RHONE

Rhone

Is divided into two parts the Northern Rhone and the Southern Rhone.   Two rivers are in the Rhone, the Rhone River and the Drome river.

Northern Rhone

Narrow strip of land on steep granite hills.

-Syrah is the only black grape and is best in Cote Rotie and Hermitage

Viognier is the main white grape and is best at Condrieu and Chateau Grillet (one of the smallest AOC’s in France) There is also Marsanne and Rousanne and the whites are allowed to be mixed with the reds.

Cote Rotie – The most Northern in Rhone on very steep slopes.  The slopes are southeast facing and are protected from the mistral winds.  The soils are schist and each vine has its own stake.  Syrah with up to 20% Viognier.

Condrieu – Just south of Cote Rotie.  Is 100% viognier.

Chateau Grillet – Is located with in Condrieu and is one of the smallest ACs in France.

Saint Joseph – Overlaps half of Condrieu and extends south on the west side of Rhone to just north of St-Peray. Majority is red Syrah with up to 10% Marsanne and Roussane.

Hermitage – on Saouth facing granite slopes.  Crozes hermitage is the lesser AC.  It is Syrah with up to 15% Marsanne and Rousanne.

Cornas – Small AC between St-Peray and Saint Joseph.  Syrah

St-Peray – Most southerly AC in Northern Rhone. Produces still and sparkling wine from Marsanne and Rousanne. 

Clairette de Die and Cremant de Die produces sparkling wine.  Clairette de Die is made from the Muscat grape and Cremant de Die is made from the Clairette grape.For the sparkling it is produced in Methode Dioise Ancestrale (begins bottling a partly fermented must with at least 55 grams and fermenting down to 35 grams of residual sugar) The soils consist of schist, granite and are high in Alkaline.

Southern Rhone

Grenache is the main grape but also there is Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvedre being the most important.

-Rocks absorb the heat from the sun keeping the wines warm at night often referred to as Pudding Stones.

-Can be affected by mistral which is a very strong, cold wind.

Coteaux du Tricastin – Just south of Montlimar produces good red from Grenache, Syrah with Carignan, Mourvedre and Cinsault.

Cotes-du-Rhone – The AC Cotes-du-Rhone Villages which may have the village name attached.  There are 16 villages which can append their name to the Cotes-du-Rhone Village AC:

Beaumes-de-Venise         Sablet

Cairanne                        Saint-Gervais

Chusclan                       Saint-Maurice

Laudun                          Seguret

Rasteau                         Saint-Pantaleon

Roaix                            Valreas

Rochegude                    Vinsobres

Rousset-les-Vignes         Visan

Cotes du Vivarais -  Produces red, white and rose. Min 90% Syrah and Grenache.  The rose is from Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault.  The whites are from Clairette, Grenache and Marsanne.

Rasteau – Produces red, white and rose sold under Cotes-du-Rhone.  The are naturally sweet wines known as VDN’s which can originate from Rasteau, Sablet and Cairanne.

Cotes du Ventoux – Large district between Cotes-du-Rhone AC and Cotes-du-Luberon AC.  Red, white and rose are produced

Gigondas – Max of 80% Grenache and a min of 15% Syrah and Mourvedre.  Alc is 12.5% min

Beaumes-de-Venise – Muscat de Beaumes do Venise AC wines take their name from the village Beaumes de Venise.  Wines are sweet naturally and add grape spirit (brandy) to the fermentation to arrest it (as in port production)  This ensures that plenty of unfermented  sugar remains in the wine producing14-15% abv.  There is also Beaumes de Venise AC for still red wines.

Vacqueras – A min of 50% Grenache

Chateauneuf du Pape – The name comes from the 14^th Century Pope.  Most of this area is covered with Pudding Stones. This assist in draining the ground and keep the vines warm as they hold the heat.  Wines are nearly all red and have 13 grape varietals permitted.

Grenache              Picpoul

Syrah                   Roussanne

Cinsault                Terret Noir

Counoise              Vaccarese

Mourvedre            Picardin

Bourboulenc         Carignan

Clairette

Alc min is 12.5.  Wines from Estates have the two keys on the bottle.  Chateau Beaucastel is a complex blend of all the grapes and 30% Grenache.  Chateau Rayas is all Grenache.

Lirac – Produces red, white and rose.  The roses are similar to Tavel.  The red are 40% minimum Grenache plus 25% Morvedre and Syrah, the rest is Cotes-du-Rhone varietals.

Tavel – Only AC for rose wines only.  Grencahe and Cinsault followed by Mourvedre and Picpoul are the most important but 10 total are allowed.  No single grape can be more than 60% of the blend.  A max of 13.5% abv.  It is pelure d’oignan (onion skin) color.

Cotes du Luberon – Produces red, white and rose.  The red and rose wines are a minimum of 60% Grenache and Syrah.  The remaining are Cotes-du-Rhone varietals.  The white are made  from Clairette, Grenache blanc, Roussane, Ugni Blanc, Bourboulenc and Vermentino.

Vinsorbres – Awarded in 2005 as an AC. 50% Grenache and either Mourvedre and Syrah 25% minimum.

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