Rhône Valley Theory

Question 1

What is the French name for the Northern Rhone? The Southern Rhone?

Answer 1

Rhône septentrionale (North)

Rhône méridionale (South)

Question 2

The Northern Rhone extends from what city to which city?

Answer 2

Vienne to Valence

Question 3

The Southern Rhone starts in what city and funnels outwards toward which city?

Answer 3

From Montélimar funneling outward towards Avignon

Question 4

Who was the first to construct the terraces in the Rhone Valley?

Answer 4

Roman workers

Question 5

When did Pope Clement V move the papal court to Avignon?

Answer 5

1309

Question 6

Merchants of Bordeaux blended what “manly” wine with theirs during the 18th and 19th centuries?

Answer 6

Hermitage

Question 7

Chateauneuf-du-Pape became the first AOC in France in what year?

Answer 7

1936

Question 8

How does the climate of the Northern Rhone differ from that of the Southern Rhone in regards to temperature, rainfall, and annual sunlight hours?

Answer 8

The Northern Rhône is more continental with greater seasonal temperature shifts, more rainfall, and fewer annual hours of sunshine than the southern appellations.

The Southern Rhône is firmly Mediterranean in climate with less seasonal temperature variations, less rainfall, and more sunshine hours.

Question 9

What is the Mistral and where does it come from? Which seasons does it impact the vineyards of the Northern Rhone the most? What benefit does it provide?

Answer 9

Cold, dry wind that blows down from the Massif Central impacting the Northern Rhône in winter and spring.

The benefit of the wind is that it dries the vineyards, preventing mold and mildew from taking hold.

Question 10

What is the unique soil type found in Condrieu called? What is it composed of?

Answer 10

Arzelle

Composed of a thin topsoil layer of rich, powdery, decomposed mica

Question 11

What are the best soil types that characterize the best vineyards of Côte Rôtie, Condrieu, and Hermitage?

Answer 11

heat-retaining granitic and schistous soils

Question 12

What type of soil is found in higher proportions in St-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, and St-Péray?

Answer 12

Heavier soils with clay

Question 13

Which white grape in the Rhone Valley is known for its oily texture and marzipan character?

Answer 13

Marsanne

Question 14

Which white grape adds acidity and a waxy minerality to wines?

Answer 14

Roussanne

Question 15

What are the grape requirements for Hermitage AOP red wines? White?

Answer 15

Rouge Syrah with max 15% Marsanne/Roussanne

Question 16

Name two producers of Vin de Paille in Hermitage.

Answer 16

Chave

Chapoutier

Question 17

Name 5 producers of Hermitage.

Answer 17

Jean Louis Chave
Paul Jaboulet Aîné
M. Chapoutier
Bernard Faury
Delas

Question 18

What is the name of the French war hero who lived on the hill of Hermitage that ultimately gave the hill its name?

Answer 18

Gaspard de Stérimberg

Question 19

Where is Crozes-Hermitage located in relation to Hermitage? How do they differ stylistically?

Answer 19

Located behind and around the hill of Hermitage.

The wines of Crozes-Hermitage are generally lighter and less ageworthy

Question 20

What are the grape requirements for Crozes-Hermitage red wines?

Answer 20

Syrah with a maximum combined 15% Marsanne and Roussanne

Question 21

Name 5 producers of Crozes-Hermitage.

Answer 21

Alain Graillot
Domaine Entrefaux
Ferraton
Delas
Colombier

Question 22

What does Côte Rôtie mean? Who is the largest producer there?

Answer 22

Roasted slope

Question 23

What direction do the best vineyards in Côte Rôtie face?

Answer 23

Southeast

Question 24

What are the two slopes nearest to Ampuis that are considered the heart of the appellation? How do they differ stylistically?

Answer 24

Côte Brune and Côte Blonde

Blonde produces wines that are softer, earlier maturing, and alluring wines

Brune produces stronger, more assertive, and longer-lived wines

Question 25

Name three La-La vineyards.

Answer 25

La Landonne La Turque La Mouline

Question 26

Which appellations is physically the smallest red wine appellation in the Northern Rhone?

Answer 26

Cornas

Question 27

What is the name of the major soil type in Cornas and what is it composed of?

Answer 27

Gore naked granite

Question 28

Why is Cornas among the warmest wine regions in the Northern Rhone?

Answer 28

The sun's warmth is magnified by the gore (naked granite) and the appellation itself is shielded from the Mistral.

Question 29

What are the 4 lieux-dits of Cornas?

Answer 29

Les Reynards La Côte Les Chaillot Les Mazards

Question 30

Name 5 producers of Cornas.

