Rhone Producers Flashcards
Jean-Louis Chave
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Hermitage; Saint-Joseph/ Mauves
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages:
- -Hermitage Blanc: 80-85% Marsanne, 15-20% Roussanne.
- -Hermitage Rouge: Les Bessards forms the core of this blend of seven climats.
- -Hermitage Rouge “Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin:” A barrel selection done just before bottling, produced only in top years (1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2009 and 2010 to date) and only if the quality of the regular cuvée is not compromised. Inaugural vintage 1990.
- -Hermitage Vin de Paille: Average 1,000 bottles (375 ml) produced.
- since 1481, been passed down from father to son for 16 generations.
- initially grew Saint-Joseph wines before phylloxera wiped out their vineyards.
- purchased land on the hill of Hermitage and rebuilt the domaine
- widely considered the greatest grower on the hill
- keys to success is their ability to blend across multiple climats to create the best possible wine in any given year.
- does not produce single parcel “reserve” wines, believes blended wine is the best expression of Hermitage. However, in top vintages they do produce 200 cases of a red, barrel-selection “Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin” that is as expensive as it is rare.
- Gérard Chave took over the domaine in 1970; brought it to worldwide fame;
- son Jean-Louis Chave joined in 1992 after receiving an enology degree from UC Davis.
- JL also built up the family’s négociant business, J.L. Chave Selection, more affordable opportunity to experience wine.
- evolved a bit since JL took charge: There is a bit more new oak (10-30% for the reds and up to 33% for the whites; decreased recently), and the wines are cleaner than his father’s.
- reds are de-stemmed completely (Theo says untrue), punched down, fermented in stainless steel and oak vats, then aged in 228-liter barriques for 26 months.
- white is whole-cluster pressed and 90% barrel-fermented in up to one-third new oak, then aged for 18 months.
- wines are blended in tank prior to bottling.
- sensitive to the vintage conditions
Vineyard Holdings:
Hermitage: 13.9 ha
- Les Bessards: Syrah on rocky granite.
- l’Hermite: Syrah on granite soils; Roussanne on loess; Marsanne on clay-lime.
- Péléat: Syrah on alluvial stones, silex and clay soils; Marsanne, planted in 1910 on sandy granite.
- Le Méal: Syrah on alluvial granite stones with clay-lime.
- Rocoules: Marsanne and Roussanne on clay-lime soils.
- Maison Blanche: Marsanne from soils of alluvial stones with clay-lime.
Saint-Joseph (5 ha of Syrah)
Crozes-Hermitage (.9 ha)
Domaine Jamet
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Côte-Rôtie/Ampuis
- -Côte-Rôtie: a blend of all Jamet-owned parcels. Inaugural vintage 1976.
- -Côte-Rôtie “Fructus Voluptas”: Entry-level Côte-Rôtie. Aged 16 months in neutral oak barrels. Inaugural vintage 2008.
- -Côte-Rôtie “Côte Brune”: a limited cuvée from this 0.48-ha parcel, produced every year
- -Condrieu “Vernillon”: Sourced from the “Côte Chatillon” parcel. Aged in 50% barrels, 50% stainless steel. Inaugural vintage 2015.
- Domaine founded by Joseph Jamet in the 1950s, and with the help of sons Jean-Paul and Jean-Luc,
- began domaine bottling in 1976. The brothers took over the domaine in 1991 and have continually planted new vineyards and expanded the domaine, mostly in the northern sector of the appellation with its schist soils.
- Jamet firmly believes in the virtues of blending over the production of single-site wines (with one notable exception); the domaine’s Côte-Rôtie is typically a blend of their 25 parcels across 17 lieux-dits.
- In early 2013 Jean-Luc left the family domaine, reportedly taking two hectares of vineyards with him. However, news to date has been spotty about the split. The domaine is currently run by Jean-Paul, his wife, Corinne, and their son, Loïc.
- Many believe Jamet is THE reference point for classically styled Côte-Rôtie.
- grapes are partially de-stemmed according to the vintage— though the decision is not by rote. (i.e. the warm 2009 vintage was fermented as whole clusters, as was the much cooler 2011, but unique aspects of each vintage led to Jean-Paul’s corresponding decisions.
- Fermentation is in stainless steel tanks in their refurbished, gravity-flow cellar, and the wines are aged in barrel for 18-22 months (maximum 20% new oak for the Côte-Rôtie; 33% new oak for “Côte Brune”).
- The wines are neither fined nor filtered at bottling.
Vineyard Holdings: 8 ha Côte-Rôtie, 100% Syrah
- Côte Brune: 0.48 ha, planted in the 1940s and 1993; soil is schist
- Côte Blonde: planted in 1943; granite soil
- Côte Rozier: planted in 1943; soil is schist
- Lancement: planted in 1989; granite soil
- La Landonne: planted in 1987; soil is schist
- La Gerine: 1.3 ha, planted in 2000; soil is schist
Auguste Clape
Region?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Cornas
- -Cornas: assemblage from 12 parcels (average vine age 30-60 years)
- -Cornas “Renaissance”: assemblage from 12 parcels (average vine age 12-20 years): Inaugural vintage 1998.
- -Côtes du Rhône: 100% Syrah from vineyards outside the Cornas appellation
- -Le Vin des Amis (Vin de France): declassified Côtes du Rhône; young vines from Cornas plus occasional Cornas press wine
- Clape is an example of a traditional approach to winemaking in the Northern Rhône.
- Red grapes are not de-stemmed, and the wines are punched down by foot and pumped over twice daily.
- Aging for the Cornas bottlings is 22 months in old 6- and 12-hl foudres.
