THE RHÔNE VALLEY 213 THE RHÔNE VALLEY

Famous for its full, fiery, and spicy-rich red , STRETCHING FROM VIENNE TO AVIGNON, the Côtes-du- the Rhône Valley also produces small quantities Rhône appellation occupies a 125-mile (200-kilometer) length of the Rhône River. Beyond this great region other Rhône wines of and white, and even some sparkling and exist, and some are not even French. The banks of this mighty fortified wines. Although essentially red- European river are clad with vines all the way from the Valais of Visp in Switzerland, just 30 miles (50 kilometers) country, and great red-wine country at that, the from the Rhône’s glacial origins in the Alps, to the Rhône has experienced a kind of revolution in vineyards of the Bouches-du-Rhône, set amid the Rhône delta just west of Marseilles, where the river finally and sluggishly white-wine production. There has been a growing runs into the Mediterranean. number of exotic, world-class white wines in Only a tiny patch of vineyards in the very north of this region various appellations since the late 1980s, when is in fact located within the Rhône département (which is a geographic misnomer as it actually accounts for 70 percent of just a few began to emerge in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Burgundy’s output). Comparing the contrasting characters of Rhône

Givors A47 r ie 321 G 538 D502 ST-CHAMOND N86 VIENNE ISÈREGère Chaâteau-Grillet N7 395 1370 Roussillon Beaurepaire Serrières D519 Bourg-Argental N82 Dolon 703

D538 A7 e D82 ur la ce a an G C 121 D St.-Vallier 1213 ROMANS-SUR- Hermitage ISÈRE Tournon-sur- D532 Rhône N532 x 544 Isère ou D BOURG-DE-PÉAGE 441 LA LANDONNE , CÔTE RÔTIE St-Péray are harvested on the steep slopes of ’s top-performing Valence Léoncel Vernoux-en- Guilherand La Landonne vineyard in the Côte Brune area of Côte Rôtie, above Ampuis. Vivarais 789 Chabeuil 1698

D2 N86 538

D 2086 D538 238 DRÔME la-Voulte-sur-Rhône N7 959 Livron-sur-Drôme D518 ARDÈCHE Die D104 Crest Châtillon- D93 en-Diois R N304 Drô o 395 me a D539 552 n n 1589 e NORTHERN RHÔNE N A7 1202 102 Luc-en-Diois 1550 SOUTHERN RHÔNE D93 Jab D ron r ôm THE RHÔNE VALLEY, MONTÉLIMAR Dieulefit e D579 551 see also p.55 1451 la Motte-Chalancon 526 N7 D61 Viticulturally the Rhône N86 z Valley covers a large area St-Remèze Le A D94 rd D4 Pierrelatte of southern central , Côtes-du-Rhône D979 èc Valréas he See also pp215, 218 Nyons from Vienne into the heart D94 Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages 1192 of . See also p218 Bollène Ouvèze Clairette de Die Pont-St-Esprit Vaison-la-Romaine See also p214 Châtillon-en-Diois R D938 1442 Céz h Séderon See also p214 e ô Gigondas 734 n Sisteron Lussan D6 e Coteaux du Tricastin Bagnols- ORANGE 1637 See also p218 sur-Cèze N7 N580 VAUCLUSE 1140 Coteaux de Pierrevert D950 D950 Sault ALPESDE Digne- See also p218 D942 942 N85 les-Bains GARD 19 D Banon e Côtes du Lubéron Peyruis on D4 lé D See also p218 Uzès Sorgues CARPENTRAS B 952 A9 e HAUTE squ n Côtes du Ventoux Ne o 920 1054 v See also p218 N100 a 672 l A51 N100 a C Côtes du Vivarais N86 L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue PROVENCE 214 Avignon D973 1749 See also p218 D28 e N100 c Châteaurenard Apt n Département boundary N96 a r 6 D11 Cavaillon u D 1125 Manosque D D11 Height above sea level (meters) 69 Tarascon D99 Beaucaire Riez St-Rémy- D973 de-Provence n 0 10 20 miles N570 ra o Du nce rd Rhône BOUCHESDU Ve 595 D 984 ARLES 554 D13 0 10 20 30 40 km RHÔNE 291 Pertuis N113

