Northern Rhône Wine Guide

 

This small wine region is the birthplace of the prestigious French Syrah red wines and Viognier white wines.

The vineyards lie along the Rhône river, from the city of Vienne to south of Valence, forming a narrow steep wine area. The vines are on steep south-facing slopes near the river. The soils mostly consist of granit. Similar to Beaujolais, the climate is continental with warm summers. In the southern part, the vineyards enjoy higher temperatures. The prestigious wines come from the seven crus, the seven greatest appellations.

Main Appellations in Northern Rhône

AOC Côte-Rôtie is the northern appellation of the Rhone Valley with its vineyards surrounding the town of Ampuis. The vines spread on narrow steep terraces. The difficulty to access locations imposes the use of manual labor. The appellation only produces red wines of Syrah, sometimes blended with a little proportion of Viognier. These full-bodied wines are spicy and elegant. The best ones can have a smooth texture and refreshing floral notes.

AOC Condrieu is specialized in white wine of Viognier. The low-yielding vines produce the best wines. Inside the appellation, AOC Château-Grillet consists of only one wine estate that make similar wines.

AOC Saint-Joseph spreads from Condrieu to Tournon on the Rhône's west bank. The red wines are made of Syrah and the rare white wines are a blend of Marsanne and Roussanne. The terraced vineyards near Tournon produce the best wines that are similar in structure and aromas to the hermitages. Nowadays, the sites south of Condrieu make an excellent production. Overall, the wines of Saint-Joseph are some of the least robust. They concentrate the typical Syrah flavors of raspberry and pepper.

AOC Hermitage is the oldest appellation of high quality wines in Northern Rhône. Its vineyards all spread on a south-facing steep slope behind the town of Tain-l'Hermitage. Red hermitage is the most full-bodied wine of the region with the best ageing potential. It can age well during fifty years. Marsanne and Roussane are used to make full-bodied white wines with complex notes of honey and hazelnut. 

AOC Crozes-Hermitage is the most important appellation. Its vineyards spread on the south plain and the northern slopes. The plain sites use mechanical harvesting and produce the highest yields of light wines. In the north, the vineyards on slopes are harvested manually, make more complex, tannic, and concentrated wines. The best production is matured in oak and is more expensive.

AOC Cornas is the southern and warmest appellation with its sheltered sunny vineyards on south-facing slopes. The cru produces dark full-bodied red wines of Syrah.

Grape varieties in Northern Rhône

Syrah is the only variety allowed to produce Northern Rhône Valley's reds. Traditionally, the wines are dark and tannic, with black fruits aromas, black pepper and floral notes and with age a meaty side. The modern wines keep the dark robe but they are more riped, with round tannins and more dark fruits than pepper. The co-fermentation with white variety (Viognier) is still used in Côte-Rôtie. This method tempers the tannins, color, and develop the flavors and viscosity.

Viognier is used to make a popular white wine with succulent flavors of apricot, spices and floral notes. These wines are not acid and have a high level of alcohol.

Marsanne and Roussanne are used to make the white wines in the northern Rhône Valley. They perfectly blend because Marsanne gives to the wine its rich body whereas Roussanne offers acidity and fruity aromas. With age, the wines reveal complex honeyed notes.

Some great producers in Northern Rhône

M. Chapoutier, Domaine Clusel Roch, Guigal, Domaine Yves Cuilleron, Domaine Alain Graillot, Delas Frères, Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, Paul Jaboulet Aîné and Domaine Clape are some of the best wine estates in Northern Rhône Valley.