- The Côtes du Rhône and Vin des Amis see 12 months in a combination of foudre and cement.
- The reds are not filtered, but they are fined with egg whites.
- The white is vinified and aged in stainless steel.
- 250-year history working as vignerons, though they were forced to start from scratch in Cornas after relocating from the Languedoc due to the grower strikes of 1906 and 1907.
- Auguste Clape, who took over in 1949, is widely credited as the first to practice domaine-bottling in Cornas in 1957, using fruit from vineyards planted by his wife’s grandfather.
- Joined by his son Pierre-Marie in 1989, who now runs the domaine with his son Olivier. For many people, this is the gold standard domaine in Cornas.
Vineyard Holdings: 5.83 ha total
Reynard: 1.2 ha
Tézier: 0.46 ha
La Côte: 0.86 ha, planted in 1954
La Geynale: 0.68 ha
Pied de la Vigne: planted in 1890
La Sabarotte: purchased from Noël Verset upon his retirement
St. Péray: 0.23 ha Marsanne, planted in the 1940s and 1990
Côtes du Rhône: 1 ha Syrah on the plain south of the village; the white vines here were torn out after the 2007 vintage and replanted to Syrah.
Thierry Allemand
Region?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Cornas/Cornas
- -*Cornas “Reynard”: a blend of parcels with average vine age over 40 years; usually includes old vines in Chaillots, Reynards, Le Tezier and La Geynale. Inaugural vintage 1991.
- -*Cornas “Chaillot”: a blend of parcels with average vine age under 40 years; includes parcels in Chaillots, Le Tezier and Le Bois. Inaugural vintage 1991.
- -Cornas “Sans Souffre”: a bottling with no added sulfur; usually from old vines in Reynards; bears a different label than the other wines and is labeled only “Cornas.” Inaugural vintage 1998
- -*1990, 2002 and 2003 the parcels were blended together and one bottling was made.
- Built his domaine from scratch after dropping out of school and discovering his love of the vine while working with Robert Michel.
- Bought his first small plot in 1981 and continued to collect small plots here and there, tending his vines on the weekends while spending weekdays chez Michel (he only began working for himself fulltime in the mid-1990s).
- Continually evolving. Started a by-the-book approach, literally “making” his wines by adding yeast, tannin and enological enzymes as well as utilizing mechanical crushing and de-stemming
- Abandoned all of these practices after seeking advice from older growers in the area, especially Noël and Louis Verset.
- Eliminated racking and reduced the use of sulfur in his wines, believing that these two factors contributed to the perception of Cornas as a rustic, aggressive wine.
- -Traditional approach; Viticulture is organic and the yields have historically been low.
- No de-stemming, and all pigeage is done twice daily by foot.
- Aged in either old 228-liter barriques, 600-liter demi-muids, or larger 9-hl foudres; no racking and bottled after 18-24 months in wood.
- Sulfur usage is very low, and the wines are not fined or filtered before bottling.
- wines are powerful and aromatic, but more elegant than the village’s reputation for “hard, rustic wines”.
Vineyard Holdings:
Cornas: 5 ha total; soil is mostly decomposed granite (gore)
Reynards: planted in 1900 and 1934; acquired from the Versets
La Geynale
Chaillots: some plots on limestone subsoil
Le Tezier: planted in 1960s
Le Bois
Saint-Péray: 0.35 hectares, purchased in 2005
René Rostaing
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu/Ampuis
- -Côte-Rôtie “Classique” (now called “Cuvée Ampodium” in the US): 100% Syrah from all of the lieux-dits except for La Landonne and Côte Blonde
- -Côte-Rôtie “La Landonne”: 100% Syrah from the old vines on La Landonne
- -Côte-Rôtie “Côte Blonde”: 95% Syrah, 5% Viognier from Côte Blonde
- -Condrieu “La Bonnette”: from Cote Bonnette and Sainte-Agathe
- Started as a part-time vigneron in 1971 while supporting his family in real estate.
- Married into Côte-Rôtie royalty: His wife’s father was Albert Dervieux; her uncle was Marius Gentaz—both legends of the appellation. Upon their retirement in the early 1990s, Rene and his wife inherited their vineyards and now have an impressive array of 20 plots across 14 lieux-dits, including old vines in some of the greatest terroirs of Côte-Rôtie.
- They have also purchased plots in Condrieu, including some older vines, and have developed hillside land just outside the Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie appellations, from which they produce Syrah and Viognier vins de pays.
- Produces elegant and long-lived Côte-Rôties.
- De-stemming is determined by the vintage conditions; the “Classique” is usually 30-40% de-stemmed, while the single-vineyard cuvées are 10% de-stemmed.
- The must is vinified in roto-fermenters, which are rotated twice a day at the height of fermentation and less at the end of maceration.
- Total time on the skins is about three weeks.
- Wines are aged half in barriques and half in demi-muids. The percentage of new oak is less than 20% each vintage, and the élevage lasts 18-24 months, depending on vintage.
- Wines are not filtered prior to bottling.
- The Condrieu has been fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel since 1998 and completes its malolactic fermentation.