Answer 30

``` Auguste Clape Thierry Alemand Vincent Paris Juge Pierre Gaillard ```

Question 31

What are the great requirements for St-Joesph?

Answer 31

Rouge requires min of 90% Syrah with up to 10% Marsanne and/or Roussane Blanc is made from any proportion of Marsanne and/or Roussanne.

Question 32

Name five producers of St-Joseph.

Answer 32

``` Chave Bernard Gripa Guigal André Perret Domaine Monier ```

Question 33

What style of wine is St-Peray most noticeable for?

Answer 33

Traditional method sparkling wine made from Marsanne and Roussanne

Question 34

Name a producer of St-Peray.

Answer 34

Aurelien Chatagnier

Question 35

Name four producers of Condrieu.

Answer 35

Yves Cuilleron Yves Gangloff André Perret George Vernay

Question 36

What grape must comprise 100% of Coteaux de Die AOP?

Answer 36

Clairette

Question 37

What are the three communes of production for Côte-Rotie from North to South? Which is known for the best wines?

Answer 37

Saint-Cyr-sur-Rhône Ampuis Tupin-Semons Ampuis is known for the best wines

Question 38

What is the maximum amount of Viognier permitted in Côte-Rôtie?

Answer 38

20% Viognier

Question 39

What is the minimum potential alcohol for Côte-Rotie?

Answer 39

10.5%

Question 40

What is the minimum must weight for Côte-Rôtie?

Answer 40

171g/L

Question 41

What is the maximum RS for Côte-Rôtie?

Answer 41

3g/L (4g/L if alcohol is greater than 13.5%)

Question 42

What harvest methods are permitted in Côte-Rotie?

Answer 42

Manual harvests are mandatory

Question 43

What is the minimum planting density for Côte-Rôtie?

Answer 43

6,000 vines/ha

Question 44

What is the maximum yield for Côte-Rôtie?

Answer 44

40hl/ha

Question 45

What are the main soil types of both the Côte Blonde and the Côte Brune?

Answer 45

gneiss for Blonde mica-schistous rock for Brune

Question 46

When was the Côte-Rotie appellation established?

Answer 46

1940

Question 47

Describe the methode Dioise Ancestrale and what wine uses it.

Answer 47

"Clairette de Die Methode Dioise" is a single fermentation that begins in a large vat but finishes in the bottle. When finished fermenting, it is filtered and transferred into a fresh bottle. NO liqueur di Tirage or expedition may be used. Min 50% Muscat a petits grains."

Question 48

Is Coteaux de Die a still or sparkling wine AOC?

Answer 48

Still, It was created in 1993 to soak up all the clairette grapes that could no longer be used for sparkling.

Question 49

How does Cremant de Die differ from Clairette de Die Methode Dioise Ancestral?

Answer 49

The cremant must be 55% Clairette minimum, with min 10% Aligote, 5-10% Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains produced methode champenoise (with a min. 12 months spent on lees), where as the Dioise Ancestral is a single fermentation made from at least 75% Muscat Blanc a petite Grains, plus Clairette (4 months minimum lees aging).

Question 50

Where is St. Peray located and what types of wine does it produce?

Answer 50

St. Peray is found in the Northern Rhone and produces white still and sparkling wines from Marsanne and Roussanne grapes.

Question 51

What is the major grape(s) for red wines and white wines respectively for Châtillon-en-Dioise AOP?

Answer 51

a

Question 52

What is the climate of the Southern Rhone classified?

Answer 52

a

Question 53

What is the dominating soil type that is found mostly throughout the Southern Rhone?

Answer 53

a

Question 54

What is the unique soil type found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape but not found at Château Rayas? What is the soil composed of? What does this soil type do for the vines at night?

Answer 54

a

Question 55

What is the minimum potential alcohol for Châteauneuf reds that is the highest in France for dry AOP wines?

Answer 55

a

Question 56

What is le rape? What does it serve as a safeguard against?

Answer 56

a

Question 57

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is typically aged in what type of barrel?

Answer 57

a

Question 58

Châteauneuf-du-Pape allows the use of up to 13 grapes, or 18 depending on who you ask. What are they?

Answer 58

a

Question 59

What can be found on all estate-bottled wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape?

Answer 59

a

Question 60

What is the largest AOP in the Southern Rhone? What percentage of the Rhone Valley’s wines are produced under this appellation?

Answer 60

a

Question 61

What 17 communes may append their name to Côte du Rhone-Villages AOP wines?

Answer 61

a

Question 62

What style of wines are produced in Gigondas?