D556 N96 Peyrolles-en-Provence SALON-DE-PROVENCE 779 214 FRANCE

RECENT RHÔNE

2003 Another classic region turned upside-down by the dramatic heat wave, with unprecedented high sugar and low acidity levels that provided the potential for great red wines only from those skilled enough to cope with the challenge. There will be many more flashes of brilliance that will have the critics raving about big, black monsters, only to find the wines will shed their fruit relatively quickly to end up with the alcohol showing through. The northern Rhône probably has the edge over the south, but where the wines are properly balanced, the greatest reds from all over the region will probably be a match for the best Rhônes from any in living memory. There will always be exceptions, but generally you can forget the whites and rosés. 2002 A washout, literally. 2001 Some good northern reds, particularly in Côte-Rôtie, but September rain meant that many lack finesse, leaving them overall average at best. Much better, potentially long-lived reds in the south. 2000 A brilliant year for reds in both the northern and southern CÔTE BRUNE ON THE CÔTE RÔTIE, NORTHERN RHÔNE Rhône, with the wines showing excellent color and tannin structure, The Côte Brune is an area of the Côte Rôtie where the rust color of the soil and lush fruit. The whites, however, are fat and blowsy. is visible evidence of iron-rich elements in its granitic sandy soil. 1999 Soft, juicy, well-colored reds in the Northern Rhône have the and Burgundy wines produced within the one département can edge over the southern reds, although those in the south who picked have a humbling effect on all those who glibly talk about regional late have made wines to rival their northern cousins. styles. For example, what could be further apart than a rich, classic Condrieu and a fresh, light Mâcon, or an intense, ink-black Côte Rôtie and a quaffing, cherry-colored Beaujolais? Yet all of these wines are produced in the same département and could A REGION DIVIDED thus be described as coming from the same region. In terms of varieties, the Rhône divides neatly into two— the Syrah-dominated north and the -influenced south— BEAUMES-DE-VENISE, SOUTHERN RHÔNE although there are those who confuse the issue by separating the Home to one of the most elegant and consistent fortified wines in the southernmost section of the northern district and calling it the world, Beaumes-de-Venise also produces a soft, peppery under the Middle Rhône. The north and south differ not only in terrain and Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages appellation. climate, but also contrast socially, culturally, and gastronomically. THE RHÔNE VALLEY - THE NORTHERN RHÔNE 215 THE NORTHERN RHÔNE

The Northern Rhône is dominated by the ink- FACTORS AFFECTING TASTE AND QUALITY black wines of Syrah, the Rhône’s only truly classic black grape. A small amount of LOCATION granitic-sandy soil at Hermitage and HThe narrow strip of vineyards Condrieu with a fine overlay of is also produced and, in the south of the district, that belong to the Northern Rhône decomposed flint, chalk, and mica, commences at Vienne, just south known locally as arzelle; heavier at St.-Péray and Die, sparkling wines are made. of Lyon, and extends southward soil in Crozes-Hermitage with patches to Valence. of clay; granitic sand with some clay CLIMATE between St.-Joseph and St.-Péray, THE NORTHERN RHÔNE might be the gateway to the south, F getting stonier toward the southern but it has more in common with its northern neighbor, Burgundy, The general effect of the end of the region, with occasional Mediterranean is certainly felt in the outcrops of limestone; and limestone than it does with the rest of the Rhône, even though its wines Northern Rhône, but its climate has cannot be compared with those from any other area. Indeed, it and clay over a solid rock base in a distinctly continental influence. the area that surrounds Die. would be perfectly valid to isolate the north as a totally separate This results in the pattern of warmer region called the Rhône, which would, therefore, allow the summers and colder winters, which AND is closer to the climate of southern JVINIFICATION Southern Rhône to be more accurately defined as a high-quality Burgundy, to the north, than to that Unlike the Southern Rhône, most extension of the Midi. of the Southern Rhône. The climatic Northern Rhône wines are factor that the area does have in produced entirely or predominantly THE QUALITY OF THE NORTHERN RHÔNE common with the southern half of from a single grape variety, the The ink-black classic wines of Hermitage and Côte Rôtie stand the Rhône is the Mistral, a bitterly Syrah, despite the long list of cold wind that can reach up to 90 grapes that are occasionally used shoulder to shoulder with the crus classés of Bordeaux in terms of miles (145 kilometers) per hour and (see Secondary varieties, below). pure quality, and the greatest Hermitage and Côte Rôtie deserve is capable of denuding a vine of its Viticultural operations are labor- the respect given to premiers crus such as Latour, Mouton, or leaves, shoots, and fruit. As a result, intensive in the northern stretch of Lafite. Cornas can be even bigger and blacker than Hermitage or many Mistral-prone vineyards are the district and, due to the cost, the protected by poplar and cypress vineyards were once under the Côte Rôtie, and the top growers can rival the best of wines from trees. The wind can, however, have threat of total abandonment. Since its better-known neighbors. While the fine, dry white wines of a welcome drying effect in humid that threat we pay much more for Condrieu and (potentially) Château Grillet are unique in character, conditions. The average Côte Rôtie, but at least it has the presence of such a style in this part of France is not as summertime temperature is just remained available. Vinification two degrees Fahrenheit lower than techniques are very traditional and, surprising as that of the sparkling white wines of St.-Péray and in the south. when wines are aged in wood, Die, particularly the latter, which Francophiles would describe ASPECT there is less emphasis on new as a superior sort of Asti! E than is given in Bordeaux or The countryside is generally Burgundy, although chestnut casks less harsh than that of the southern VIENNE are sometimes used. A7 St-Jean-de- Rhône, with cherry, peach, chestnut, A47 D502 Ampuis Bournay Côtes du Rhône and other deciduous trees in GRAPE VARIETIES St-Paul-en-Jarez D538 Gère G D518 evidence. The valley vineyards are Primary varieties: Syrah, Condrieu Côte Rôtie 7