Vineyard Holdings:
Côte-Rôtie: 7.5 ha total
La Landonne: 1.6 ha Syrah, mostly planted in the 1970s, some planted in 2008; soil is iron oxide and schist
Fongeant: 1.5 ha Syrah, planted in the 1970s
Côte Brune: Syrah, replanted by 1997
Côte Blonde: 1 ha of 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier, planted in the 1950s and 1970s; soil is decomposed granite
La Viallière: 1.2 ha Syrah, planted in the 1900s and 1980s
Condrieu: 1.04 ha Viognier total
Côte Bonnette: 0.6 ha, planted in 1987; soil is sandy granite with clay
Sainte-Agathe: 0.32 ha, planted in 1974
Côte Châtillon: 0.12 ha, planted in 2004
Average Total Production: 3,500 cases
E. Guigal
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage/Ampuis
—Côte-Rôtie “Château d’Ampuis”: 93% Syrah, 7% Viognier; from three lieux-dits in Côte Blonde (source of all of the Viognier) and four lieux-dits in Côte Brune; average vine age is 40-50 years
—Côte-Rôtie “La Mouline”: 89% Syrah, 11% Viognier; sourced from a plot of the same name on the Côte Blonde, average vine age is 60 years
—Côte-Rôtie “La Landonne”: 100% Syrah; average vine age is 20 years
—Côte-Rôtie “La Turque”: 93% Syrah, 7% Viognier; sourced from an extremely steep plot on Côte Brune, planted in 1980
—Ermitage Blanc “Ex-Voto”: 93% Marsanne, 7% Roussanne; 90% from Murets, 10% from l’Hermite
—Ermitage Rouge “Ex-Voto”: 30% each Bessards and Greffieux; 20% each l’Hermite and Murets
—Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): Côte-Rôtie “Château d’Ampuis” in 1995; Côte-Rôtie “La Mouline” in 1966; Côte-Rôtie “La Landonne” in 1978; Côte-Rôtie “La Turque” in 1985; Ermitage Blanc and Rouge “Ex-Voto” in 2001
-Founded in 1946 by Étienne Guigal, got his start in Côte-Rôtie at 14 working in vineyards of Vidal-Fleury.
-Son Marcel joined him in 1961 (age 18) after Étienne was suddenly struck blind, together they brought the world’s attention to the wines of the appellation.
-1984, bought out former employer, Vidal-Fleury.
-Went on to expand by buying Domaine de Bonserine, JL Grippat, de Vallouit, and the Château d’Ampuis; folded Grippat and de Vallouit into their own production; kept Domaine de Bonserine and Vidal-Fleury operating as separate entities.
-Now have their own cooperage to better control the quality of the wood for their aging program.
-Credited as a pioneer in bringing modern winemaking techniques to the Northern Rhône.
-Favors lush, ripe fruit supported by long aging in new barriques. “La La” bottlings and “Ex Voto” red, all aged for 42 months in 100% new oak.
-White wines, the Viogniers are macerated on the skins overnight before pressing, while the Marsanne and Roussanne grapes are immediately whole-cluster pressed.
-Top whites, Condrieu “La Doriane” and Ermitage “Ex Voto,” are vinified and aged in 100% new oak; the rest have a portion vinified in stainless steel prior to oak aging.
Reds are sometimes de-stemmed, sometimes not, depending on vintage conditions.
Vineyard Holdings: 50 ha total
Côte-Rôtie: 32 ha
Côte Brune: includes 1 ha La Turque section, planted in 1980
La Landonne: 2.1 ha, oldest vines planted in 1974
Côte Blonde: includes 1 ha La Mouline section, average age 60 years
Côte Rozier
Rozier
Verenay
La Viallière
Condrieu: 3.75 ha, decomposed granite and arzelle
Le Colombier: planted in 1973
Châtillon: planted in 1983
Volan
Hermitage: 3.5 ha
Greffieux: Syrah, average age 30 years
Bessards: Syrah, average age 90 years
les Murets: 1.2 ha Marsanne, planted in 1942; 0.3 ha Syrah, average age 30 years
L’Hermite: mostly Syrah with a small amount of Marsanne, average age 40-50 years
Saint-Joseph: 8.0 ha
Vignoble de l’Hospice: Syrah planted in 1900, 1913, 1955, 1998
Le Clos des Hospitaliers: Syrah
Saint-Joseph: 3 ha Syrah, 2.5 ha Marsanne with a small amount of Roussanne
Average Total Production: 90,000 cases of Northern Rhône wines, including négociant offerings.l
Yves Cuilleron
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Condrieu, Côte-Rôtie, Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas, Saint-Péray
Winery Location: Chavanay
—Condrieu “Chaillets”: an old vine blend from Izéras and the old vines on La Côte
—Condrieu “Vertige”: from Vernon, this Condrieu sees longer aging in barrel (18 months)
—Condrieu “Ayguets”: sweet Condrieu from La Côte and Eyguets, from both overripe and botrytised grapes, depending on vintage conditions
—Côte-Rôtie “Bassenon”: 90% Syrah, 10% Viognier; from the southern Coteaux de Semons
—Côte-Rôtie “Madinière”: 100% Syrah from schist soils in the northern section
—Côte-Rôtie “Terres Sombres”: 100% Syrah from Rochains, Rozier and Viallière
—Saint-Joseph Blanc “Le Lombard”: 100% older Marsanne from Verlieux
—Saint-Joseph Blanc “Saint-Pierre”: 100% Roussanne from vines in Chavannay and St-Pierre-de-Boeuf
—Saint-Joseph Rouge “Les Serines”: from the old vines on Vessettes and La Ruty
—Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): Côte-Rôtie “Madinière” in 1994; Condrieu “Vertige” in 2001
- Domaine dates back to 1920, founded by Yves’s grandfather Claude.
- First domaine bottling in 1947, labeled “Vin de Chavanay” Viognier and Syrah (the Saint-Joseph appellation did not exist then, and Chavanay was not yet part of the Condrieu appellation).
