FR_Rhône_North

Question 1

The Main Red and White Grapes of Northern Rhône

Answer 1

Red: Syrah

White: Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne

Question 2

7 Descriptors for Syrah

Answer 2

* Aroma: Black fruit, Black Pepper, Smoke
* Sweetness: Dry
* Palate: Blackberry, Blueberry, Boysenberry, White and Black Pepper, Spice, Cured Meat (bacon), Smoke
* Tannin: High
* Acidity: Med+
* Alcohol: Med+
* Body: Full

Question 3

6 Descriptors for Viognier

Answer 3

Aroma: Tangerine, Honeysuckle, Peach (sweet aromatics)
Sweetness: Dry
Wood: Oak adds creaminess and notes of vanilla
Acid : Low
Alcohol: High
Body: Medium to Full (similar to Chardonnay)

Question 4

6 Descriptors for Roussanne
2 Facts

Answer 4

Color: Reddish Brown (like a roux)
Aroma: Herbal Tea (chamomile) and Floral
Palate: Peaches, Pears, Honey, Hay
Acid: High
Body: Full
Texture: Rich, Silky, sometimes Oily

• More elegant and difficult to grow than Marsanne, which it is often blended with

Question 5

4 Descriptors for Marsanne
2 Facts

Answer 5

Palate: Ripe Pear, Nutty
Sweertness: Dry (can be sweet or sparkling in Saint Péray)
Acid: Med–
Body: Med

* Ages well and best known as blending grape in Northern Rhône

Question 6

Norhtern Rhône Location
3 Facts

Answer 6

• Attached to the southern base of Beaujolais
• Vineyards clustered on the steep slopes of the river and typically terraced.

Question 7

8 Appellations of Northern Rhône

Answer 7

* Côte Rôtie “roasted slope”
* Condrieu
* Château-Grillet
* Saint-Joseph
* Crozes-Hermitage
* Hermitage
* Cornas “scorched earth” (kohr-nahs)
* Saint- Péray (San per-ray)

Question 8

Côte Rotie
3 Descriptors

Answer 8

• Northern Rhône
• Syrah with up to 20% Viognier
• Soft fruity flavors
• more finesse than Hermitage

Question 9

Condrieu / Château Grillet
1 Fact
2 Facts

Answer 9

• Northern Rhône
• Condrieu: 100% Viognier
• Château Grillet:100% Viognier from a 2.8 Ha enclave of Condrieu, that is owned by a single winery, Château Grillet

Question 10

Saint Joseph
2 Styles

Answer 10

• Northern Rhône
• Whites from Roussanne and Marsanne
• Syrah with up to 10% Roussanne / Marsanne

Question 11

Two great vintages from Northern Rhône and their Wine Spectator scores

Answer 11

• 2017: 97 “Reds are ripe and seductive. Whites are juicy and well-detailed”
• 2019: 96 “Reds are very concentrated and defined. Whites are more inconsistent”