Rhone Valley Flashcards
Northern Rhone climate
Continental
Cold winters/warm summers
Rainfall in fall and winter
45*N
Southern Rhone climate
Mediterranean
Mild winters, very warm, dry summers
Drought increasing
Syrah in N Rhone features and hazards
Feature:
Hazard:
Vigorous- needs training to protect from mistral
Susceptible to bunch rot
Grenache in S Rhone hazard and features
Feature:
Needs warm climate to ripen
Upright growth - suitable for bush training
Does well do dry, poor soils
Drought resistant
Accumulates sugar quickly for VdN
Hazard:
Late ripening- fall rain
Prone to coulure
Mourvedre in S Rhone features and hazards
Feature:
Late budding/ late ripening only thrives in warm to hot environments
Hazard:
Needs hot end of season to ripen
Not drought resistant
Low yields
Prone to reduction in winery
Cinsault in S Rhone hazards and features
Feature:
Late budding
High yielding
Good drought resistance
Hazard:
Restricted yields to produce quality
Prone to chlorosis in high lime soil
Viognier in Rhone hazards and features
Feature:
Hazard:
Early budding- prone to spring frost
Low and unpredictable yields due to poor flowering and coulure (fruit set)
Must be perfectly ripe for flavor but not too ripe to lose acid
Marsanne in Rhone hazards and features
Feature:
Late budding - avoid frost
Hazard:
control yields for quality- poor soils of N Rhone
Roussanne in Rhone hazard and features
Features:
Late budding- frost
Good on poor/ well drained soil
Hazards:
Poor wind resistance
Prone to coulure
Grows less successfully than Marsanne
Grenache Blanc in Rhone hazards and features
Feature:
Good wind resistance
High yields
Needs warmth
Does well on poor/dry soils
Good drought resistance
Hazard:
Early budding- spring frost
Ripens late - fall rain
Clairette in Rhone hazards and features
Feature:
Grows well on poor/dry soils - S Rhone
Grows upright - wind resistant
Hazard:
Vigorous- needs short pruning + excessive bud removal
Ripens late - fall rain
Oxidizes easily in winery
Bourboulenc in Rhone hazards and features
Feature:
Loose bunches/thick skin- fungus protection For late ripening
Likes warm/dry locations
Hazard:
High quality red wine production in Rhone
-hand harvest- small crate transport for unbroken fruit
-de stemmed chilled cold soaked for color or partial or whole bunches for aromatics
-ferment warmer temps for extraction
-maceration 20-30 days
-maturation 12-24 mos large oak for Grenache and small barrel for Syrah/Mourvedre
Inexpensive red wine production in Rhone
-machine harvest - some damaged fruit during this means fast fermentation needed to avoid contamination
-hand pick for carbonic maceration a choice for easy drinking wines
-flash detente or thermovinification used for fruity/low tannin
-ferment at mid temps to retain fruit and lower tannins
-short maceration
-stainless short maceration
What wind runs through the Rhone and what affect does it have on viticulture
Mistral - cold
Decreases vine vigor - lowering yields/concentrating wines
Reduces fungus
Furthest north appellation in Northern Rhone
Côte Rotie
Côte Rotie
-Syrah w/ up to 20% Viognier
-steep, terraced slopes
-E/SE facing for sun exposure and N wind protection
-free draining, poor, stony soils
-hand worked
-erosion
-terrace repair
Côte Rotie wine making
If Syrah and Viognier are used co- ferment
Aromatics emphasized- destem/cold soak
Warmer fermentation for full extraction
Softer and more aromatic than Hermitage and Cornas
Coondrieu
-Viognier only
-low yields for max intensity
-often S facing vineyards for sun exposure
-steep, poor, stony soils (erosion/wind)
Chte Grillet
Condrieu winemaking
-stainless or large wood fermentation
-MLC choice (usually done)
-Lees aging 10-12 mos w/stirring
Saint Joseph
Long/large appellation due to extension in 90s to some not great hillsides
-90% red some white
-Syrah, Marsanne, Roussanne
Hermitage
Historic
1/3 white
-S facing for sun exposure and N wind protection