- Yves expanded the family holdings from 3.5 hectares to 59 hectares; he created a négociant business, Les Vins de Vienne, with Pierre Gaillard and Francois Villard in 1996; and he opened a restaurant with vigneron friends in Ampuis in 2007.
- All produced from vineyards the family owns or leases.
- Focused on their traditional home region around Chavanay, also produce wines from Côte-Rôtie to Saint-Péray.
- Wines are bold, modern Northern Rhône wines.
- Harvests his white grapes very ripe and waits for a small amount of botrytis to develop if the vintage allows.
- Whites are whole-cluster pressed, barrel-fermented in one-quarter new oak, and aged nine months in contact with the lees with frequent bâtonnage.
- Reds are partially de-stemmed, vinified in stainless steel with frequent remontage and pigeage, and aged 18-20 months in barriques.
- Oak is 100% new for the Côte-Rôtie “Terres Sombres” and Saint-Joseph “Les Serines”; 50% new for Côte-Rôtie “Bassenon” and Côte-Rôtie “Madinière”; older oak is used for the other reds.
Vineyard Holdings: 59 ha total
Condrieu: 10 ha
La Côte: 3.5 ha, planted in 1976 and 1989
Izéras: planted in 1939
Vernon: 0.5 ha, planted in the 1980s and 1990s
Eyguets
Côte-Rôtie: 7 ha
Coteaux de Semons: 1 ha, planted 1965 and 1989-1990
Rochains: 1 ha, planted in the late 1980s
Rozier: 0.43 ha, planted in the mid-1990s
Viallière
Saint-Joseph: 15 ha Syrah; 6 ha Marsanne and Roussanne
Vessettes: Syrah, planted in 1936 and 1947
La Ruty: Syrah, planted in the 1960s
Verlieux: Marsanne, planted in 1967
Eyguets: Syrah
Le Pêcher: Syrah
Crozes-Hermitage: 3 ha Syrah, leased in 2012
Cornas: 1 ha
Saint-Péray: 3 ha
Vin de France: 15 ha
Alain Graillot
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph
Winery Location: Pont-de-l’Isère (Crozes-Hermitage)
—Crozes-Hermitage “La Guiraude”: a barrel selection, bottled only in top years
—Crozes-Hermitage (red)
—Crozes-Hermitage (white)
—Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): Crozes-Hermitage “La Guiraude” in 1988
- Founded his domaine in 1985, after a career as an agrochemical engineer, with a parcel of rented vineyards in Crozes-Hermitage.
- Quickly rose and today considered one of the top names in Crozes.
- Majority of the estate’s production is in red Crozes-Hermitage, though a small amount of white is produced, as are tiny amounts of Hermitage and Saint-Joseph.
- Son Maxime (who also makes his own Domaine des Lise and Equis wines) took over in 2008.
- Wines are a hybrid of the traditional and modern approaches in the region. They show ripe, concentrated and clean fruit, but only a maximum of 10% new oak is used in a vintage (most barrels are 228-liter barriques purchased used from friends in Burgundy).
- Red wines are made from whole clusters.
- Half white wine is fermented in stainless steel and half in 600-liter demi-muids; after seven months of aging sur lie they are blended together for bottling.
Vineyard Holdings: Approximately 23 ha total; all organic vineyard practices
Crozes-Hermitage: 17.3 ha Syrah (planted in 1973), 2.4 ha Marsanne, 0.6 ha Roussanne (planted in 1980); soils are sand and clay with large alluvial stones
Saint-Joseph: 1.4 ha Syrah in two parcels; soil is decomposed granite
Hermitage (Les Greffieux): 0.12 ha Syrah
Domaine Faury
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Saint-Joseph, Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu/
Winery location: Chavannay (Saint-Joseph)
The wines brought into the United States are custom bottlings for Faury’s US importer; they differ in label, name and blend from the domaine’s wines sold elsewhere. The US wines are outlined here:
- -Saint-Joseph (white): 60% Marsanne, 40% Roussanne
- -Condrieu
- -Saint-Joseph (red)
- -Saint-Joseph Vieilles Vignes (red): from the 1937 and 1963 planting in La Ribaudy
- -Côte-Rôtie: 85-90% Syrah, 10-15% Viognier
- Philippe Faury took over domaine in 1979, turning it from a mixed cultivation of grapes, cherries and apricots to a focus on estate-bottles from an expanded roster of vineyards.
- 17 hectares spread throughout Condrieu, Saint-Joseph, Côte-Rôtie and Vin de Pays vineyards
- Domaine is in the hands of Philippe’s son, Lionel. The two work together to craft a very expressive lineup of traditional Northern Rhône wines.
- Wines are aromatically pure wines, rarely show oak, although new oak is used in moderation.
- Whites are whole-cluster pressed and vinified and aged in 60-70% stainless steel and 30-40% oak (less than 10% new).
- Reds are partially de-stemmed
- Pigeage is done twice daily by foot
- Reds are aged in a mixture of barrel sizes with the new oak percentage around 10%.
- Barrels are rotated annually to keep the wood impact minimal.
- Côte-Rôtie shows its percentage of Viognier very clearly and is a good example of how this white variety has an effect on the red blend.
Saint-Joseph: 9.5 ha total; soil is decomposed granite with traces of clay
8 ha Syrah in La Ribaudy, planted in 1937, 1963 and 1993
1.5 ha Marsanne (60%) and Roussanne (40%)
Condrieu: 3 ha; soil is granite and arzelle
La Ribaudy: planted in 1978
Peyrolland: planted in 1983
Côte-Rôtie: 2 ha; soil is mica schist
Fourvier: planted in 1996 and 2009
La Plomb: planted in 1995
Pierre Gonon
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Saint-Joseph/Mauves
- -Saint-Joseph Blanc “Les Oliviers”: 80% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne
- -Saint-Joseph Rouge
- -Saint-Joseph Rouge “Vieilles Vignes”: very rare bottling from the 1940s Trollat plantings, made in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010 to date.
