold under the much-ramified appellation Vin de Savoie, although there are individual appellations for roussette de Savoie (for wines from altesse) and for the area of seyssel. Much of the terrain here is too mountainous for viticulture and the Savoie vineyards tend to be clustered on the more sheltered foothills. They are widely dispersed with varying climate and soil characteristics, justifying the separate appellations. Some vineyards are high above the banks of the River rhône as it flows from Lake Geneva towards the wine region known as the Rhône Valley. Seyssel is here as well as the chautagne district and the village of jongieux, two of the 16 crus which can append their names to the appellation Vin de Savoie. South of here, close to the town of chambéry, once famous for its vermouth, is a cluster of crus whose names may be more familiar to wine enthusiasts than the main appellation itself including abymes, apremont, arbin, chignin, and cruet. Further north, in Haute Savoie the Chasselas grape predominates in a cluster of vineyards on the southeastern shores of Lake Geneva and makes a range of light, dry, almost appley wines in the crus crépy, marignan, Marin, and ripaille. Towards Chamonix, the isolated cru of ayse makes still and sparkling wine from the obscure gringet variety. Total vineyard area for the Vin de Savoie appellation increased from about 1,650 ha/4,075 acres in 1990 to around 2,100 ha/5,190 in 2012. About two-thirds of production is white: crisp, delicate, lightly scented, and essentially alpine. The most widely planted variety is jacquère, popular with growers because of its productivity. The finest white varieties are Altesse, with its own appellation roussette de savoie, and roussanne, or Bergeron, responsible for the cru chignin bergeron. Chardonnay is declining. Most of Savoie’s wines are varietal and, among reds, Gamay and Pinot Noir imported from Beaujolais and Burgundy respectively can be perfectly respectable, if relatively light. Most inspiring, however, is the late ripening mondeuse noire with its deep colour, peppery flavour, and slight bitterness. Mondeuse grown at Arbin has a particular reputation for reds with notable structure and ageing ability at alcohol levels rarely above 12%. The rare persan is enjoying a small revival too. A growing amount of Jacquère-based sparkling wine is expected to be sold as crémant de savoie, an appellation introduced in 2014.
Cote Rotie AC
No gentle slopes here: on the right-bank of the Rhône, Côte-Rôtie wines draw their character from the extremely steep hillsides that sometimes reach a gradient of over 60°. The very narrow vineyard is planted on terraces fewer than 50 vines wide. Located a few miles from Lyon, this is the northernmost appellation in the Rhône Valley. Côte-Rôtie is grown, made, and protected by “Probus’ centurions”: around 100 passionate winemakers that work the vines of these 60 vineyards. This prestigious cru is made from Syrah grapes that when combined with the viognier produce extraordinarily delicate aromas and remarkably fine tannins. The wine’s beautiful ruby colour, the complex and elegant nose of spices, summer fruits, black fruits, and violet, its robustness and of course its pedigree make this a highly sought after wine… January sees the Ampuis wine market, which since 1928 has been THE unmissable rendezvous for this appellation.
Cote Rotie- Grape Varieties
Côte-Rôtie is the only red cru in the Northern Côtes du Rhône to plant Viognier (up to 20%) alongside the Syrah. The Syrah produces quality wines, with rich colours and tannin content. In Côte-Rôtie, viognier complements the Syrah with finesse and aromas. The cru’s colour is a deep ruby red. Its nose can vary from fruits – red or black – to note of violet and spices. It is a robust, pedigree wine that ages very well, and may display notes of woodland, leather, tobacco, or coffee. With a long finish, it is perfectly balanced and quite fat.
Cote Rotie- History
2000 years ago, the Roman authors Pliny the Elder and Martial, and the Greek, Plutarch, sang the praises of Côte-Rôtie wines, which they knew as “wine of Vienne”. The first written documents that make mention of Ampuis and Côte-Rôtie date from the 6th century. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the 13th century saw the reputation of Ampuis’ wines grow even further, and records show wine from Côte-Rôtie being served in the great halls of the princes of England, Russia, Prussia, and, of course, France. The vineyard reached its peak in 1890, with the slightest fold in the hillside that caught the sun being planted. While it proved resistant to phylloxera and other diseases, the Great War of 1914-1918 claimed 150 winemakers, meaning some of the hillsides fell out of use. In 1960, only 60 hectares of production remained, but the 1980s saw the vineyard’s revival. The appellation was given fresh impetus and acquired international renown.
Cote Rotie- Geography
The Côte-Rôtie vineyards are located on the hillsides of the Rhône’s right-bank, and cover three counties where the wine is made: Saint-Cyr sur Rhône, Ampuis and Tupin-Semons. The vineyards are between 180m and 325m above sea level. There are 73 registered sites among the vineyards.
Cote Rotie- Climate
The appellation is south-facing and not greatly affected by northerly winds, and has a temperate continental climate similar to that of Lyon: winters are mild, summers hot, and rainfall is regular. The “Mediterranean” influence can be felt in the “drying” southerly wind.
Cote Rotie- Soils
Very steep, the hillsides of the Côte-Rôtie can sometimes exceed 60°. Almost all of the vines are planted on metamorphic rocks: pressure and temperature – which are higher in the south of the appellation – have created three different terroirs: mica schists in the north, Gneiss to the south, and migmatite at the south-eastern tip.
In Côte-Rôtie, the parent rock contains a large number of fractures that provide the vines’ roots with access to the water and minerals contained therein.
