Northern Rhone Flashcards
What is the climate of the Northern Rhone?
Continental
-greater seasonal temperature shifts
-more rainfall than Southern Rhone
-fewer annual hours of sunshine than Southern Rhone
What is the wind that blows through the Northern Rhone Valley?
Mistral wind
When does the Mistral wind have the biggest impact in the Northern Rhone?
In the winter and spring.
Where does the Mistral wind come from?
The Massif Central
What affect does the Mistral wind have on the vines?
-It dries the vineyards.
-Prevents mold and mildew from taking hold
What is the soil that defines much of the Northern Rhone?
Heat retaining granitic and schistous soils
What is the main soil and of Cote-Rotie, Condrieu and Hermitage?
-Steep slopes with schist and granite.
-Sand and loess topsoil
What prevents the vineyards in the Northern Rhone from eroding?
Terrace construction
Why are the vineyards in the Northern Rhone prone to eroding?
Sand and loess topsoil.
What is the soil of Condrieu?
Thin topsoil that is rich and powdery decomposed mica called arzelle.
What is arzelle?
The thin topsoil of Condrieu
-rich and powdery decomposed mica
What appellations in the Northern Rhone have higher proportions of clay?
Saint Joseph
Crozes-Hermitage
Saint-Peray
What percentage of Viognier is allowed in Cornas?
None
-100% Syrah
What white grape and up to what percentage is allowed to be blended in Cote-Rotie?
Up to 20% Viognier
Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage are allowed to have up to what percentage of what white grape blended into it?
Up to 15% Marsanne/Rousanne
Can Saint-Joseph rouge have white grape blended into it? If so, what grape and how much?
Up to 10% Marsanne/Rousanne.
What appellation in the Northern Rhone is the farthest North?
Cote-Rotie
How steep are the vineyards of Cote-Rotie?
55 degree gradient or more
What does Cote-Rotie translate to?
Roasted slope
What are the two most famous areas of Cote-Rotie?
Cote Brune
Cote Blonde
-both are the heart of the appellations terroir
What vineyard site in Cote-Rotie can fetch first growth prices?
La Landonne
Name 3 negotiants of Hermitage.
Chapoutier
Jaboulet
Delas
Name 7 important producers of Cote Rotie
E. Guigal (modern)
Bernard Levet (traditional)
Jamet (traditional)
Georges Vernay (modern)
Rene Rostaing (both)
Clusel-Roch (both)
Jasmin (traditional)
Where is La Chapelle located?
Hermitage
What is La Chapelle named for?
It is named for a small hillside chapel that stands in commemoration of Gaspard de Stérimberg, the legendary Crusader-turned-hermit.
La Chapelle is located within what climat in Hermitage?
L’Hermite
Name other important climats of Hermitage.
(E to W)
Les Bessards
l’Hermite
Méal
Gréffieux
Les Beaumes
Péléat
Rocoule
Maison Blanche
Les Diognières
Les Murets
L’Homme
La Croix
Torras et les Garennes
Where are the warmest vineyards of Northern Rhone?
Cornas
Why is Cornas so warm?
Shielded from the Mistral wind
Naked granite soils generate more heat
What is the soil of Cornas?
Granite
List the Northern Rhone appellations from North to South.
Cote-Rotie
Condrieu
Chateau Grillet
St-Joseph
Crozes-Hermitage
Hermitage
Cornas
St-Peray
Cremant de Die
Clairette de Die
Coteaux de Die
Chatillon-en-Diois
What are the top lieu-dits of Cornas?
Reynard
Chaillot
La Cote
Les Mazards
Thézier
Le Pigeonnier
La Ge(y)nale
Cayret
Saumen
Champelrose
Les Saveaux-Nord/Sud
Les Cotes
Patou
What are the Lala’s of Cote-Rotie?
La Turque (inside Cote Brune)
La Landonne
La Mouline (inside Cote Blonde)
Where is La Turque located
Inside Cote Brune in Cote Rotie
Where is La Landonne located?
Côte Blonde in Côte Rotie
Where is La Mouline located?
Inside Cote Blonde in Cote Rotie
What are the boundaries of St-Joseph?
Condrieu in the North to St-Peray in the South
What are the grapes of Saint-Péray AOP?
Marsanne
Rousanne
What styles of wine are allowed in Saint-Péray?
Blanc
Méthode Traditionelle
Mousseaux
What does Roussanne add to the blend?
Acidity
Waxy
Minerality
What does Marsanne add to the blend?
Broader
Marzipan texture
What is Vin de Paille?
Sweet wine made from dried Roussanne and Marsanne grapes.
Who revived the Vin de Paille style and when?
Gerard Ghave in 1970
Chapoutier in 1990
Where is Condrieu located?
South of Cote-Rotie.
What is the grape of Condrieu?
Viognier
When did Viognier almost fall out of extinction?
1960s
What are 5 top producers of Condrieu?
Georges Vernay (modern and clean)
Andre Perret (traditional)
René Rostaing (both)
Yves Cuilleron (modern)
Jamet (traditional)
Name 2 producers of Saint-Peray
August Clape
Alain Voge
What monopole is located within Condrieu?
Chateau Grillet
The Northern Rhone lies between what two villages?
Vienne in the North
Valence in the South
What appellations in the Northern Rhone are located South of Valence?
Cremant de Die
Clairette de Die
Coteaux de Die
Chatillon-en-Diois
What is the grape of Coteaux de Die AOP?
100% Clairette
What are the grapes of Cremant de Die AOP?
Min 55% Clairette
10% Aligote
5-10% Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains
What is the max % of Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains allowed in Cremant de Die AOP?
Max 10%
What is the aging requirement of Cremant de Die?
Must spend 9 months on the lees before disgorgement
Can’t be released for a minimum of 12 months after the the date of tirage.
What are the two styles allowed in Clairette de Die.
Méthode Traditionelle
Méthode Dioise Ancestrale
What is the grape(s) allowed in Clairette de Die Méthode Traditionelle?
100% Clairette
What are the grape(s) allowed for Clairette de Die Méthode Diosie Ancestrale?
Must contain a minimum of 75% Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains plus Clairette
What is the minimum r/s of Clairette de Die Méthode Diosie Ancestrale?
Min 35 grams r/s = demi sec
What is the max rs of Clairette de Die Méthode Traditionelle?
Max 15 g/l rs
What are the grape(s) and style of Châtillon-en-Diois AOP?
White: Aligote and Chardonnay
Red and rosé: Gamay
What direction does Hermitage face?
South
What 2 sections is Hermitage split into?
Western side
-Granite outcropping
Eastern side
-Layer cake of glacier and river deposits that sits on top of limestone
How many communes of Crozes-Hermitage?
11 communes
How much bigger is Crozes-Hermitage than Hermitage?
10x surface area of Hermitage
Soil of Crozes-Hermitage
North: Granitic slopes, similar to Hermitage
South: Alluvial soils of glacial origin