- -Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): Saint-Joseph Blanc “Les Oliviers” in 1964; Saint-Joseph Rouge “Vieilles Vignes” in 2006
- Gonon produces from vineyards in communes that make up the traditional heart of the appellation: Mauves, Tournon and Saint-Jean-de-Muzols.
- Brothers Pierre and Jean run domaine since 1989
- Traditional approach to winegrowing in the Northern Rhône
- All vines are propagated by selection massale
- Viticulture is organic (the certification process is underway)
- Only one cuvée is generally made—no special selection wines are produced.
- Vinification is traditional. New oak is not utilized for any of the wines, and there is no addition of cultured yeast.
- Reds are partially de-stemmed
- Cap management is combo of pump over and foot treading
- Aged 14-16 months in used casks.
- Whites are whole-cluster pressed and fermented in older casks, then bottled after 12 months.
- Both the red and the white age extremely well.
Vineyard Holdings: 9 ha total (7 ha Syrah and 2 ha whites)
Coteau des Oliviers: 1.6 ha Marsanne, planted in 1958; 0.4 ha Roussanne, planted in 1974; soil is alluvial stones and red clay
Montagnon: Syrah; soil is granite
Martinot: Syrah; soil is granite
Côtes des Rivoires: Syrah; soil is granite
Croix de Peygros: Syrah; soil is granite
Aubert: 1.2 ha Syrah, bought from Raymond Trollat’s sister; soil is granite
Ogier
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Côte-Rôtie/Ampuis
- -Côte-Rôtie: the “basic” estate Côte-Rôtie is from owned parcels (about half in northern and half in southern part of appellation)
- -Côte-Rôtie “La Belle Hélène”: from Côte Rozier
- -Côte-Rôtie “Lancement”: from their oldest vines at the top of Lancement
- -Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): Côte-Rôtie in 1982; Côte-Rôtie “La Belle Hélène” in 1997; Côte-Rôtie “Lancement” in 2001
-Michel Ogier began domaine-bottling in 1982
-Multiple generations of the domaine previously sold all their wine to négociants (notably Guigal and Chapoutier).
By 1987 Ogier bottled everything under their own name.
-Michel’s son Stéphane joined the domaine full-time in 1998 at the age of 21, and he has now taken over completely.
-Stéphane expanded the estate holdings, started a négociant business and modernized the estate’s wines by using more new oak and less whole clusters in vinification.
-Stéphane has also followed other young growers across the river to Seyssuel where they now produce “L’Âme Sœur” from their vines at Le Vieux Château.
-Has also purchased and leased vines in Condrieu since 2007.
-Wines are modern and clean, featuring significant new oak.
Reds are at least 80% de-stemmed, then vinified in stainless steel tanks with a 3-4 week maceration using both pigeage and remontage.
-Wines are aged in barriques (10-20% new for the vins de pays; up to 100% new for “La Belle Hélène” and “Lancement”).
Wines are not filtered at bottling. The Condrieu bottlings are fermented and aged on their lees in 500-liter oak casks.
Vineyard Holdings:
Côte-Rôtie: 4.8 ha Syrah
Lancement: 1.2 ha, planted in 1979; soil is crumbling granite and gneiss
Côte Rozier: 0.32 ha, planted in the 1950s; schist soil
Gerine: planted in 2000
Besset: planted in 2010
Condrieu: 2.7 ha Viognier
Veauvignère: 1.2 ha at Malleval, planted in 1993
La Combe: 1.5 ha, planted in early 1980s
Average Total Production: unknown
Georges Vernay
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Condrieu/Condrieu
- -Condrieu “Terrasses de l’Empire”: produced mostly from St. Agathe; vines average 40 years
- -Condrieu “Chaillées de l’Enfer”: from La Caille; the small terraces, or chaillées in the local dialect, were frequently referred to as “à l’enfer” or “in hell” by local vignerons
- -Condrieu “Coteau du Vernon”: the flagship bottling from the Vernon cru directly above the winery; now includes the 1960s era plantings with the estate’s oldest vines from 1936, which were planted by Georges’ father Francis (interestingly, this flagship vineyard that’s so closely identified with the estate was only purchased by the Vernays in 2000; it had been leased for the previous three generations)
- -Côte-Rôtie “Maison Rouge”: 100% Syrah from the plot of the same name
- -Côte-Rôtie “Blonde du Seigneur”: 92% Syrah, 8% Viognier
- legendary figure in Condrieu, largely recognized for rescued the appellation by promoting the wines when only eight hectares remained of Condrieu in 1965.
- Began working with his father at 15
- Daughter Christine took over in 1996 —becoming the only female in the area to run a domaine at the time.
- Produces superb, elegant Condrieu wines, and
- Christine has improved the quality of the reds.
- Domaine also produces excellent Vins de Pays wines from Viognier and Syrah grown in higher altitude vineyards on the plateau above Condrieu.
- Wines are modern and clean in style, with elegance and finesse clearly a goal for both the white and red.
- All reds are completely de-stemmed and top red bottlings see about 30% new oak.
- All whites are whole-cluster pressed, with the Condrieu wines fermented entirely in wood. “Terrasses de l’Empire” is fermented and aged in large, old foudres; the “Chaillées de l’Enfer” and “Coteau du Vernon” are fermented in barriques (about 25% new each year).
