definition.[3]. We've received your email address, and soon you will start getting exclusive offers and news from Wine Enthusiast. It’s typified, however, by a slimmer profile than the brawny wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, as well as an intoxicating pungency of garrigue, the rustic base notes of underbrush and herb found throughout Provence and the South of France. Though few of us are currently able to visit personally at this time, armchair travelers can easily delight in this bucolic part of the world via its wines. [4] Those vineyard owners which do not vinify their wines themselves deliver their grapes in bulk either to a winemaking cooperative, of which there are 103 in the region, or sell them to one of the 51 négociants (wine producers and merchants) who blend, distribute, and export on an industrial scale. Located at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail, Beaumes de Venise is a particularly warm appellation sheltered from the Mistral, the famously frigid northerly winds of the Rhône. If Gigondas is the diminutive cousin of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Vaqueyras might be Gigondas’ little brother. In 2004 ten new appellations were officially added to the Rhône region, 9 in the Gard and one in the Vaucluse, which largely parallel the wines of Southern Rhône proper, while two appellations were discontinued for reasons of reforesting and urban encroachment.[8]. These singular wines are an opportunity to dive into the distinctive and expressive land. While rosé is often developed as a byproduct of red wine production, grapes here are cultivated exclusively for the style. In Tavel, wine has always meant one thing: rosé. Like most of the Southern Rhône crus, Grenache is the appellation’s backbone, augmented by Mourvèdre and Syrah. The Rhône wine region in Southern France is situated in the Rhône valley and produces numerous wines under various Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) designations. What Do We Mean When We Say Rhône-style Wine? Wines here are mostly red blends of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and Mourvèdre. The season started well enough, with a mild spring … These provided challenging conditions for the Grenache in many vineyards, with Ch de Beaucastel (for … Wines from small domains can still be difficult to find in the U.S., but regional producers like Famille Perrin or Pierre Amadieu produce fine Vinsobres bottlings that have wider distribution. In 2004, Costières de Nîmes AOC, which previously had been counted as part of eastern Languedoc, was also attached to the Rhône wine region. “The terroir of Lirac is often hidden in the shadows of Châteauneuf-du-Pape,” says Laure Poisson, commercial director for Les Vignerons de Tavel & Lirac a cooperative of 55 family growers. Syrah is the most important … A swelteringly hot, very dry year that was surprisingly successful, especially in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, both reds and whites. By using our website and/or subscribing to our newsletter, Inter Rhône: Committee for the promotion of the technology, economy, communication and marketing of Rhône Wine (2005). Tavel AOC, produced in the special microclimate of the sillon rhodanien (the furrow of the Rhône) by some thirty producers including Château d'Aqueria, Domaine Maby, Domaine de la Mordorée, Domaine Pelaquier, is an elite rosé only, which has been referred to as 'the wine of kings". The Sommelier's Atlas of Taste: A Field Guide to the Great Wines of Europe Rajat Parr. The art of blending is also central to the appellation’s identity. Long considered one of the best regions of the Côtes du Rhône Villages, the appellation obtained cru status in 2010. “There’s an element of freshness here,” says Louis Barruol, owner of Château de Saint Cosme, a Gigondas estate that dates to the 15th century. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies and the terms of our. The northern Rhône is characterised by a continental climate with harsh winters but warm summers. These may include Ugni blanc, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, and Clairette. In 1971, Gigondas was the first of the Côtes du Rhône Villages appellations to be elevated to cru status. It imposes strict yield limits and mandates laborious quality measures like hand harvesting. 4.8 out of 5 stars 8. The Rhône is generally divided into two sub-regions with distinct vinicultural traditions, the Northern Rhône (referred to in French as Rhône septentrional) and the Southern Rhône (in French Rhône méridional). Southern Rhône wines can range from simple, easy summer wines to very complex, oak-aged whites like Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, which are rounded and best enjoyed after a few years of bottle age. Community wine reviews and ratings on 2018 Marks & Spencer Côtes du Rhône La Grande Voute, plus professional notes, label images, wine details, and recommendations on when to drink. Paperback. Yet others suggested the grape came from the Sicilian city of Syracuse, whence circa 280 AD the Romans brought it and the Viognier grape. Small amounts of other traditional Rhône varieties are permitted in any blend, with the exception of Carignan. Shaped by the flow of the Rhône river into flattened formations that range from the size of baseballs to basketballs, the stones lay atop subsoils of sand and clay throughout the region’s plateau. These were the wines from the area around Tavel, Roquemaure, Lirac and Chusclan on the western ('right') bank of the Rhône. Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer's Tour of France (25th Anniversary Edition) Kermit Lynch. Many private wineries also produce wines including sparkling wines and fortified wines, single varietals - particularly from the Syrah grape - and even brandies. Planted on predominantly south-facing slopes, Rasteau is characterized by profound ripeness and intensity. Unlike those of Rasteau, these are youthful, delicately fortified sweet wines made from the intensely floral, fruity grapes. Challen 2018 Zotovich Vineyard Pinot Noir (Sta. The first cultivated vines in the region were probably planted around 600 BC. The Rhone has over 2,000 years of winemaking pedigree, as it was the Roman Empire that installed vineyards into some of its … The most important red grape variety is Grenache, followed by Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsaut, Carignan, Cuonoise, and a few others. This designation proves both a reward and challenge to winegrowers. Marsanne and Roussanne are in turn used for the whites from Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Saint Joseph, and Saint Péray. In Tavel, wine has always meant one thing: rosé. Cinsault and Carignan round out the top five red grape varieties of the south, but in significantly smaller percentages. Elsewhere there are mixed results; some excellent wines, others with unbalanced alcohol or tough tannins. The southern Rhône sub-region has a more Mediterranean climate with milder winters and hot summers. As a whole, they share a lusciousness of fruit, fiery spice and earth characteristics. “Compared to Gigondas, Vacqueyras has always been the more accessible and eager wine,” says Jean François Arnoux, the 13th-generation owner of Arnoux & Fils. While the southern Rhône is one of the world’s top winemaking regions — it’s home to the famed Châteauneuf-du-Pape, after all — it certainly has its … THE CRU VINEYARDS OF THE NORTHERN RHONE Côte Rôtie. Even if acidity is soft, there is freshness from minerality and finesse, particularly with age.”. “Each year, each member of our family makes their own blend, and then we decide which direction to go,” says Perrin. This nevertheless makes it the most commonly known, produced, and distributed appellation of the region. From north to south the appellations in the northern Rhône are: Northern Rhône reds are often identified by their signature aromas of green olive and smoky bacon. The southern sub-region produces an array of red, white and rosé wines, often blends of several grapes such as in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Photography by Laurent Pamato, Van Son Huynh, Hervé Hôte and courtesy of Domaine Maby. Long before it became the official beverage of Instagram and... Lirac. And with stunning vintages from 2015 through 2017 on store shelves, now is the perfect time to dive in and drink up. Others that the grape came 50 years later when Greeks fled from the Persian king Cyrus I. Most of the wines are blends. ), pp. Grenache and Syrah, which dominate the red wines here, can be potent and haunting in perfume. The region’s soils vary from clay and limestone to sand and pebbles. Domaine du Pegau is one the premier names in the Southern Rhône. Despite limited distribution stateside, the 150 or so winegrowers of Beaumes de Venise actually produce more than three times as much red wine than vin doux naturel. Vinsobres is known for its unique geographic location, lodged between the Prealps and Mont Ventoux in an amphitheater-like formation with vineyards … With a range of grapes and the freedom to blend, winemakers in the Southern Rhone can produce a wide range of styles, typically offering great quality and flavor at affordable prices. The permitted white grapes of the appellation “are often planted at higher altitudes, where cool night temperatures lend acidity and delicacy to the wines,” he says. America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants of 2019, Wine Enthusiast’s 2020 Wine Star Award Winners, California Privacy Rights Do Not Sell My Information. Rusticity is often used to differentiate the appellation’s wines from those of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas. The Oxford Companion to Wine (3rd Ed. Its altitude allows for a wide day-night temperature range that maintains acidity and balance in the grapes. Robinson, Jancis (2006). They are usually only sold on the premises. $9.99. In many appellation regulations, a division is made into main grape varieties (indicated by "M"), supplementary varieties (indicated by "S"), and accessory varieties (indicated by "(A)"). While Grenache is central to Lirac’s distinct blackberry character, winemakers have increasingly tapped Syrah and Mourvèdre as central blending components. With such a variety of terroir in the Southern Rhône – diverse soil types, grape varieties, microclimates and winemaking approaches – it’s not always easy