-hot dry vineyards
-stony, thin soils
-super concentrated, long lived wines
- erosion/terracing/hand worked
-low yield max rarely achieved
Hermitage winemaking
Traditional
-portion of stems included in ripe vintages
-warm fermentation for max extraction
-long oak maturation 12-18mos
White wines are Marsanne with some Roussanne maturation in oak w/lees stirring for creamy, nutty flavors
Major co-op in Hermitage
Cave de Tain - owns 15% of appellation
Crozes Hermitage influences
Bullseye around Tain L’Hermitage and the hill of Hermitage
Large appellation
North is continental w/alpine influences from Mistral - long growing season and high diurnal swings = moderate sugar accumulation and high acid
South is more temperate but heavy rains in late fall and through winter
Crozes Hermitage
In general deeper more fertile soils than Hermitage- lower concentration but max yield is 45 (low)
Machine harvest possible for reducing cost
Crozes Hermitage winemaking
-Destemming
-generally made for early drinking w/med tannins
-whites from Marsanne and Roussanne
Cornas
Syrah only
-S/E facing amphitheater
-Mediterranean
-wind protection
Cornas winemaking
Tannic intensity
Small barrels to soften
Saint Peray
White only - mostly Marsanne some Roussanne
-cooler climate
-limestone and granite soil - water holding and drainage
Saint Peray winemaking
Stainless or oak
Lees w/ possible stirring 10-12 mos
Collines Rhodaniennes
“Hills of Rhone”
Red/white/rose grown outside of AOCs
Higher yield- double most appellations
Grapes other than Syrah/R/M allowed
Topography of S Rhone vs N Rhone and viticulture implications
S Rhone is flatter
-machine harvest
-little wind protection- low, bush trained vines necessary (suitable for Grenache)
Hierarchy of S Rhone appellations
Côtes du Rhône
Côtes du Rhône Villages
Côtes du Rhône Villages + named village (22 villages - Seguret)
Cru - CdP or Gigondas or Cairanne
AOC regs in S Rhone typically stipulate what regarding varieties
-principal vs complimentary and other varietals
-state min proportion of principal
Côtes du Rhône
Covers all (N and S) Rhone
Second largest appellation in France behind Bordeaux
Côtes du Rhône varieties
Red - GSM must be 60% (G= 30% min/ SM = 20% min) - Carignan and Cinsault
White - Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier must be 80% - Picpoul
Côtes du Rhône villages
Similar to CdR more principal varieties 66%
Gigondas
Vineyards up to 600m
Shaded by Dentelles de Montmirail reducing am temps for longer growing season
G (50% min) + SM
White is Clairette (min 70%)
Vacqueyras
Up to 440m - diurnal but still ripens in cool vintages
G (50% min) + SM
Vinsobres
Red only
G (50% min) +SM
S/SE facing slopes- good drainage, sun exposure, protection from mistral
Rasteau
G (min 50%) + SM
Some VdN
Low south facing slopes in enclave protected from mistral
Cairanne
G (40% min + SM)
Cooler
Fruity/approachable reds
High quality whites
Beaumes de Venise
Red
Shaded by Dentelles de Montmiral
G+S (50% min)
Chateauneuf du Pape Red
G+S+M
Chateauneuf du Pape white
Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Roussanne
Chateauneuf du Pape
No stipulation of principal varieties
Hand harvest
Single varietal allowed
Poor, fast draining soils reduce yields
Galets radiate heat at night
Lirac
GSM and Cinsault = 90%min
High sunlight poor soils
Tavel
Rose only
12 allowed varieties none more than 60%
Deeper colored rose
Costieres de Nimes
Btw Rhone and Languedoc
SW facing slopes - sun exposure
Mediterranean breezes
GSM min 50%
Moving from co-op to estate
Grignan Les Adhemar
G+S min 50%
Lighter style
Ventoux
S/W slope of Mount Ventoux - cooling influence- freshness in wines
Up to 450m
GSM Cinsault and Carignan
1/4 co-op
Luberon
Borders Provence
Gentle slopes/flat land
GSM
Major companies are located where in the Rhone
North but operate totally
Are co-ops more important in S or N Rhone?
South
Domestic consumption vs export in Rhone
63/37%