- Various Vins de Pays are generally vinified and aged in stainless steel. Contrary to many opinions on the ageability of Condrieu, the “Coteau du Vernon” bottling has shown the ability to last.
Condrieu: 7 ha; soil is decomposed granite and arzelle
Vernon: 2 ha, planted in 1936 and the 1960s
La Caille: 2 ha, planted in 1957
St. Agathe: 2 ha
Côte-Rôtie: 2.55 ha; soil is decomposed granite in the southern end of the appellation
Maison Rouge: 0.9 ha, planted in 1924 and 1972
Côteaux de Semons
Lancement
M. Chapoutier
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Hermitage; also owns vineyards in every major Northern Rhône appellation
Winery Location: Tain l’Hermitage
—Ermitage Blanc “De l’Orée”: Marsanne from the oldest vines on Murets
—Ermitage Blanc “L’Hermite”: Marsanne from named vineyard; vines over 100 years old
—Ermitage Rouge “L’Hermite”: Syrah from older vines on named vineyard
—Ermitage Blanc “Le Méal”: Marsanne from named vineyard’s 1910 and 1940s vines
—Ermitage Rouge “Le Méal”: Syrah from named vineyard’s 1910 and 1940s vines
—Ermitage Rouge “Les Greffieux”: Syrah from named vineyard’s 1940s plantings
—Ermitage Rouge “Le Pavillon”: Syrah from 1910s plantings on Bessards
—Côte-Rôtie “La Mordorée”: Syrah from the 1940s plantings on Côte Blonde and Côte Brune
—Saint Joseph Blanc/Rouge “Les Granits”: from the old vines on the Saint-Joseph parcel
—Hermitage “Vin de Paille”
—Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): Ermitage Blanc “De l’Orée” in 1991 (though there had been a mixed parcel cuvée with this name prior to 1991); Ermitage Blanc “Le Méal” in 1997; Ermitage Blanc “L’Hermite” in 1999; Ermitage Rouge “Le Pavillon” in 1989 (though there had been a mixed parcel cuvée with this name prior to 1989); Ermitage Rouge “Le Méal” in 1989; Ermitage Rouge “L’Hermite” in 1996; Ermitage Rouge “Les Greffieux” in 2001
- Michel Chapoutier took over this venerable family firm in 1990 at the age of 26.
- His changes include lowered yields, converted to biodynamic farming in 1995 and producing single-site micro-cuvées that rapidly became collector’s items.
- Labels first in the world to have Braille descriptions.
- Also founded estates in Australia and Portugal.
- Very modern and bold in flavor, all wines being the product of low yields in the vineyard and very late harvesting, with strong oak signatures.
- All grapes are sorted, and the whites are whole-cluster pressed.
- Top whites are fermented in half new oak demi-muids and half stainless steel, except for L’Hermite Blanc, which is fermented in 100% new oak demi-muids.
- Reds are completely de-stemmed, fermented in small concrete tanks with four to six weeks on the skins, then aged in barriques (50-100% new for the top wines).
- All of the reds are bottled with no fining or filtration.
Vineyard Holdings: 77.5 ha in the Northern Rhône
Hermitage: 19.5 ha Syrah, 12 ha Marsanne
Bessards: 9 ha Syrah, planted in the 1910s, 1950s and 1979-80; hard granite soils
Méal: 3 ha Syrah and 2 ha Marsanne, planted in the 1910s and 1940s; alluvial and chalk soil
L’Hermite: 3.3 ha Syrah, planted in the 1910s and 1920s; 4.3 ha Marsanne, planted in the 1900s and 1960s; soil is loess and limestone
Greffieux: 2.7 ha Syrah, planted in the late 1940s; soil is alluvial and clay
Murets: 4.8 ha Marsanne, planted 1918-1920s and 1960s
Côte-Rôtie: 5 ha Syrah
Côte Blonde: 1.3 ha Syrah, planted in 1940s and 1970s; soil is decomposed sandy granite
Côte Brune: 1.4 ha Syrah, planted in 1940s; soil is schist
Saint-Joseph: 7.5 ha Syrah, 3.5 ha Marsanne
Saint-Joseph: 3 ha total; Syrah planted in the 1930s and 1950s, Marsanne planted in the 1950s; granite soil,
Yves Gangloff
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Condrieu, Côte-Rôtie, Saint-Joseph
Winery Location: Condrieu
—Condrieu: a blend from both Coteau de Chéry and Côte Bonnette
—Côte-Rôtie “La Barbarine”: 90% Syrah, 10% Viognier from Coteaux de Tupin, plus the younger vines at Combard-Mollard
—Côte-Rôtie “la Sereine Noire”: 100% Syrah from the old vines at Combard-Mollard and Côte Rozier
—Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): Côte-Rôtie “la Barbarine” in 1997; Condrieu in 1988
- Built his domaine from scratch with his wife Mathilde, purchasing their first hectare in 1982, then slowly planting and acquiring small plots.
- Got his start working at Delas as a laborer while visiting the Rhône from his native Alsace, initially sold their wine to the négoce before starting to bottle in 1988 when said négociant went bankrupt (Delas?).
- Has owned vines in Saint-Joseph since 2007.
- Yves’s wife was intimately involved with the running of the domaine, so it was a difficult harvest in 2011 when, at a young age, she passed away shortly before the harvest.
- Wines are clean and modern in expression.
- Whites are entirely vinified and aged in 20-33% new oak.
- Reds are partially de-stemmed (100% de-stemmed for “La Barbarine”), fermented in stainless steel, pumped over without pigeage, and aged in barriques for 23 months: used barriques for “La Barbarine”, 20% new for the Saint-Joseph, and 30-65% new for “La Sereine Noire.”
