Rhone Valley

Question 1

2020

Answer 1

Early harvest in N Rhone with cooler nights. Record setting heat and but the wines still show elegance and balance. Silky tannins mean approachable but acidity lends to long term aging.
S Rhone had mild winter with hot dry summer with cool nights. Fresh and balanced wines with supple fruit structure.
N Rhone: 96
S Rhone: 93

Question 2

2019

Answer 2

N Rhone: Concentrated and defined 96
S Rhone: Wet winter and hot summer. Reds are rich, ripe and expressive, with refined textures 94

Question 3

2018

Answer 3

For both north and south, wet spring, Hot and dry summer with no heat spikes.
N Rhone: Reds looking good 92
S Rhone: Supple, fruit forward, lower in acidity 92

Question 4

2017

Answer 4

N Rhone is ripe and seductive, concentrated and balanced: 97
S Rhone: Frost then heat wave. Concentrated reds: 92

Question 5

2016`

Answer 5

N Rhone: some tricky weather, hail in Hermitage: Reds are ripe, focused and pure 97
S Rhone: Benchmark, warm days, cool night. fruit forward, racy and fresh reds 99

Question 6

Best vintage 2016-2020

Answer 6

N Rhone: 2016-2017
S RhoneL: 2016

Question 7

Best vintage 2016-2020

Answer 7

N Rhone

Question 7

Worst vintages 2016-2020

Answer 7

2018

Question 8

2015

Answer 8

Easy, warm growing season. Very promising - best vintage since 2010, at least.
N Rhone: 99
S Rhone: 97

Question 8

Best vintage 2016-2020

Answer 8

N Rhone: 2016-2017
S RhoneL: 2016

Question 9

2014

Answer 9

Very rainy summer; serious Suzukii Fruit Fly issues in the North, particularly Cote-Rotie. Lighter in style, early drinking.
N Rhone: 89
S Rhone: 88

Question 10

2013

Answer 10

Serious coulure in the Grenache plagued the Southern Rhone. Late start, short growing season.
N Rhone: Dry, cool growing season and rains: 91
S Rhone: Cool and dry, don’t have the depth and ripeness as 2015 and 2016: 89

Question 11

2012

Answer 11

Difficult vintage; smaller crop than usual (rain at flowering). Lowered acidity, high tannin. The Rhone overall was more successful than most across Europe.
N Rhone: 92
S Rhone: 93

Question 12

2011

Answer 12

More lightly styled than the preceeding vintages; cool summer and some rain at harvest. North is more successful than the south.
N Rhone: 92
S Rhone: 91

Question 13

2010

Answer 13

S Rhone: beautifully ripe, racy, [i]terroir[n]-driven wines for aging 98
N Rhone: Reds are racy and loaded with minerality; even better defined than ‘09: 98

Question 14

2009

Answer 14

N Rhone: Excellent overall, rich and polished 96
S Rhone: Heat wave, cool nights preserved acidity, some wines over alcoholic 94

Question 15

2008

Answer 15

Rainy and difficult. Light and somewhat dilute.
N Rhone: 86
S Rhone: 88

Question 16

Best vintages 2011-2015

Answer 16

2015

Question 17

2007

Answer 17

Northern Rhone is similar to Burgundy - patchy summer with warmth at harvest. Difficult but good. Severe hail in Cote-Rotie.
Southern Rhone had an exceptional, silky, lush vintage.
N Rhone: 91
S Rhone: 95

Question 17

Best vintages 2011-2015

Answer 17

2015

Question 18

2006

Answer 18

Good vintage with some rain on and off at harvest. Wines are more charming than powerful.
N Rhone: 92
S Rhone: 93

Question 19

Best Vintages 2006-2010

Answer 19

2010

Question 20

Worst vintages 2006-2010

Answer 20

2008

Question 21

2005

Answer 21

N Rhone drought with cool nights. Classic structure for long term aging 94 S Rhone: Concentrated, pure, stucture

Question 22

2004

Answer 22

Near perfect weather, but the results are good but not great. N Rhone: Fresh balance, others crisp and green 90 S Rhone: Dry but not as hot as 2003, balanced and pure 93

Question 23

2003

Answer 23

Heat Wave vintage - massive, concentrated. After the rains of 2002, the water table was high, so clay-planted wines in the south are most successful. N Rhone: wide-ranging quality, from exotically ripe to acid-deficient 94 S Rhone: powerful, ripe reds 93

Question 24

2002

Answer 24

Massive rains diluted and destroyed the harvest. Worst vintage of the 2000’s. N Rhone: 82, herbaceous, green notes, tough tannings S Rhone: 76, tart and dilute

Question 25

2001

Answer 25

Excellent in both regions; higher tannins and firmer structure in both North and South than 2000. N Rhone: 89 elegant S Rhone: 94 racy, structured reds in Châteauneuf-du-Pape that have continued to put on weight as they evolve

Question 26

2000

Answer 26

Good but not exceptional in the Northern Rhone. Southern Rhone is lush, soft, and silky; highly regarded. N Rhone: 88, clean, pure, good structure without the depth of other years S Rhone: 93 Powerful and rich; plump and ripe reds with silky tannins

Question 27

Best vintages of the 1990s

Answer 27

1990 1991 (North only) 1998 1999

Question 28

Disaster vintages of the 1990s

Answer 28

1991 (South only) 1992 1993

Question 28

Worst vintages 2011-2015

Answer 28

2014

Question 28

Best vintages 2011-2015

Answer 28

2015