Rhone Flashcards
Rhone Valley General
Nothern Rhone
- Syrah
- Continental climate
- 4,000 ha
Southern Rhone
- Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvedre
- Mediterranean climate
- 66,000 ha
Mainly red (80%) and rose
Viognier, Marsanne, Roussane, Grenache Blanc
Black grape varieties
Syrah Grenache Noir Mourvedre Cinsault Carignan
White grape varieties
Viognier Marsanne Roussanne Grenache Blanc Clairette Bourboulenc
Syrah
Vigorous, needs careful training and tying in to protect from Mistral (trellising is not possible)
Susceptible to mites and botrytis bunch rot
Disease ‘Syrah decline’ or disorder - leaves turn red and graft points break, vine dies
The only black grape used in Northern Rhone crus
Deep ruby colour, med to pronounced intensity (violet, plum, blackberry, black pepper, herbal notes)
Acidity and tannin medium to high.
Adds structure, fruit and colour to Southern blends
Grenache Noir
High yielding
Needs warm climate to ripen
Ripens late (can be affected by autumn rains)
Upright growth makes it suitable for bush vine, pruned low to contian vigour
Does well on dry, low fertile soils (drought resistant)
Prone to coulure and fungal diseases (downy mildew, phomopsis and botrytis. Prone to bacterial necrosis or bacterial blight (kills shoots, leaves, and plant eventually)
Prone to oxidation and premature colour loss (if exposed to too much oxygen)
Can accumulate high levels of sugar quickly (suitable for Vin Doux Naturel)
Blends - contribute to pale ruby colour, ripe red fruit (strawberry, red plum, red cherry) spicy, herbal notes, high alcohol, low to med tannins and low acidity
Mourvedre
Late budding and late ripening
Thrives in warm to hot climates
Can be under ripe if late summer is not hot
Not drought resistant (small but regular supply of water)
Best pruned short (cordon or bush vine)
Low yields
Prone to mites, leafhoppers,sour rot (affects ripening bunches)
Strongly prone to reduction (adequate access to oxygen is very important)
Typically aged in old oak.
Almost always used as part of blend in Rhone - deep colour, intense aroma of blackberries, blueberries, violets, high alcohol and firm tannins
Cinsault
Late budding, high yielding
Good drought resistance and heat resistance
Yield must be managed
If grown on excessive lime in soil - suffers from chlorosis
Prone to esca and eutypa, mites and grape moths
Typically small part of blend (made in style to preserve fruityness) light ruby colour, med (+) aroma (fresh red fruit - raspberry, red cherry) high alcohol and low to med tannins
Aroma most prominent in the first year after wine is made (early drinking styles and rose)
Viognier
Early budding (prone to spring frost)
Low and unpredictable yields (poor flowering and fruit set - coulure)
Picking time is very important - fruit must be absolutely ripe to get pronounced aromas
- if left too long - loosing flavour and acidity -unbalanced
Lemon in colour, pronounced aroma of honeysuckle, apricot, peach. Medium to high alcohol and low acidity.
Up to 20% allowed in norther Rhone red wines
Marsanne
Late budding
Vigorous and productive (yileds must be kept low)
Best on stony and low fertility soils
Prone to powdery mildew, mites, botrytis
Medium lemon colour (sometimes gold) light intensity honeysuckle, lemon, apricot, oily texture, medium acidity, full body, med to high alcohol
Northern Rhone can be varietal (south usually blend)
Roussanne
Late budding
Best on low fertility, well drained soils
Poor resistance to wind
Unpredictable yields due to coloure.
Very susceptible to powdery mildew, botrytis and mites
More difficult than Marsanne (therefore less common)
Medium lemon colour (sometimes gold) medium+ intensity (pear, herbal notes) medium (+) acidity, med (high) alcohol.
