Skip to main content

Notes on The Nothern Rhone

The Northern Rhone lies 20 miles south of the city of Lyon. The vineyards lie along the Rhone River which helps moderate the climate which is also affected by the cold Mistral winds. There are three white grape varieties grown: Viognier, Marsanne and Rousanne and one red variety, Syrah.
There are eight Crus in Northern Rhone starting with the Cote-Rotie AOC. It is considered the North's most elegant and approachable wine. The vineyards are located on steep granite terraces which are difficult to work which contributes to the price of the wine. They produce only red wine but can legally add up to 20% Viognier if they choose though that is unusual today.
2008 Saint Cosme Cote-Rotie    $60
Clear, deep ruby in the glass with medium intense developing aromas of bacon, pepper, black fruit and tobacco. Dry, medium+ body, tannins, alcohol, acidity and length. Very good, drink now or hold.

Next is Condrieu AOC where they make small quantities of white wine from Viognier. Chateau Grillet  AOC is a single property within Condrieu producing similar wines.

The Saint Joseph AOC primarily makes red wines but they make some white as well. It is a large appellation on the east bank of the river. Their red wine is considered the lightest and the fruitiest of the northern reds due to the higher sand mix in their granitic soil. 
2007 Nicolas Perrin Saint-Joseph      $35    

Clear, deep garnet in the glass with medium intense developing aromas of smoked meat, menthol and black fruit. Dry, medium+ acidity and medium alcohol, body and tannins, medium length. Good, drink now.
2007 Domaine Mucyn Saint-Joseph   $23
Clear, medium ruby in the glass with medium intense developing aromas of red fruit, smoke, baking spice with just a hint of savoriness. Dry, medium- body and tannins,  medium alcohol and acidity with medium+ length. Very good, drink now.


Crozes-Hermitage has been said to be a hit or miss appellation due to the terroir diversity and its size. This was a hit.
2009 La Matiniere Crozes-Hermitage Ferraton Pere & Fils   Clear ,medium purple with medium intense youthful aromas of strawberry jam, cracked black pepper and a bit of smoke. Dry, Medium body, alcohol, medium+ tannins, acidity and finish. Good+   $20

Hermitage is the next small appellation. It mainly produces red wine that can have up to 15% Marsanne and Rousanne in the blend though it is uncommon.
2003 Hermitage E.Guigal     $70
Clear, deep garnet going brickish at the rim. Medium+ intense, developing aromas of mixed baked berries with just a bit of pepper and forest floor. Dry, Medium body and alcohol, medium+ tannins, acidity and finish.
Very good/drink now.

Cornas is the last red wine cru in the north. Production is very small. It is considered the biggest, most masculine wine.
St. Peray is the final appellation. It is very small. It makes both still and sparkling white wine from Marsanne and Rousanne.

Related Post:
Notes from a Rhone Valley Tasting

Comments

  1. Sandra, time has a way of leaving the past in the past, but here you are now with arguably the beginning of a French wine primer for newbies like me; A primer with pictures and short notes taking "us" on a mile by mile, nay foot by foot hike through French wine country, Chateau, village, or AVA.
    This is a treasure, and at some point I'm going to try and print these out and paste to a national map of France.
    keep up the good work,
    Dennis

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for reading Wine Life - Houston.

Popular posts from this blog

An Immersive Introduction into the World of Asolo Prosecco

Dinner Views at Osteria Alla Baracca. I was very excited to visit the Asolo DOCG Prosecco region at the end of May on a press trip as it is an Italian area that I have not previously traveled through. Asolo is located in the Province of Treviso at the foot of Monte Grappa in the high hills to the west of the Piave River with views of the Dolomites. The grapes are grown in 17 communes surrounding the town of Asolo. The days were very warm while I was there but I needed a sweater or light jacket on most evenings due to the diurnal swing that makes it a great area for grape growing. Wines from the Master Class Tasting. Asolo was elevated to the DOCG level in 2009. The majority of the Prosecco that I have found in Houston is Prosecco DOC which is mostly from very large producers. Asolo was separated from this category and the region was given this higher status because there are terroir elements that make it distinctive in the world of Prosecco. The Sant'Anna Vineyard. Many of the vin

Lunch at Cépage paired with Paso Robles Sparkling Wine

Cépage is the elegant new restaurant inside of the recently refurbished Paris Valley Road Estate & Winery Tasting Room. Cépage opened in 2022 and currently serves lunch and weekend brunch. Paris Valley Estate is a fairly new brand that is named after the two lane road in Monterey County where the owners, the Stoller family, planted their first vineyard over 20 years ago. The new name inspired them to renovate the former Arciero Winery in the opulent style of French Grand Cru domaines they had previously visited, explained winemaker, Doug Hidinger. I was visiting on a rainy day so I did not get to tour the grounds or take many outside pictures, unfortunately. The table was set and ready upon arrival. Hidinger was at lunch to present both the Paris Valley Road Sparkling Wine 2019 and the Sextant Edna Valley Sparkling Wine 2012 from a sister property of Paris Valley Road. Owner/Winemaker of Vino Vargas , Pedro Vargas, was also there to present his three sparkling wines. All of these

Tasting Tin City - Paso Robles

Located in a small industrial warehouse district, 3 miles south of downtown Paso Robles, is an easily walkable zone of contemporary industrial-style tin buildings called Tin City which is home to an innovative beverage scene. Tin City has several small-production wineries such as Anarchy Wine Co., Benom, Cordant Winery, and Giornata along with somewhat larger producers like Field Recordings . It is not unusual to be greeted by the winemakers in these modern tasting rooms and find them ready to share both their wines and their stories with their guests. Superfly Zinfandel blended with Cabernet and Petite Sirah At Anarchy Wine Co , expect to find a wide range of wines which includes a Bordeaux-Style Blend, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, a Red Rhône-Style Blend, Syrah, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel all deliciously served with a rebel yell in a rock and roll environment. Les Deux Freres means The Two Brothers and is unique