Condrieu
The Condrieu terroir, on the right-bank of the Rhône, is famous for its white wines, and is the northern most white wine appellation in the Rhône Valley. These impressive wines inherit their exceptional character from the viognier that is planted here in its home terroir. The appellation’s narrow terraces are generally composed of granite and “arzelle”: a mixture of decomposed granite, mica, shale, and clay that gives Condrieu wines their fruity aromas of peaches and apricots. The most prestigious vineyards are found on the right-bank of the Rhône, south of the Côte-Rôtie. Wine lovers will be sure to get away from the village and wind their way through the maze of vines that cover the hillside and, at the edge of soaring granite cliffs, produce a famous white cru. When the viognier almost disappeared in the 1950s, a passionate few winemakers kept the appellation alive long enough to see a renaissance in the 1980s. Today, the AOC covers 110 hectares and has become a global benchmark, especially in the USA. (check area with chairman???) Born from the capricious and subtle viognier – a grape variety native to Condrieu (though according to some sources, it is native to Dalmatia) and whose cultivation, legend would have it, was encouraged by the Roman Emperor Probus – the golden, delicate, and aromatic Condrieu reaches its best at a young age. Full bodied on the palate, its robust body reveals hints of peach and violet…
Condrieu- Grape Varieties
single grape variety is used in Condrieu wines: the viognier (link to Grape Variety Fact Sheet). This unique variety of grape produces smooth, generous wines. In the glass, it is pale in colour with slight hints of green. Fresh but highly aromatic, Condrieu contains floral notes of violet, or fruits such as mango and apricot. At its peak, if radiates touches of musk, gingerbread and tobacco. Susceptible to oxidization, the wine should be enjoyed when young.
Condrieu- History
Viognier has been cultivated since Greek times (explaining its possible Dalmatian origins). Emperor Domitian ordered the vines to be torn from the earth in 92AD as he believed the wine had a detrimental effect on his soldiers, but in 280AD Emperor Probus had the vines replanted, stating that it had a beneficial effect on men. First a Gallo-Roman village, Condrieu became the property of the Diocese of Lyon. In the 12th century, the archbishop built the castle that still dominates the city today, to fend of multiple assaults on the town. Like Saint Michel and Vérin, Condrieu was home to the brave sailors of the Rhône who for centuries would provide maritime transportation between Lyon and Beaucaire. Condrieu’s wines have a reputation for excellence that already dates back several generations, back to the Popes of Avignon, and more recently, Curnonsky, the Prince of Gastronomy, named it as the best white wine in France. It then underwent a turbulent period: phylloxera, World War One, the great depression, and the process of industrialization almost left the village abandoned. In the 1950s, the Condrieu wine market, the region’s oldest, disappeared… there were simply not enough winemakers. Soon there would remain only 10 or so farmed hectares out of the 170 that were defined when the AOC was created. In 1940, the AOC was present in only three municipalities: Condrieu, Vérin, and Saint Michel. In 1967, it spread to four neighbouring villages: Chavanay, Saint Pierre de Boeuf, Malleval, and Limony, for a total area of 387 hectares… but only just over 10 hectares were planted. The vines were nevertheless maintained by a small group of winemakers who were passionate about the viognier, and the vineyards were reborn in the 1980s: the abandoned hillsides were replanted and the terrace walls rebuilt. In 1986, Condrieu winemakers made a final alteration the appellation’s territory. One third of the surface area was removed, leaving only the hillsides with the best exposure, where the viognier matured to its very best.
Condrieu- Geography
The appellation’s vineyards are found 40km south of Lyon, and 10km from Vienne. It covers around 100 hectares and straddles three French counties. It is divided over seven municipalities: Condrieu, St Michel sur Rhône, Vérin, Chavanay, Saint Pierre de Boeuf, Malleval, and Limony, in the Rhône, Loire, and Ardèche counties.
Condrieu- Climate
Continental climate, similar to Lyon, with slight Mediterranean influences. Temperatures are, however, very high in summer due to the region’s exposure to the sun and rocky soils that store heat.
Condrieu- Soils
The right-bank of the Rhône Valley between Saint Romain en Gal and Serrières is characterized by greatly contrasting topography: the Rhône’s recent sediment and level terraces collide against the steep inclines that lead up to the “Pélussin plateau”. The vineyards grow there, grasping the parent rock long many narrow terraces, or “chayées”, that require constant upkeep. Since ancient times, the rock has undergone various transformations (chemical alterations = not very exciting). Today, the granite is found in the deepest sections of the outcrops. Beneath the altered fringe, the rock has a crumbly appearance and the cracks contain significant deposits of clay. These fissures are ideal places for vines to take root and ensure healthy growth for Condrieu vines thanks to the moisture contained in the clay. The outer layer of the fringe is never very thick on the slopes and is made up of altered or intact minerals, and fragments of rock and clay. The terraces conserve this section, resulting in soil that is richer in organic matter.
Chateau Grillet
A rare creature! Château Grillet produces a unique wine that is, in many ways, almost mythical. Firstly, its 3.5ha make it the smallest AOC in the Rhône Valley.
Located on the right bank of the Rhône, its vineyards overhang the river forming the perfect amphitheatre: open to the South-East and bathed in warm sun. Only a single grape variety is planted there: the viognier. Its terroir is characterized by a light, fragmented soil rich in mica. Produced by a sole harvesting owner, this elegant variety is characterized by its aromas of honey and fruit (peach and apricot), blending a subtle acidity with resounding smoothness…
Chateau Grillet- Grape Varieties
Château-Grillet is made exclusively from viognier, a robust grape variety. Rich in alcohol, it gives wine body and floral aromas (violet, hawthorn, acacia), and then, as it ages, honey, musk, and dried peaches and apricots. These are the final notes that best characterize wines from this AOC.