N Cour-et-Buis cut far more steeply into the hillsides Secondary varieties: Aligoté, Château-Grillet e Semons than they are in areas farther south. , Calitor, Camarèse, R n St-Joseph D7 h n ô Sa , , Cinsault, n SOIL Maclas e ROUSILLON Condrieu Clairette, Counoise, , Bougé- Beaurepaire DThe Northern Rhône’s soil is Chambalud Grenache, , Mauzac, D519 Crozes-Hermitage generally light and dry, granitic and Serrières Marcilloles Mourvèdre, Muscardin, Muscat lon N82 577 Do schistous. More specifically, it is N St-Rambert- Cornas Blanc à Petits Grains, Pascal Blanc, ANNONAY 86 d'Albon D51 made up of: granitic-sandy soil on Picardan, Picpoul, Pinot Blanc, D82 the Côte-Rôtie (calcareous-sandy on Hauterives Galaure Roybon St-Péray , , Terret Noir, C e a s the Côte Blonde and ruddy, iron- D121 n 343 s Ugni Blanc, Vaccarèse ce a ST-VALLIER er b D67 Clairette de Die rich sand on the Côte Brune); Sarras H Crépol Châtillon-en-Diois

D532 Height above sea Hermitage N92 ROMANS-SUR- level (metres) St-Félicien D532 Tain- ISÈRE 0 5 10 miles 78 x 5 ou l'Hermitage 532 D D TOURNON N 382 0 5 10 km n BOURG-DE- o re z Isè u PÉAGE Cornas N532 D533 D ST-PERAY la-Chapelle-en- Vercors Valence Léoncel Guilherand- Vassieux-en-Vercors Granges D68 PORTES- Chabeuil D199 Charmes-sur-Rhône LÈS-VALENCE e n St-Sauveur-de- D538 ux n Montagur Eyrie a v N7 r Chichilianne D120 e LA-VOULTE- G SUR-RHÔNE LIVRON- Beaufort-sur- Gervanne èze SUR-DRÔME Ouv D Die N184 rôm 2041 D104 e CREST 1112 PRIVAS D93 Saulce-sur-Rhône R Châtillon- o Saillans a en-Diois D D n 13 n r THE NORTHERN RHÔNE, AMPUIS UNDER SNOW L e ô 1492 av Saou 5 m éz A7 e see also on p.213 These southeast-facing vineyards of D Luc-en-Diois D6 53 8 At the heart of this region the towns Côte Rôtie form a dramatic stretch of Rochemaute Cléon-d'Andran Pradelle D93 N102 on Roubi Bourdeaux of Tain and Tournon face each other scenery on the west bank of the Rhône, across the river. 5 miles (9 kilometers) south of Vienne. 216 FRANCE

