Northern Rhône Salute
by Eric Gennaro
The sun soaked Northern Rhône is home to some of France’s oldest and most prestigious vines. These beautiful vineyards are located not far from Lyon, the country’s gastronomic center. As well as being surrounded by the finest food and drink in restaurants, the location is both an hour away from the slopes of the Alps and an hour away from the sunny beaches of the south. In fact it is not uncommon, during certain times in the fall, to go skiing in the morning and later drive south to the beach to work on your tan. From the steep and rocky slopes of the Côte Rôtie to the granite soils of Hermitage, the mighty Syrah grape presides over all. We have recently added three AOCs from two top producers in the Northern Rhône to our portfolio of wines.
Condrieu, in the northern part of the region, is a tiny appellation where the elusive Viognier grape thrives in a mixture of rocky granite and clay. Believed to have been first cultivated by the ancient Greeks, the wines of Condrieu became known as the golden wine for its obvious colour and richness. It was celebrated by the Romans and became known as one of France’s great white wines. Then phylloxera, both World Wars and industrialization forced hardship on the area as many vineyards were left abandoned by Vignerons seeking work in larger cities. It was not until the 1980’s, through the hard work of the few growers who stayed behind, that Condrieu had its Renaissance. Vineyards were organized and replanted and many of the terraces were rebuilt. Today the AOC covers only 200 ha and has become one of the country’s most sought after white wines.
Saint-Joseph is further south along the Rhône river bank. Both red and white wine is produced from the steep granite slopes. Reds are made almost exclusively from Syrah but the AOC does permit up to 10% of Marsanne or Roussanne, which evidently are used in the white counterpart. The mix of continental and Mediterranean climate results in a deep a powerful wine with a softer edge. Widely considered one of the best values in area.
The Côte Rôtie translates to “burnt slope” which refers to the long hours of sunlight in the vineyards which are actually a series of steep terraces hills on the left bank of the river. Although most are 100% Syrah, the AOC does allow up to 20% Viognier in the finished wines. Here Syrah vines cling desperately to steep slopes with some reaching a 60 degree gradient. The soil is a mix of granite, schist and clay where the vines really struggle to find nourishment. This struggle, along with scorching days and cool nights, give the vines real structure and complexity producing wines of deep black fruit and wonderful floral aromas. Truly of the finest red wines in the world!