Northern Rhône Flashcards
T/F Inexpensive reds may see semi-carbonic
True
White vinification
Generally cool fermented and bottled within 6 months
Marsanne Characteristics
Pale skinned, less aromatic than Roussanne, notes of honeysuckle, marzipan, and almond, oily texture.
NOT allowed in CdP blends.
Roussanne Characteristics
Russet colored skin, waxy minerality.
Oxidizes easily.
Adds fruit and acidity, often gives an herbal tea aroma.
Jaboulet famous wine AND classic bottling
Hermitage La Chapelle
Le Chapelle 1961
Sources WINE from 150 growers
Chevalier de Stérimbeg - Roussanne
Chapoutier
Based in Tain-l’Hermitage Est. 1808
Max (son) early proponent of biodynamics
Guigal
Based in Ampuis (Côte-Rôtie) est. 1946
30 ha in Côte-Rôtie
Bought and revitalized Vidal Fleury 1984
Guigal “Cru” Wines
La Moulin (11% Viognier) La Turque La Landonne Only 400-700 cs produced yearly. Dark, dramatic, mouth filling, okay expressions of Syrah. 100% new oak, 3 1/2 years aging, no fining/filtration. Parker praised.
Château Grillet
3.4 ha
Granite amphitheater slopes
2,000 cs annually
Purchased by François Pinaulyt of Latour in 2011
Rhône Rangers
Loose affiliation of American winemakers led by Bob Lindquist of Qupé and Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon, beginning in the 80s to produce reds and whites in the Rhône style. Used old plantings of Grenache and Mataro, and Syrah plantings grew.
Mistral
Cold, dry wind from Massif Central
pronounced effect in winter and spring
strong enough to damage the vines
dries vines, preventing mold and mildew
N Rhône soils
Heat-retaining granite and schist on steep slopes of Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage.
Fine sand and loess prone to erosion.
Arzelle
Soil of powdery, decomposed mica found near Condrieu
Côte-Rôtie permitted white %
Up to 20% Viognier
Crozes-Hermitage/Hermitage permitted white %
Up to combined total of 15% Marsanne and/or Roussanne
St Joseph permitted white %
Up to 10% Marsanne and/or Roussanne
Effects of co-fermentation
Offers the almost counterintuitive advantage of stabilizing red wine color and moderating tannin extraction
Côte-Rôtie style
More feminine than Hermitage, light and fresh
Côte-Rôtie
Some of France’s steepest vineyards 150-350m, with 55° + gradient
SE aspect behind Ampuis
Hermitage
One S facing hill
2nd smallest AOC in N Rhône
136 ha
40 hl/ha
Hermitage notable producers
Jean-Louis Chave
Négoiants Delas, M. Chapoutier, Jaboulet
Hermitage important climats
le Méal
les Bessards
Gréffieux
Beaume & Péléat
Hermitage style
Deeply colored, headily perfumed, and should evolve 2-3 decades, after which it can be mistaken for BDX
Crozes-Hermitage
Largest AOC in N Rhône 1510 ha
92% red, lighter and less ageworthy
Cornas style
Rustic, impenetrable in their youth and slow to develop in the bottle
Cornas
131 ha, 100% Syrah, no white permitted
Vineyards some of warmest in the Rhône
Shielded from Mistral winds
Cornas lieux-dits
Les Reynards
La Côte
Les Chaillot
Les Mazards
Cornas notable producers
Auguste Clape - traditional style wines
Vincent Paris
St Joseph
Ambitiously expanded 875 ha 1996/1,211 ha 2013
Delightfully transparent expression of Syrah
Also produce small amount of white from Marsanne/Roussane
St-Péray
75 ha, cool AOC
Whites only from Marsanne/Roussanne
May be méthode traditionelle mousseux style
Condrieu
170 ha
Nearly extinct in 1960s
Stylistic differences; oak, malo
Condrieu notable producers
Georges Vernay
Yves Cuilleron
André Perret
Coteaux de Die AOC
dry white wine from 100% Clairette
Crémant de Die AOC
sparkling whites based mostly on Clairette
Clairette de Die AOC
2 styles of sparkling wine; méthode traditionnelle and méthode Dioise ancestrale
Châtillon-en-Diois AOC
Gamay based red/rosés and whites from Aligoté and Chardonnay
% of Northern Rhône wine in whole valley
5%
Half of all wines bottled by which merchants
Chapoutier, Jaboulet, Delas, Guigal
