Northern Rhone Flashcards
What is the most southerly AOP of the Northern Rhone?
Saint Peray
What is the soil type of Cornas?
“Gore” - naked granite
What style of wine is produced in Beaumes de Venise AOP?
rouge
How many liters are contained in a demi muid?
600 L
What is the soil type of Condrieu?
“Arzelles” - rich, powdery decomposed mica
Franck Balthazar, Rostaing, Gangloff, Gantaz-Dervieux, JM Stephane
Balthazar - Cornas & Crozes
rest- Cote Rotie
Gantaz (before Rostaing)
Who makes “Ermitage Cuvee Cathelin”
JL Chave, 1990 first vintage, named after artist Bernard Cathelin,
high percentage of Les Bessards lieu-dit, high percentage of new french oak,
200 cases, only in the best years
Put West-East these climats of Ermitage L’Homme, Le Meal, La Varogne, Preleat
La Varogne, Le Meal, Peleat, l’Homme
Top vineyards in Hermitage
Les Bessards, l’Hermite (contains La Chappelle),
Le Meal - all highest up on the SW flank of Hermitage hill - granite vs. recomposed river deposits w/ clay and loess
—— Les Bessards is the most powerful, Meal a bit brighter, gentler
“Cote Rozier” AOC
Cote Rotie
“La Cote” AOC
Cornas
Vin de Paille grapes must dry for a minimum of how many days?
45 days, must reach a must weight of 350 g/L
Best vintage for Northern Rhone from 2000 to 2005?
2001 and 2005 (’02 was very bad lots of rain and rot)
Who owns Chateau Grillet?
Francois Pinault purchased in 2011 from Neyret-Gachet - wines are improving
What do Chateau Grillet and Cornas have in common?
Smallest AOC for white and red in Northern Rhone, Single varietal wines, Vineyards are in ampitheathers (mistral shield),
must be harvested by hand (same for Cote Rotie, Condrieu, Hermitage)
What is the size of Chateau Grillet?
3.5 ha
What is “Serine?” (in the context of cote rotie)
A member of the syrah family of grapes, but distinct for its small grapes which are long and olive-shaped, stems which mature regularly, with less weight and color than syrah but aromatically complex and superior - however the plants are more prone to disease and need to be planted more often (every 30 years) so the grape is becoming less common (only dedicated vignerons doing their own propagations)
Name 3 top producers located in Cornas
August Clape, Alain Voge, Thierry Allemand, Jean-Luc Colombo, Franck Balthazar
What are 4 major lieux dits of Cornas?
Chaillot, Reynard, La Cote, Les Mazards
Champelrose, Le Pigeonnier, Patou, La Gaynale, Thezier, Sauman, Les Saveaux Nord, Les Cotes, Cayret
When did viticulture spread to the Northern Rhone?
1st century CE with the Romans
Producers of Condrieu
Georges Vernay, Yves Cuilleron, Andre Perret, Lionel Faury, Yves Gangloff, Remi & Robert Niero
What is the main grape of Clairette de Die “methode Dioise”
muscat blanc a petit grains - 75% min., min. 35 g/L, 3 atm, 4 mo sur lie (Clairette only for mousseux)
True or False - sparkling wines are more common in Saint Peray than still wines
True (alluvial, some granite over limestone plateaux - sparkling can be good)
What are the aging requirements for Saint Peray?
12 months from tirage (no minimum time on lees required)
What is the max RS for Clairette de Die MT?
15 g (brut)
What are the aging requirements for Clairette de Die MT?
9 months on the lees
What is the encepagement of Cremant de Die?
55% clairette, 10% aligote, 5-10% muscat - max 15 g (brut)
Who are the big 4 producers of Hermitage?
JL Chave,
Delas Freres,
Chapoutier,
Paul Jaboulet
(small producer - Bernard Faurie, Marc Sorrel - Les Raucoules blanc)
What are the wine styles of Chatillon-en-Diois AOP?
reds/roses from gamay (with PN, syrah),
whites from aligote/chardonnay
(west) Cote Brune vs Cote Blonde (east) soil profiles?
micaschist vs. gneiss (split by the Reynaud river)
What are the communes of Cote Rotie?
St-Cyr-sur-le-Rhone, Ampuis, Tupin et Semons
Best Lieux Dits of Cote Rotie (all in Ampuis)
La Landonne, Les Grandes Places, Cotes Rozier
True or False - Cotes du Rhone wines must contain a minimum 30% grenache unless the vineyard is located North of Montelimar?
TRUE - but they must include at least 1 principal or complementary variety (ex. Eric Texier (negociant who studied with Jean Marie Guffens in Verget - Brezeme pure syrah, St Julien en St Alban pure syrah)
What River forms the southern boundary of Crozes Hermitage?
L’Isere
Higher profile St Joseph producers?
Bernard Gripa, Stephane Montez (du Monteillet), Lionel Faury, Andre Perret, Francois Villard, Pierre Gonon, Herve Souhaut, Monier, Coursodon, Courbis
Important lieux dits of Saint Joseph
Les Oliviers, St. Epine, Chalais, St. Joseph, Bachasson