Rhône Valley Flashcards
Name the 4 most famous lieu-dits of the hill of Hermitage.
White
Les Rocoules - Planted to white grapes on chalky clay soils. This site is labeled by Sorrel and is the heart of Chave, Jaboulet, and many more Blancs.
Red
Les Bessards - Arguably the most typical site of the hill yielding powerful and dense fruit from granite soils. This is the backbone of Chave, Jaboulet, and Chapoutier.
La Meal - The counterpoint to Bessards, this site is on fluvioglacial soils and is known for elegant and expressive wines. This site is bottled by Sorrel, Chapoutier, and Ferraton.
Honorable Mention
Péléat - An almost monopole of Chave that serves as the base of the white and accentuates the red.
L’Hermite/Ermite - Towards the top of the hillside on granite. This site is labeled by Chapoutier and also utilized by Jaboulet, Chave, and more.
Other answer: le Méal, les Bessards, Gréffieux, Beaume, and Péléat
Name the 4 appellations south east of Valence that lie on Drôme river?
Coteaux de Die AOP
Crémant de Die AOP
Clairette de Die AOP
Châtillon-en-Diois AOP
What’s the principal variety for Crémant de Die?
Clairette
What’s the principal variety in Clairette de Die méthode Dioise ancestrale?
A minimum of 75% Muscat à Petit Grains.
What’s the grape variety of Clairette de Die méthode traditionelle?
Clairette
Name two sparkling winemaking methods for Clairette de Die.
Traditional method
Méthode Dioise ancestrale
Describe the méthode ancestrale method.
The wine is bottled without dosage before fermentation has concluded. The wine is disgorged into pressurized tanks and rebottled without liqueur d’expédition. A minimum of 35 grams per liter residual sugar remains, implying demi-sec sweetness.
What are the styles and grapes of Châtillon-en-Diois AOP?
Rosé/ Rouge - Gamay
White - Aligoté and Chardonnay
What’s the minimum alcohol in CNDP?
12.5% - highest in France
What does ‘le râpé’ refer to in CNDP?
Mandate of declassifying 2% of harvested grapes, a safeguard against underripeness.
What estate released the first estate-bottled CNDP?
Château la Nerthe in 1785.
Name the 5 former Côtes du Rhône-Villages communes that have been awarded AOP status.
Gigondas
Vacqueyras
Beaumes-de-Venise
Vinsobres
Cairanne
Name the two AOP’s west of CNDP.
Lirac
Tavel
Name the 2 tributaries of Rhône in southern Rhône valley.
Gard
Durance
Name the two appellations for vin doux naturel in the Southern Rhône.
Rasteau AOP
Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise AOP
What’s the northern most appellation in Southern Rhône Valley?
Grignan-les-Adhémar AOP
Name the single commune appellation within Costières de Nîmes that produces white wines from the Clairette grape?
Clairette de Bellegarde AOP
What AOP is located at the bank of the Durance river?
Luberon
What AOP is located south of Vacqueyras and Gigondas?
Beaumes de Venise
Who produces Hommage à Jacques Perrin?
Beaucastel’s prestige cuvée
Name 4 lieu-dits in Cornas.
Les Reynard
La Côte
Les Chaillot
Les Mazards
What’s the soil called in Condrieu?
Arzelle
Topsoil with powdery, decomposed mica
What’s the soil called in Cornas?
Gore
Naked granite
What are the communes of production in CNDP?
CNDP
Orange (north)
Bédarrides
Courthézon (north)
Sorgues
Who produces Chante le Merle Vieilles Vignes?
Bosquet des Papes
What’s the second wine of Vieux Telegraphe called?
Telegramme
Good vintages in CDNP in ‘00’s and ‘10’s?
2005, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2016
What do ‘ambré’ and ‘tuilé’ indicate in Rasteau?
Respectively white and red VDN wines displaying a more oxidative character and subject to at least three years of ageing prior to release.
What do ‘blanc’ and ‘grenat’ refer to in Rasteau?
Fresher versions of white and red VDN with less oxidative character.
