southern rhone

Question 1

What about the climat and grape growing in the southern rhone ?

Answer 1

1) flatter terrain than north
2) many on stony soil that absorbs the suns heat and that absorbs the suns heat and warm the vineyard
3) in some parts these stones or gallets completely cover the soil
4) the climat is mediterrenean with mild winters and warm dry summers when drought can be a problem
5) the mistral gains speed and can do dramatically damage to the vineyard there needs to be windbreakers, because the lack of slopes
6) grenach is bushtrained low to protect against the wind and benefit from the soils heat
- - syrah is more easely damaged and benefits from the support offering by trellis systems

Question 2

what about the red blends?

Answer 2

1) grenache dominates
- -warm summer means that he can ripen fully and give nice concentrated wines of red fruit
- - too hot summer gives jammy and baked flavours
2) syrah gives extra tannin and colour, in the hottest sites it can suffer
3) mourvedre also adds colour and tannins, he is at his northern limit to ripen fully
- - if ripen fully it can give dense black fruit flavours and gamey and meaty aromas
4) cinsault gives tann, colour and red fruit flavours
- - but is best known as blending partner to grenache for fresh fruity roses
5) winemaking techniques can vary:
- they need to face high tannic and high alcoholic wines so:
- - cool premaceration
- - open vat
- - blending with different techniques
- - oak is used by a few, sometimes it can overwhelms the flavours of grenache
6) styles can vary from light to med body fresh , fruity wines to high tannic full bodied and concentrated wines with flavours of spice meat and or earth

Question 3

how are the white varieties doing it ?

Answer 3

1) clairette, grenache blanc and bourboulenc are notable add to the north rhone trio of Marsanne rousanne and viognier
2) the give full bodied wines with high alc, low to med acidity and subtle fruit aromas

Question 4

Aop:

Answer 4

1) cotes du rhone: most of it is red but also fruity roses and white wines too
2) cdr villages: more stringent alc is needed and more perc of gr sy mour, there are a number of villages who can put their name on the label if the wine is 100 % comming from the named village
- - full bodied, spiced red fruit flavours
- - they can ask for a cru status

Question 5

What about chateauneuf du pape ?

Answer 5

1) first area to have a aop status
2) east bank of rhone
3) vineyard area notably flat, but gently slopes can make a differece on how the syrah and mourvedre ripens
4) there is a wide range of soil types
5) there are 13 grapes permitted
6) some will make 100% grenache other will profit from the gamey and meaty mourvedre
7) the best are full bodied and richly textured with concentrated spiced red fruit that balance the high alc

Question 6

Tavel and lirac famous for only roses of grenache and cinsault.

Answer 6

tavel is only rosé

lirac can make some high quality red and white wines in style of chateauneuf du pape

Question 7

gigondas and vacqueyras makes red wines like style chateauneuf, describe:

Answer 7

full bodied spicy style

Question 8

which aop is known for its fortified wines ?

Answer 8

muscat au beaume de venise