Tend to age quicker than Marsanne
Grenache Blanc
relatively early budding
Good wind resistance
Almost exclusively in souther part of Rhone
Also Vin Doux Naturel (high potential alcohol)
Low intensity, ripe green fruit and floral notes, high alcohol and low acidity
Clairette
Does well on low fertility dry soils
Vigourious (usually pruned short and excessive buds are removed)
Grows very upright (wind resistant)
Ripens late (prone to autumn rains)
Oxidises easily
Blends - adding freshness, fruit, white flower, fennel, apple and grapefruit notes. High alcohol and low to med - acidity
Bourboulenc
Late ripening and late ripening
Loose bunches and thick skins (resistant to botrytis)
Good in warm dry locations
Blends - lemon flavour, medium+ acidit, medium alcohol
General winemaking in Rhone
and winemaking for Grenache and Syrah
very traditional
Preference for concrete for ferment (also stainless, large wood)
Small and large wooden vessels for maturation
Grenache prone to colour loss and oxidation if exposed to too much oxygen (so usually fermented and aged in concrete)
Syrah (prone to reduction) must be pumped over more often, often aged in oak (gentle oxidation)
Production procedure for cru level red wine
Harvested by hand (small crates)
May be destemmed, cold soaked
May be left whole bunches or partially destemmed
Ferment in steel, concrete or open top wooden ferment
Cultured or ambient yeast
Warm temperature ferment (extract colour, flavour, tannin)
Post-ferment maceration on skins for full extraction with punch-down, pump-over or rack and return
Maturation of 12-24 months in large oak (Grenache) small barrels (Syrah, Mourvedre) 20-30% new
Production of high volume inexpensive red wine
Harvested by machine (quick to avoid spoilage)
Hand picking for carbonic maceration is option
Large producers - flash detente or termovinification (enhance colour, fruit intensity, low tannin)
Cultured yeast (quick, reliable)
Mid-range temperatures ferment (retain fruit)
Short period of maceration on skins
Agein 4-6 mths in stainless (early release)
Rose winemaking
Typically short maceration (12-48 hours)
Pressed and finished as white wine
Typically aged in oak or concrete large vats or steel
(some producers use old small oak for texture)
Saignee method (but whole batch used for rose and not as concentrating method for red wine with by-product of rose)
White winemaking
Mostly mid-range temperatures to retain fruit
Malo sometimes avoided
Mostly aged in large old oak or stainless
Lees stirring sometimes avoided (due to natural full body of Rhone varieties) some do it (Hermitage Chapoutier)
Sometimes aged in oak (ocasionally also fermented for better oak integration)
Northern Rhone environment and grape growing
Moderate continental climate
(cold winters, warm summers and adequate rainfall mainly in autumn and winter)
Cold Mistral winds from north
(reduced fungal disease, decreases vigour - lower yields and gives concentration)
Better vineyards are on steep slopes
(increased interception of sunlight, better drainage)
Most work has to be done by hand
Appellations of Northern Rhone
Côte-Rôtie AOC Condrieu AOC - Ch. Grillet AOC Saint Joseph AOC Hermitage AOC Crozes-Hermitage AOC Cornas AOC Saint-Péray AOC Collines Rhodaniennes IGP
Côte-Rôtie AOC
Only red wines (Syrah + up to 20% Viognier)
Steep often terraced slopes (east and south-east exposure - high sunlight interception)
- most work done by hand
- erosion
- terrace maintanance
Sheltered from winds
Rapid drainage, poor, stony soils - fully ripe grapes
Double or single-Guyot, tight to one or two poles (locally known as Échalas)
Typical density 10,000 vines/ha (competition, low yields)
Lack of commercial interest before Guigal (La Mouline, La Landronne) from 70 ha to 250 ha (now premium prices)
Syrah (usually massale selection with 3309 rootstock)
Max yield 40 hl/ha
If it is blend - must be co-fermented
- destem, cold soak, warm ferment, malo in cask, maturation in small oak or large vats
Typically softer and less full-bodied than rest of the N Rhone
Échalas
Poles to tie vines to in Rhone
local expression
Guigal single vineyards in Cote Rotie
La Mouline
La Landronne
Max yield in Cote Rotie
40 hl/ha
Condrieu AOC
Must be 100% Viognier
max. 41 hl/ha
South facing vineyards (river turns here)
- steep, terraced, rocky, low fertility
- soil erosion
- strong winds
Single-estate appellation - Ch. Grillet AOC (3.5 ha)
Most ferment in steel or large wood (some small barrels)
Malo may or may not be allowed (normally yes)
Typically aged on lees 10-12 months often with lees stirring
Very good to outstanding