What means the term ‘Hors d’age’ in Rasteau?
Wines must have matured for at least 5 years prior to release.
Where would I find the Dentelles de Montmirail?
Natural feature/ mountain in Gigondas
Why are Gigondas wines having good acid structures to let the wines age?
West-northwest orientation
Sharp ridges in Dentelles de Montmirail moderate excessive temperatures.
Name the villages of Cotes du Rhône that can append their name to Cotes de Rhône Villages?
Chusclan
Gadagne
Laudun
Massif d’Uchaux
Nyons
Plan de Dieu
Puyméras
Roaix
Rochegude
Rousset-les-Vignes
Sablet
Saint Andéol
Saint-Gervais
Saint-Maurice
Saint-Pantaléon-les-Vignes
Sainte-Cécile
Séguret
Signargues
Suze-la-Rousse
Vaison-la-Romaine
Valréas
Visan
Name 3 domaines of Rayas.
Chateau Rayas
Chateau de Fonsalette
Chateau des Tours
Where is Chateau de Fonsalette and what does it produce?
Just outside of CNDP in Côtes-du-Rhône.
A blanc, rouge and a 100% Syrah.
What’s the Cotes du Rhone wine of Rayas called?
La Pialade
Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah
Soil type of La Crau?
Galets roulés
Name two top cuvees of Clos Saint Jean.
La Combe des Fous
Deus Ex Machina
What’s the second wine of Ch. Rayas?
Pignan
Name top producers in Cornas.
Thierry Allemand
Auguste Clape
Courbis
Vincent Paris
Stéphane Robert of Domaine du Tunnel
Who owns Ch. Grillet?
François Pinault (owner of Château Latour and Domaine d’Eugénie in Vosne-Romanée).
Before 2011 the Neyret-Gachet family.
True or false - viognier is a difficult to grow, disease prone and low yielding variety.
True
Name top vineyards in Condrieu.
Chéry
Chanson
Côte Bonnette
Les Eyguets
What’s Marc Sorrel’s ‘Les Rocoules’ like?
White wine made in Rocoule lieu-dit in Hermitage.
Name top Gigondas producers.
Domaine Santa Duc
Château de St-Cosme
Domaine Raspail-Ay
St-Gayan
Describe Vacqueyras wine style.
Spice and herbs in reds based on predominantly Grenache and Syrah. Headier, more direct and more rustic than Gigondas due to warmer sandy and stony soils. Wines made in 3 colours.
Name 2 producers in CNDP that virtually use all permitted varietals for their wines.
Ch de Beaucastel
Clos des Papes
When did CNDP receive AOP status?
1936
Quincy was second AOP
Name the wind that blows from north to cool down and dries out the region.
Mistral
Encépagement of Côte-Rôtie?
Syrah plus a max. 20% viognier
Encepagement Saint-Joseph?
Blanc - Marsanne and Roussanne
Rouge - Syrah and max. 10% Marsanne and Roussanne
Encepagement Crozes Hermitage?
Blanc: Marsanne and Roussanne
Rouge: Syrah and 15% Marsanne and Roussanne
Grape Cornas?
100% Syrah
Grapes and styles Saint-Péray?
Blanc: Marsanne and Roussanne
Blanc Mousseux: methode traditionnelle
Encepagement Crémant de Die AOP?
Min. 55% Clairette, min. 10% Aligoté and 5-10% Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Is rose allowed to be made in CNDP?
No, only blanc and rouge
Principal red varieties in Grignan-les-Adhémar?
Grenache and Syrah
Assemblage of white Gigondas?
Min. 70% Clairette Blanc
Complementary varieties: Bourboulenc, Clairette Rosé, Grenache Blanc/ Gris, Picquepoul and Roussanne
Assemblage of red Gigondas?
Min. 50% Grenache plus at least one of the two complementary varieties (Mourvedre & Syrah)
Wine style of Vinsobres?
Rouge only
What are the communes of production of VDN in Rasteau AOP?