- Red wines are not fined or filtered.
Vineyard Holdings: 6.65 ha
Condrieu: 1.75 ha; soil is decomposed granite and arzelle
Coteau de Chéry: 0.5 ha, planted in 1985
Côte Bonnette: 1.2 ha, first planted in 1989
Côte-Rôtie: 2.4 ha, mostly in southern sector
Côte Rozier: 0.2 ha, planted in 1950s
Combard-Mollard: 1.5 ha, with 0.8 ha planted in the 1950s
Coteaux de Tupin: 0.7 ha; 90% Syrah, 10% Viognier
Saint-Joseph: 2.5 ha total: 1.0 ha Syrah, 1.5 ha Marsanne
Peyraud: oldest vines are from late 1980s; soil is decomposed granite at 300-320 meters
Alain Voge
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Cornas, Saint-Péray, Saint-Joseph
Winery Location: Cornas
—Cornas “Chailles”: produced primarily from 1985 plantings on Chaillot and Reynards
—Cornas Vieilles Vignes: produced from vines in the 25-80 year range
Cornas “Les Vieilles Fontaines”: produced from 1925 plantings on La Fontaine and Les Côtes
—Saint-Péray “Harmonie”: 92% Marsanne, 8% Roussanne from the low section of Hongrie
—Saint-Péray “Terres Boisées”: 100% Marsanne from 1975 planting on Hongrie
—Saint-Péray “Fleur de Crussol”: 100% Marsanne from 1930s plantings on La Côte and Hongrie
—Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): Saint-Péray “Fleur de Crussol” in 1997; Cornas “Les Vieilles Fontaines” in 1989
-In 1958, at age 19, Alain Voge joined his father and the family business, making the then-radical decision to move away from mixed agriculture and toward a focus on wine.
-Eventually, began bottling their own wine, and soon Alain expanded the family holdings in Cornas through purchases of historic and abandoned vineyard sites.
-The 1960s and 70s, he redeveloped these sites, eventually also moving into Saint-Péray and Saint-Joseph.
-Today releases many different cuvées, which are typically based on vine age and oak treatment.
-In 2004, Albéric Mazoyer, a viticultural and winemaking advisor to Chapoutier since 1995, joined Alain in partnership.
-Red wines are modern expressions of Cornas terroir.
-Grapes are partially de-stemmed (100% in some vintages), stomped by foot and punched down twice daily by hand
-Cornas “Chailles” and Vieilles Vignes bottlings are aged in older barriques
-“Les Vieilles Fontaines” sees about 25% new barrique. The aging period ranges from 12 months for the entry level “Chailles” to 24 months for “Les Vieilles Fontaines.”
Wines are filtered and occasionally fined.
-“Les Vieilles Fontaines” is a top-tier Cornas that can show considerable power and longevity in the best vintages.
-Of the Saint-Péray cuvées, “Harmonie” is entirely tank-fermented, while both “Terres Boisées” and “Fleur de Crussol” are barrel-fermented in one-third new oak.
Vineyard Holdings:
Cornas: 6.6 ha; soil is predominantly gore Les Côtes: planted in 1925 La Fontaine: planted in 1925 Combe: planted in 1925 Mazard: planted in 1970s Chaillot: planted in 1970s, 1980s Reynards: planted in 1983
Saint-Péray: 3.8 ha; 95% Marsanne, 5% Roussanne; soil is decomposed granite and limestone
La Côte: planted in 1930s
Hongrie: planted in 1930s and 1975
Les Plantiers: planted in 1960s
Saint-Joseph: 1.5 ha Syrah at Mauves (a rented parcel since 2005)
Bernard Levet
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Côte-Rôtie/Ampuis
—Côte-Rôtie “La Chavaroche”
—Côte-Rôtie “Les Journaries”
—Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): Côte-Rôtie “La Chavaroche” in 1983; Côte-Rôtie “Les Journaries” in 2004
- Nicole and Bernard Levet took over their tiny family domaine from Nicole’s father Marius Chambeyron in 1983
- Daughter Agnès has also worked with them since 2004.
- They work with 100% Syrah in the traditional Côte Blonde and Côte Brune heartland of the Côte-Rôtie AOP.
- Family has always been big believers in the old “Petite Sérine” strain of Syrah, having never used any nursery clones.
—Firmly traditional. Grapes are generally fermented as whole clusters in epoxy-lined concrete vats for up to three weeks.
- Wines are aged three years in oak: the first year in large casks, the second year in demi-muids (10-15% new), and the third year in a mix of cask sizes.
- Bottling is done without filtration.
- Levet wines are firm and uncompromising, needing time in the bottle to show their best.
Vineyard Holdings: Côte-Rôtie: 4 ha Syrah
Chavaroche: 1.2 ha, oldest vines planted in 1944 (average age 40 years); soil is schist
Côte Brune: 0.73 ha of younger vines; schist soils
Côte Blonde: oldest vines planted 1929
La Landonne: 0.33 ha, planted 1944-1946
Paul Jaboulet Aîné
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Condrieu, Saint-Joseph, Cornas, Saint-Péray
Winery Location: La Roche-de-Glun
—Hermitage Rouge “La Chapelle”: a barrel selection based around on Le Méal, with Les Bessards, Les Greffieux and La Croix usually key components
—Hermitage Blanc “La Chapelle”: 80% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne from Rocoules
—Hermitage Blanc “Chevalier de Stérimberg”: 65% Marsanne, 35% Roussanne
—Crozes-Hermitage “Domaine Thalabert”: 100% Syrah from Thalabert
—Crozes-Hermitage Rouge “Domaine de Roure”: 100% Syrah from the old Raymond Roure vines at Sassenas and Voussères
—Crozes-Hermitage Blanc “Domaine de Roure”: 100% Marsanne from the old Raymond Roure vines at Les Blancs
—Inaugural Vintage (for top wines): Hermitage Blanc “La Chapelle” in 2006; Crozes-Hermitage Rouge/Blanc “Domaine de Roure” in 1996
-Founded in 1834 by Paul Jaboulet, Jaboulet Aîné (aîné means “older brother,” a reference to Paul) is one of the great, historic names in the Northern Rhône.
