Rhone Valley Flashcards
4 styles of Rasteau
Rouge
Ambre
Blanc
Grenat and Tuile (Rouge)
Yves Cuilleron
The Cuilleron domaine dates back to 1920, founded by Yves’s grandfather Claude. The first domaine bottling was 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 is a man on the move: He expanded the family holdings from 3.5 hectares to its current 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. The Cuilleron wines are all produced from vineyards the family owns or leases, and while they are focused on their traditional home region around Chavanay, they now also produce wines all the way from Côte-Rôtie in the north to Saint-Péray in the south.
Domaine Jamet
The Jamet domaine was founded by Joseph Jamet in the 1950s, and with the help of sons Jean-Paul and Jean-Luc, the Jamets 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 and may be worth following in the coming years.
Communes eligible for Rasteau AOP
Rasteau
Cairanne
Sablet
Rene Rostaing
René Rostaing started as a part-time vigneron in 1971 while supporting his family in real estate. He had 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.
What is often the blend in Chateau Rayas?
100% Grenache
Largest appellation in the Southern Rhone
Cotes du Rhone
Saint-Peray Styles and Blends
Blanc: Marsanne and Roussanne Blanc Mousseux (Méthode Traditionnelle)
Most prevalent grapes in Lirac
Grenache and Grenache Blanc
St-Joseph AOP
Syrah up to 10% Marsanne/Roussanne
Grape that dominates Beaucastel Blend
Mouvedre
5 Appellations that share 12.5% minimum alcohol with CDP
Vinsobres Cairanne Beaumes de Venise Gigondas Vacqueyras
Saint-Joseph AOP Soil
schist and gneiss on granite bedrock
Condrieu Soil
Decomposed Granite
Vacqueyras AOP Rouge Blend
Rouge:
Principal Variety: Grenache (min. 50%)
Complementary Varieties: Syrah and Mourvèdre (min. 20% combined Syrah and Mourvèdre), principal and complementary varieties must account for at least 90% of the total
Accessory Varieties: Max. 10% combined Brun Argenté, Carignan, Clairette Rosé, Counoise, Muscardin, Piquepoul Noir, and Terret Noir; max. 5% combined Bourboulenc, Viognier, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Clairette and Marsanne
Châtillon-en-Diois AOP Blends
Blanc: Chardonnay and Aligoté
Rouge: min. 75% Gamay, plus Pinot Noir and Syrah
Rosé: min. 75% Gamay, plus Pinot Noir and Syrah
Alain Voge
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, the Voges began bottling and commercializing their own wine, and soon Alain expanded the family holdings in Cornas through purchases of historic and abandoned vineyard sites. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, he redeveloped these sites, eventually also moving into Saint-Péray and Saint-Joseph. Today Alain 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.
Vincent Paris
Vincent Paris found his passion for the vine at a young age, producing his first vintage 1997 when he was just 23. Initially helped by his uncle Robert Michel, Vincent built his own cellar in 2001 and has since planted several new vineyards: Syrah in Cornas and Saint-Joseph, as well as Roussanne, Viognier and Merlot for Côtes du Rhône AOP and Vin de France bottlings. Upon his uncle’s retirement in 2006, Vincent was able to sign a 40-year lease on 1.2 hectares of Robert’s vineyards (which were purchased by an Anglo-Scandinavian group), including 0.73 hectares of the prized La Geynale.
E. Guigal
This world famous house was founded in 1946 by Étienne Guigal, who’d gotten his start in Côte-Rôtie at age 14 when he worked in the vineyards of Vidal-Fleury. Étienne’s son Marcel joined him in 1961 (age 18) after Étienne was suddenly struck blind. Together, they built the house of Guigal into the most recognizable name in Côte-Rôtie, and they brought the world’s attention to the wines of the appellation. In 1984, the two bought out Étienne’s former employer, Vidal-Fleury, along with their impressive array of vineyards… and in subsequent years, they went on to expand by buying Domaine de Bonserine, JL Grippat, de Vallouit, and the Château d’Ampuis. They folded the vineyards of Grippat and de Vallouit into their own production while keeping Domaine de Bonserine and Vidal-Fleury operating as separate entities. In addition, they now have their own cooperage to better control the quality of the wood for their aging program. While their very modern wines have not always been the favorite style of the older generation in Côte-Rôtie, Guigal has generally received a tip of the chapeau for the attention they brought to Côte-Rôtie and the continuing success of the appellation.
J L Chave
One of the legendary wine families of France, Domaine Jean-Louis Chave has, since 1481, been passed down from father to son for 16 generations. The family initially grew Saint-Joseph wines before phylloxera wiped out their vineyards on the hillsides above the domaine at Mauves. A wise ancestor chose to purchase land on the hill of Hermitage and rebuild the domaine there. Now widely considered the greatest grower on the hill, Chave makes world-class white and red Hermitage with exceptional ageability. One of the keys to the Chaves’ success is their ability to blend across multiple climats to create the best possible wine in any given year. To maintain this enviable track record, they do not produce single parcel “reserve” wines, believing that the blended wine is the best expression of the terroir 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 and brought it to worldwide fame; his son Jean-Louis Chave is now in charge with a CV that includes studies in the United States. Jean-Louis has also built up the family’s négociant business, J.L. Chave Selection, presenting a more affordable opportunity to experience the family’s winemaking skills as their domaine wines have become increasingly rare and expensive.
How much of the Rhone valley’s wines are released as Cotes du Rhone?
over two thirds
Alain Graillot
Alain Graillot came to wine after a career as an agrochemical engineer. He founded his domaine in 1985 with a parcel of rented vineyards in Crozes-Hermitage. Even with no background in winemaking, he quickly rose to the pole position and today is considered one of the top names in Crozes. The 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. Alain is now retired (on paper), and his son Maxime (who also makes his own Domaine des Lise and Equis wines) took over the estate in 2008.
How many grapes are in the Beaucastel Blend?
All of them
Beaumes-de-Venise AOP Rouge Blend
Rouge: Combined Min. 80% Grenache and Syrah (min. 50% Grenache, 25-50% Syrah), max. 10% combined Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Gris, Marsanne, Piquepoul Blanc, Ugni Blanc and Viognier; max. 20% combined Mourvèdre, Counoise, Muscardin, Piquepoul Noir and Terret Noir
Difference between Rasteau and Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise
Rasteau is more tawny while Mdbdv is fresher and more aromatic
What is mutage?
Stopping fermentation with grape spirits to retain sugar
13 (18) Varieties of Chateauneuf-de-Pape
Grenache (Noir/Blanc/Gris) Mourvèdre Syrah Cinsault Counoise Picpoul (Noir/Blanc/Gris) Terret Noir Bourboulenc Clairette/Clairette Rosé Roussanne Vaccarèse Picardan Muscardin
Traditional Aging and Vinification Northern Rhone
Foudres
Cote-Rotie AOP Blend
Syrah, up to 20% Viognier
Georges Vernay
Georges Vernay is a legendary figure in Condrieu, largely recognized for rescuing the appellation by internationally promoting the wines of the village when only eight hectares remained in cultivation in 1965. Georges began working in the vineyards with his father Francis at the age of 15, and today the estate is managed by his daughter Christine, who returned to the family domaine in 1996 to take over from her father—becoming the only female in the area to run a domaine at the time. The estate produces superb, elegant Condrieu wines, and Christine has markedly improved the quality of the reds. In addition to the flagship AOP wines produced here, the domaine produces excellent Vins de Pays wines from Viognier and Syrah grown in higher altitude vineyards on the plateau above Condrieu.