VDN: Rasteau, Cairanne, Sablet
Unfortified reds: Rasteau only
What’s the principal soil of Tavel?
‘Lauses’ - white calcareous stone and galets
Style and assemblage in Tavel.
Rosé only.
Grenache Noir must be in the blend.
Bourboulenc, Clairette, Clairette Rosé, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Piquepoul Blanc/ Gris/ Noir and Syrah also allowed. As well as up to 10% Calitor and Carignan
What are principal red varieties in Ventoux AOP?
Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah
Define soil type of Cote Brune and Cote Blonde?
Brune - schist
Blonde - granite
What does ‘safré’ refer to in CNDP?
A soil type consisting of compact sand
What AOP is located west of Grignan-les-Adhémar?
Côtes du Vivarais
Name allowed grape varieties in CNDP.
Grenache
Syrah
Mourvedre
Counoise
Cinsault
Clairette
Roussanne
Muscardin
Picardan
Vaccarèse
Terret Noir
Bourboulenc
Picpoul
Who is Marius Gentaz-Dervieux?
Legendary winemaker in Cote Rotie. Uncle of the wife of Rene Rostaing.
Traditional producer with cement fermentation tank, a wooden press and old barrels in a garage.
What’s the top Viognier bottling of E. Guigal called?
‘La Doriane’
Name top producers in Condrieu.
Yves Gangloff
André Perret
Georges Vernay
Name 4 top producers in Hermitage.
Delas
M. Chapoutier
Jaboulet
Jean-Louis Chave
Name a top producer in Saint-Joseph.
Pierre Gonon
What’s the ageing requirement of methode traditionelle mousseux in Saint-Peray?
May be released after 12 months of age from the date of tirage.
No minimum lees time stated
Who produces ‘Ermitage Cuvee Cathelin’?
Jean-Louis Chave.
A barrel selection done just before bottling. Only produced in top vintages.
Who produces ‘Cuvée des Celestins’ and ‘Cuvée Marie Beurrier’?
Henri Bonneau
What’s the name of the top bottling of Château la Nerthe?
Cuvée des Cadettes: sourced from old vines.
Inaugural vintage: 1970
What’s the top wine of Domaine de la Solitude?
Cuvée Cornelia Constanza.
Some of the Grenache vines are over 100 years old. Made since 2005.
Which white grapes are used for Rayas Blanc?
Clairette and Grenache Blanc
Which oak vessels are used in Cote Rotie?
Generally large oak foudres (20-100 hectolitres) are used, although some producers are using new barriques or pieces (225 and 228 litres).
In the 60’s most producers used 40 to 50 year old chestnut barrels.
Which producer uses flash heating prior to fermentation?
Ch. de Beaucastel
What’s the ‘teepee-like’ training method around a single stake called in Northern Rhone?
Echalas
What are the most common training techniques in CNDP?
Gobelet
Cordon de Royat
Legendary vintages in Rhone in 90’s?
90, 95, 98
Legendary vintages in Rhone in 2000’s?
2001
2005
Legendary vintages in Rhone in 2010’s?
2010
2015
Minimum RS and alcohol for Rasteau VDN?
45g/l.
15%
Grapes for Rasteau VDN?
VDN Blanc - Grenache Blanc/ Gris.
VDN Ambré (Tawny Blanc) - Grenache, GB, GG.
Same for VDN Grenat and Tuilé (Rouge)
Describe Ardeche IGP.
Ardeche is an IGP title that covers red, white and rosé wines made in the southern French Ardèche department and in 11 communes in the very north of the Gard. The Ardèche sits on the western banks of the Rhône river and covers an important part of the northern Rhône vineyards while also bridging into the western side of the southern Rhône.
Generally speaking, while the AOC-level appellations Saint-Joseph, Cornas, Saint-Peray, Côtes du Vivarais and some Côtes du Rhône vineyards are all located within this region, the IGP-level vineyards are found in the dry, scrubby foothills of the Cévennes mountains and along the river Ardèche valley. The narrow valley of the Rhône is often reserved for the more prestigious AOC wines.