Answer 62

a

Question 63

What is the minimum percentage of Grenache that must be present in Gigondas red blends? What other two grapes are most commonly blended with it?

Answer 63

a

Question 64

What is the dominating soil type present in Gigondas?

Answer 64

a

Question 65

What styles of wine are produced in Vacqueyras?

Answer 65

a

Question 66

What is the minimum percentage of Grenache that must be present in Vacqueyras AOP wines?

Answer 66

a

Question 67

What style of wines are produced in Vinsobres AOP?

Answer 67

a

Question 68

What style of wine is produced in Beaumes de Venise?

Answer 68

a

Question 69

What is the most recent appellation established in the Southern Rhône? What styles of wine are produced here?

Answer 69

a

Question 70

Which appellation in the Southern Rhône unwittingly served as France’s doorway to the phylloxera incursion?

Answer 70

a

Question 71

Which appellation is dedicated exclusively to rosé production? What is the dominant grape of these wines? Name a producer of these wines.

Answer 71

a

Question 72

What is the Southern Rhône’s northernmost appellation? What was it formerly called?

Answer 72

a

Question 73

What appellation in the Southern Rhône exists for both dry red wines as well as fortified VDN wines of all colors?

Answer 73

a

Question 74

Rasteau creates VDN in various styles. Name them and describe their aging requirements and stylistic differences.

Answer 74

a

Question 75

What two communes can produce VDN wine under the Rasteau AOP? Which isn’t allowed to bottle dry red wines under the Rasteau AOP appellation?

Answer 75

a

Question 76

Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise AOP is a VDN appellation wine that is produced in red, white, and rosé styles. What two versions of Muscat are used in their production?

Answer 76

a

Question 77

Which appellation in the Southern Rhône was up until 2004 a part of the Languedoc? What is the smaller AOP within this AOP’s borders that produceds wines from Clairette?

Answer 77

a

Question 78

What is the name of Jean-Louis Chave’s top bottling of Hermitage called and in what years has it been produced? What was the innaugaral vintage of his vin de paille wine?

Answer 78

a

Question 79

Domaine Jamet produces one of its top two bottlings form one of the two main slopes in Côte Rôtie. Which one is it?

Answer 79

a

Question 80

What was the innaugral vintage for Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie?

Answer 80

a

Question 81

When was the inaugural vintage of Clape Renaissance? Where are the grapes sourced from for this wine? What are the average age of the vines used for this wine?

Answer 81

a

Question 82

Auguste Clape’s Cornas is sourced from vines of an average age of what range?

Answer 82

a

Question 83

Clape’s Le Vin des Amis is a Côte du Rhône AOP wine that is sourced from where?

Answer 83

a

Question 84

What was the inaugural vintage for Allemand’s “Sans Souffre” bottling?

Answer 84

a

Question 85

Thierry Allemand produces his top wines from which two lieux-dits? In what years was one bottling produced combining the both?

Answer 85

a

Question 86

What is René Rostaing’s top bottling that was formerly called “Classique”? This wine is sourced form all of Rostaing’s lieux dits except which two?

Answer 86

a

Question 87

Which of René Rostaing’s top bottlings are 100% Syrah? Which is cofermented with 5% Viognier?

Answer 87

a

Question 88

What is the name of Alain Graillot’s top Crozes-Hermitage bottling that is only bottled in the best years?

Answer 88

a

Question 89

In what three regions in the Northern Rhône are Yves Cuilleron’s top wines produced?

Answer 89

a

Question 90

What is the grape of Cuilleron’s “Le Lombard” wine? What is the grape of his “Saint-Pierre” bottling? These wines are produced from vines in what AOP?

Answer 90

a

Question 91

Name the three Condrieu bottlings that Cuilleron produces and describe them. (vineyards sourced, style, aging)

Answer 91

a

Question 92

What three La-La vineyard bottlings does Guigal produce? Which is 100% Syrah? The others contain a small percentage of Viognier. Which has the highest percentage?

Answer 92

a

Question 93

What are the inaugural vintages for all of Guigal’s La-La bottlings? What was the inaugural vintage for “Château d’Ampuis”?

Answer 93

a

Question 94

What are Guigal’s Ermitage Blanc and Rouge bottlings called?

Answer 94

a

Question 95

What is the name of Gonon’s white wine bottling? What are the grape percentages?

Answer 95

a

Question 96

In what years has Gonon’s Saint-Joseph “Vieilles Vignes” been produced? When were the vines planted?

Answer 96

a

Question 97

Which Côte Rôtie producer makes “Blonde de Seigneur”?

Answer 97

a

Question 98

Who makes “la Barbarine” and when was the inaugural vintage?

Answer 98

a