-House stayed in the family through multiple generations until being sold in 2006 to the Swiss financier Jean-Jacques Frey (owner of Château La Lagune and a shareholder in Billecart-Salmon and Ayala).
Many critics, the quality of the Jaboulet wines had slipped, particularly since the early passing in 1997 of Gérard Jaboulet
-Caroline Frey, now in charge of the winemaking, is keen to restore the house to its previous glory.
-Top Hermitage bottlings of the estate are named “La Chapelle” after the small chapel of Saint Christopher in the climat of l’Hermite; Jaboulet has owned the chapel itself since 1929 (though they own no vines in that climat).
-Frey regime’s biggest change—stricter selection for the top wines; only 2,000 cases bottled of the 2009 Hermitage Rouge “La Chapelle”—roughly one-quarter the volume of the average-quality 2000 vintage.
-White wines are whole-cluster pressed and vinified entirely in oak (about 1/3 new for the top wines), though “La Chapelle” Blanc is vinified and aged in larger casks rather than barriques.
-Lees are stirred regularly for the whites.
-Reds are completely de-stemmed, vinified in stainless steel with regular remontages and aged in barriques (20% new for the top wines) for 12-15 months.
Vineyard Holdings: 103 ha total
Hermitage: 22 ha Syrah; 5 ha Marsanne and Roussanne
Le Méal: 6.8 ha Syrah
Les Bessards: 2.6 ha Syrah
La Croix: 7.0 ha Syrah; 0.7 ha Roussanne; 1.5 ha Marsanne (some of which was planted in 1900)
Rocoules: 2.1 ha Syrah; 0.8 ha Marsanne; 0.3 ha Roussanne
Maison Blanche: 0.7 ha Marsanne; 0.3 ha Roussanne
Les Greffieux: 0.53 ha Syrah
Crozes-Hermitage
Thalabert: 40 ha Syrah, average vine age 50 years; soil is rounded alluvial stones with clay-limestone
Les Blancs: 3.1 ha Marsanne, with the oldest vines planted in 1900; soil is deep brown clay
Sassenas: 2 ha Syrah; soil is loess and alluvial stone
Les Voussères: 2.4 ha Syrah, planted 1960s; soil is sandy granite and clay
Franck Balthazar
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Cornas/Cornas
—Cornas: exclusively from the old vines on Chaillot and Mazards
—Cornas “Cuvée Casmir”: 75% young-vine fruit, 25% from Mazards
Côtes du Rhône: 100% young-vine Cornas
—Inaugural Vintage for Top Wines: 1980 for the Cornas
- Franck Balthazar left engineering job to return to the family domaine and take over from his father René in 2002.
- Founded in 1931 by René’s father Casmir, who had a small plot of vines as well as cereal grains on the côteau of Cornas.
- Under Franck, he has expanded ownership from 2 to 3.5 hectares.
- The approach at Balthazar is traditional: No yeasts are added, the Cornas is not de-stemmed (though the two young vine cuvees are 50% de-stemmed)
- Wine is aged exclusively in old (at least 10 years) demi-muids that the domaine purchases used.
- The wines are fined but not filtered.
- Became certified organic in 2013.
Vineyard Holdings: 3.5 ha Cornas; soil is gore (decomposed granite)
Chaillot: 1 ha, planted in 1914
Mazards: 0.39 ha, planted in 1959 and 1961
Lègre: young vines planted by Franck
Jasmin
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Côte-Rôtie/Ampuis
—Côte-Rôtie: 95% Syrah, 5% Viognier
- Patrick Jasmin represents the fourth generation farming the domaine.
- He took over in 1999 when his father died suddenly after being hit by a car.
- Farms 11 parcels in eight different lieux-dits yet makes only a single Côte-Rôtie bottling, a blend of fruit from both granite soils in the south of the appellation and schist in the north. Like his father and grandfather, Patrick is an imposing figure, whose finessed wines are something of a contrast to his big, burly physique.
Jasmin aims to produce a fairly traditional style of Côte-Rôtie, being no big fan of the fashion for very ripe, oak-laden wines. His wines are 100% de-stemmed, then vinified in concrete vats for three weeks with a submerged cap and pigeage. After pressing, the wines are aged in a mixture of barriques, demi-muids and larger barrels, 20% of which are new. The wines are bottled after 18-22 months in oak and are not filtered.
Vineyard Holdings: 5.3 ha Côte-Rôtie
Boucharey: 1.2 ha Syrah, planted in the 1960s; soil is decomposed granite
Côte Blonde: 0.88 ha Syrah and Viognier, planted in 1966; soil is decomposed granite
Les Moutonnes: 0.34 ha Syrah, planted 1996-1997; soil is schist
Côte Baudin: 0.6 ha Syrah, planted in 1978 and 1993; soil is schist
Average Total Production: 2,400 cases
Vincent Paris
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
Region/Winery Location?
Tops Wines and Inaugural Vintages?
Summary/Style?
Vineyard Holdings?
