Southern Rhone

Question 1

Lirac

Answer 1

• Right bank of Southern Rhone
• Full bodied reds and whites, roses allowed too
• Soft and earlier maturing than CdP to the east
• Cheaper alternative to Tavel roses right next door
• GSM
• Domaines du Joncier making best wines

Question 2

Southern Rhone Geography and climate

Answer 2

• Mediterranean climate
  
  • Lots of sunshine, low rainfall
  • Flatter than North, and gradually gets flatter as it goes from North to South
  • Mistral especially strong, because no hill to block

Question 3

Southern Rhone Viticultre

Answer 3

• Gobelet training often
  
  • Irrigation is permitted when drought persists
  • Wind breaks for mistral protection

Question 4

Southern Rhone Grapes

Answer 4

• 2.5x more Grenache planted than Syrah, too hot for Syrah

* Grenache Blanc, Ugni Blanc, Clairette, Viognier and Vermentino

Question 5

Southern Rhone Winemaking

Answer 5

• Co-ops produce 2/3 of wine
  
  • Varied winemaking from carbonic to open top fermenters
    
    • Blending often a requirement, not many mono-varietal wines

Question 6

Costieres de Nimes

Answer 6

• Reliable and well priced
• Southern most AC in Rhone
• Large pebble soils on gentle, south facing slopes
• Mostly reds and roses
• Grenache important
• AC in transition from bulk wines made by coops to characterful wine from small estates

Question 7

Luberon

Answer 7

• Buffer area between Rhone and Provence
• At elevation, steep slopes
• Young appellation producing significant quantities of wine
• Equal quantities of whites based on typical SR blends and light bodied reds and roses based on GSM
• Cooler nights actually make this one of the best places for crisp whites in Rhone

Question 8

Cotes du Rhone-Village

Answer 8

• CdR with a village name appended
• Distinct step up from CdR in rep and quality
• Intermediate step to stand along AC
• Max yields lower and min alcohols higher than CdR

Question 9

Ventoux

Answer 9

• SE part of Southern rhone
• Sprawling AC
• on the slopes of Mt Ventoux, high elevation, good for Syrah
• Co-op dominated
• Lighter, fresher style of reds and roses from mountainous cooling effects on Mediterranean climateDomaine
• Fondreche found here

Question 10

Vinsobres

Answer 10

• Most northern part of Southern rhone
• Awarded AC in 2006
• High elevation, cool vineyards for Souther Rhone
• Cooler sites better for Syrah but required to be 80% Grenache
• Organic viticulture easy because of the winds and cool climate

Question 11

Tavel

Answer 11

• One of France’s few rosé only AC
• Right bank of Southern Rhone
• Sand and clay soils
• Grenache/Cinsault blend
• Co-ops majority
• Historical reputation leads to sometimes unwarranted price premium
• Domaine de la Mordoree best quality

Question 12

Chateauneuf du Pape France’s first AC

Answer 12

• First AC in 1923—set of rules for production of CdP
  
  • Geographic delimitation
  • Minimum alcohol level of 12.5%, still the highest in France
  • Mandatory sorting
  • Yield restrictions
  • 18 varietals allowed today
• Most important SR AC in terms of quality

Question 13

Chateauneuf du Pape Winemaking

Answer 13

• Winemaking traditionally has lots of extraction techniques
  
  • Stem inclusion
  • Hot fermentations
  • Pigeage
  • Remontage
• Severely affected by climate change—>carbonic to make lighter fruitier wines with less alcohol
• Rich, spicy, full-bodied reds—93% of production

Question 14

Chateauneuf du Pape Viticulture and climate

Answer 14

• flat lands with galet stones typical
  
  • Typically Northern facing as Southern exposure too warm
  • Gobelet trained

Question 15

Chateauneuf du Pape producers

Answer 15

• Beaucastel, Vieux Telegraph, Rayas (planted on calcareous soil), Pegau