Northern Rhone Flashcards
What is the authorized encepagement for Cote Rotie AOP?
Syrah; plus a max. 20% viognier
What are the villages authorized to produce in the Cote Rotie AOP?
Ampuis
Saint Cyr sur Rhone
Tupin-Semons
What year was the Cote Rotie AOP established?
1940
What is the dominant soil type of the northern part of Cote Rotie, from Cote Brune up to Saint Cyr and Verenay? How does this soil type affect the wines?
Schist - with bits of mica in it. This soil types gives wines with more bone, a more upright, tannin-marked, black fruited and long-lived version of Cote Rotie
What is the dominant soil type of the southern part of Cote Rotie - from Cote Blonde on south to Tupin-Semons? What affect does this soil have on the wines?
Granite with more quartz, weathered feldspars, and white mica. This granite is soft in a very loose, decomposed state - poor quality, low in nutrients.
The wines are more floral and red fruited with less tannic structure.
What is the local name for Syrah in Cote Rotie? In what tense is this name used today?
Serine
Currently denotes vines selected from old rootstock rather than clonal produce
What is the traditional form of vine training in Cote Rotie for Syrah?
Guyot
What are three main disease pressures in Cote Rotie?
Black rot
Oidium
Mildew
How many total hectares are available to Cote Rotie AOP? How many are planted (circa 2019ish)?
255 of a total 320ha
Where are viognier plantings concentrated in Cote Rotie and why?
Cote Blonde down to Tupin-Semins: the southern portion of Cote Rotie featuring soft granitic soils that viognier prefers.
What ravine separates Cote Brune from Cote Blonde?
Reynard Ravine
Economics: how much is the estimated cost of clearing and planting 1 hectare of Cote Rotie?
About $70k USD - plus the cost of waiting 4 years before it can even make any wine.
Why is Guigal the only to use the La Mouline and La Turque designations, even if other growers may or may not have vines in those vineyards?
Only names that appear on the official cadastre are allowed to be used on labels. While these vineyards have been designated names in the past, they are not on the cadastre. To bypass this, Guigal had those names trademarked which overrides EU wine law.
What is the Mistral commonly known as in the northern Rhone?
Le Bise
What two properties are owned by Guigal but operated as separate entities?
Domaine de Bonsarine
Vidal-Fleury, Etienne Guigal’s former employer
Who makes the wine “Chateau d’Ampuis”? What is the blend and where is the fruit sourced from? What was the inaugural vintage?
E. Guigal
93% syrah/7% viognier
Syrah from 4 lieux-dits in the Cote Brune; Viognier from the Cote Blonde
1995
What is the blend and sourcing of Guigal’s La Mouline?
La Mouline on the Cote Blonde is planted 89% syrah/11% viognier - the wine generally follows the same ratio. The vines average 60 years in age.
Which of Guigal’s La La’s have produced the highest number of perfect scores from Robert Parker?
La Mouline
What is the blend and sourcing of Guigal’s La Turque?
La Turque - an extremely steep slope of the Cote Brune.
93% Syrah/7% Viognier
Planted in 1980
What is the blend and sourcing of Guigal’s La Landonne?
100% Syrah from Cote Brune - average vine is 20 years old.
What are Guigal’s three “La La’s”? Which are Cote Brune and which is Cote Blond?
La Landonne (Brune) La Mouline (Blond) La Turque (Brune)
Which of Guigal’s “La La’s” are 100% Syrah?
La Landonne
What was the inaugural vintage for:
Guigal’s La Landonne
Guigal’s La Turque
Guigal’s La Mouline
La Mouline: 1966
La Turque: 1985
La Landonne: 1978
What is the aging regimen for Guigal’s La La and Ex Voto rouge bottlings?
42 months in 100% new French oak
What is the name of Guigal’s top Condrieu bottling?
La Doriane
What is the AOP and varietal breakdown for Guigal’s Ex-Voto blanc? What sites are sourced for this wine?
Hermitage
93% Marsanne/7% Roussanne
90% of fruit comes from Les Murets; 10% comes from l’Hermite
What is the AOP and varietal breakdown for Guigal’s Ex Voto rouge? What sites are sourced for this wine?
Hermitage
100% syrah
Bessards, Greffieux, l’Hermite, Murets
What 4 major producers dominate Hermitage?
Chave
Delas
Jaboulet
M. Chapoutier
Who was Gaspard de Sterimberg?
The legendary crusader turned hermit for which Hermitage is named for
What is the name of the legendary crusader turned hermit for whom Hermitage is named for?
Gaspard de Sterimberg
What is the name of Jaboulet’s premier Hermitage bottling? What climat is it located within?
La Chapelle - located within L’Hermite
What 4 quarters/climats is Cornas divided into?
Les Reynards
La Cote
Les Chaillots
Les Mazards
Who bottles Le Chevalier de Sterimberg? What AOP/style is this wine?
Jaboulet - Hermitage blanc.
Who is credited with resurrecting Hermitage’s vin de paille tradition and in what year?
1984 - Gerard Chave
Where is Chapoutier based? When was the house founded and in what year did they make a turn towards quality?
Tain L’Hermitage
Founded in 1808; took a turn to quality when Michel Chapoutier took over in 1990
What is the name of Chapoutier’s project in Australia and where is it located? What is the name of Chapoutier’s Portugal project and in what DO is it located?
Australia: Domaine Tournon, Pyrenees - Victoria
Portugal: Dos Luisados; Douro
Chave: in what two AOPs do they bottle wine? Where are they based? Founding year?
Founded in 1481; based in Mauves
Bottle in Hermitage and St Joseph
Who makes Ermitage Cuvee Cathelin and what is it? Name 5 of the more recent vintages. What was the inaugural vintage?
A bottling from Chave only in top vintages; a barrel selection of the best lots equaling to about 200 cases per vintage.
2015, 2009, 2003, 2000, 1998, 1995, 1991, 1990
The Chave family recently bottled their first single vineyard Saint Joseph. What was the name of it and what was the first vintage?
Clos Florentin
2015
Domaine Jamet is a believer in blending with one notable exception in Cote Rotie: what is the exception?
Cote Brune; they produce a limited cuvee from a .48ha parcel each year
What is Domaine Jamet’s Condrieu bottling?
Vernillon; aged 50% stainless, 50% in barrel. Inaugural vintage 2015
When was Clape founded and why did they come to Cornas?
Clape was founded in 1907 after the family was forced to relocate with the grower strikes in the Languedoc, starting from scratch despite a 250 year history in wine