to generalise about which are the best vintages to drink now. … Southern Rhone White Blend is a blanket term used to describe the various combinations of white wine grapes used in the southern half of the Rhone Valley.The wines themselves are not confined to the Rhone production zone and have been interpreted and replicated with varying degrees of success in the United States, Australia, Spain, North Africa … The wines here are anchored by Grenache noir but typically include other grapes such as Syrah … 4.7 out of 5 stars 232. A cru, which translates to “growth” in French, designates a legally demarcated region that’s recognized for its quality and distinctive terroir. It costs less and usually tastes rather more rustic, a characteristic which has its own charm. Though the southern Rhône produces red, white and rosé wines, most wines from the region are blended from any of three red grapes: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. links on this site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Since about 1998 Viognier is increasingly being used and is also appearing as a single varietal. The Rhône Valley in Southern France is the second largest wine-growing region in ‘la Métropole,’ covering an expansive 167,112 vineyard acres and stretching from Vienne in the north all the way to the Mediterranean Sea in the south. The largest of the Northern AOC’s, St. Joseph is home to Syrah and the white varietals Roussanne and... Cornas. Just over 100 years later, wines from the 'left' bank were included in the C.D.R. Such changes of borders between wine regions are very rare. … Northern Rhône is therefore cooler than southern Rhône, which means that the mix of planted grape varieties and wine styles are slightly different. 572-4. Words. While Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the original cru of the Southern Rhône, advances in viticulture and winemaking have blurred the lines between the appellation and its lesser-known and less expensive neighbors. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links. “Blending is key to the complexity of each vintage.”. Depending on the specific AOC rules, grapes blended into southern Rhône reds may include Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsault. The origins of the two most important grape varieties in the northern Rhone (Syrah and Viognier) have in the past been subject to speculation. Cellier des Dauphins highlights four of the southern crus: Vinsobres, Cairanne, Vacqueyras, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Early reports indicate that both the Northern and Southern Rhône's recent hot streak of vintages that started with 2015 will continue, though yields in the south are significantly down.. Côtes du Rhône AOC is an AOC that covers both the northern and southern sub-regions of Rhône. For this year St Valentine’s wine column, you are really going to score? Côtes du Rhône méridional from Montélimar to Avignon in the southern latitudes, produced by 123 communes. He says that the advances can be attributed to cru appellations like Gigondas being held to “the same restrictive regulations [as Châteauneuf-du-Pape] to produce wine.”. While the 2018 growing season in France's Rhône Valley had some travails, vintners are happy with the quality of the harvest. Efforts by Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s winegrowers to designate borders and impose strict production rules led to the French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system, which now governs the nation’s wines. Muscat thrives in the dry heat and arid soils here, and Beaumes de Venise is perhaps best known for its vin doux naturel. The style here is always bone dry and distinguished from its paler Provençal cousins by deeper fruit concentration and earthy complexities. A feature of the cultivation of the region is the use of large pebbles around the bases of the vines to absorb the heat of the sun during the day to keep the vines warm at night when, due to the cloudless skies, there is often a significant drop in temperature. The prestigious Northern Rhône appellations account for less than 5% of the total Rhône wine production.[5]. Fortified wines (vin doux naturel) are made in the Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise AOC and Rasteau AOCs. A Guide to Southern Rhône wines Whereas northern Rhône wines are produced primarily from Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne, southern Rhône believes in more diversity. The reds can be fleshy and ripe, redolent of figs and wild strawberries, yet they are often well structured and offer spicy, savory undertones. 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Have some great recommendations for you Marsanne and Roussanne are in turn used for the appellation is also expansive! Marsanne, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, and Beaumes de Venise is perhaps best known for its doux... Wide day-night temperature range that maintains acidity and balance in the Southern crus. Potent and haunting in perfume shadows to become something different, ” Helen. Received your email address, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape produced by 123 communes these expressive fortified (!