THE APPELLATIONS OF THE NORTHERN RHÔNE

CHÂTEAU GRILLET AOC of 55 grams of residual sugar per liter and no André Perret (Clos Chanson) • Georges Château Grillet has remained under the same liqueur de tirage. Fermentation continues inside Vernay • François Villard (Le Grand Vallon) family ownership (Neyret-Gachet) since 1830, the bottle, but when disgorged the wine must and is one of only two single-estate appellations still retain at least 35 grams of residual sugar per CORNAS AOC in France, the other being Romanée-Conti. liter. The wine undergoes transvasage (meaning The sun-trap vineyards of Cornas produce the Although it is often described as one of the it is filtered into a fresh bottle) and is corked best value of all the Rhône’s quality red wines, world’s great white wines, this is a legacy from without any addition of a liqueur d’expédition. but you have to buy it as soon as it is released more than a century ago. Château Grillet has SPARKLING WHITE A very fresh, deliciously as it is always sold far too young, so there is not achieved anything like its full potential for fruity, gently of at least demi-sec none left when it starts to show its true potential. at least the last few decades. There is no doubt sweetness, with a ripe, peachy flavor. RED Ink-black, full-bodied, strong-flavored, that its sun-blessed terraces could produce gAt least 75% Muscat à Petits Grains (this pure Syrah wines with lots of blackcurrant and Viognier of a singularly outstanding quality, went up in 1993 from a minimum of 50%), blackberry fruit, lacking only a little finesse if but there is no inkling the proprietors can be plus Clairette compared to a great Hermitage or Côte Rôtie. bothered to pursue such a course. Who could kUpon purchase gSyrah blame them when Château Grillet could charge tBuffardel Frères • C. V. du Diois (Clairdie, two or three times the price of Condrieu? But k7–20 years Clairdissime) the price of some of the best Condrieu are tThierry Allemand • Auguste Clape • Jean- now snapping at its heels, and unless there is Luc Colombo • Courbis (Les Eygats) • Eric & a dramatic increase in quality, Château Grillet CONDRIEU AOC Joël Durand • Patrick Lesec • Paul Jaboulet will drop in price. In today’s more transparent Aîné • Tardieu-Laurent (Vieilles Vignes) market, fine wine consumers are no longer willing to drink labels. CÔTE RÔTIE AOC WHITE This is, potentially, a wine of great The terraces and low walls of the “burnt” or finesse and complex character, but not one “roasted” slopes of Côte Rôtie must be tended to keep in bottle as long as some would by hand, but the reward is a wine of great class have you believe. that vies with Hermitage as the world’s finest gViognier example of Syrah. RED k3–7 years A garnet-colored wine of full body, fire, and power, made fragrant by the addition of CHÂTILLON-EN-DIOIS AOC Viognier grapes. The result is a long-living and complex wine with nuances of violets and This wine was raised to full AOC status in 1974, spices, and great finesse. although it is hard to comprehend what merited gSyrah, plus up to 20% Viognier such an elevation then or now. k10–25 years RED Light in color and body, thin in fruit, with little discernible character. This is the greatest white-wine appellation in YtPatrick & Christophe Bonnefond • Clusel- the entire Rhône Valley, with more up-and- Roch Y • Cuilleron-Gaillard-Villard (Les gGamay, plus up to 25% Syrah and coming young talent among its producers Essartailles) • Delas (Seigneur de Maugiron) Pinot Noir than anywhere else in the world. Initially the • Jean-Michel Gerin (Champin le Seigneur) WHITE Sold as pure wines, the light trend was to produce sweet and medium-sweet • E. Guigal • Paul Jaboulet Aîné • Joseph and fresh, gently aromatic Aligoté is as good wines, but Condrieu has tended to be a Jamet • Patrick Jasmin • Michel Ogier • as the richer, fuller, and rather angular distinctly dry wine for a couple of decades René Rostaing • Vidal-Fleury (La Chatilonne) Chardonnay. now. When the vintage permits, late-harvested • François Villard (La Brocarde) gAligoté, Chardonnay sweeter wines are produced, and these styles ROSÉ I have not encountered any. are very much part of Condrieu’s recent COTEAUX DE DIE AOC gGamay, plus up to 25% Syrah and Pinot revival as one of the undisputed great white This new appellation was created in 1993 to Noir wines of the world. soak up wines from excess Clairette grape WHITE tDidier Cornillon (Clos de Beylière) These pale-gold-colored wines are production that were formerly sold under essentially dry, but can have such an exotic previous sparkling-wine appellations. CLAIRETTE DE DIE AOC perfume that you might easily think they are WHITE Perhaps it is unfair to prejudge a wine sweet when you first breathe in their heavenly that has had so little time to establish itself, but This dry sparkling wine is being phased out aroma. The bouquet is fine, floral, and fruity, in favor of Crémant de Die from 1999 in what it is hard to imagine a quality wine made from with heady, opulent aromas that can include this grape. In effect, Coteaux de Die is the still- must be a classic example of Gallic logic— may-blossom, honeysuckle, violets, roses, removing the name Clairette from an appellation wine version of Crémant de Die. It is easy to peaches, lime, and apricot, and in especially see why such a bland dry wine needs bubbles of a wine that must be made from 100 percent rich vintages there can also be some youthful Clairette grapes, yet retaining it for one (see to lift it, yet so few make the transition honey wafting through. The fruit on the palate successfully. below) that does not have to contain any! is always very perfumed and can give the g See also Crémant de Die AOC impression of sweetness, even when completely Clairette dry. A great Condrieu has a beguiling balance kUpon purchase CLAIRETTE DE DIE MÉTHODE of fatness, freshness, and finesse that produces tJean-Claude Raspail DIOISE ANCESTRALE AOC an elegant, peachy-apricoty coolness of fruit on the finish. Do not be fooled into cellaring these Formerly sold as Clairette de Die Tradition, CÔTES DU RHÔNE AOC wines—the dry ones in any case—as their this wine may contain Clairette, but it is not Although generic to the entire region, relatively greatest asset is the freshness and purity of the primary grape. What makes it so different, little Côtes du Rhône is made in this district, fruit, which can only be lost over the years. however, is that it is produced from one where the only difference in technical criteria fermentation only, as opposed to the two gViognier is that Syrah may replace Grenache as the required by Crémant de Die, the old Clairette de k4–8 years principal red wine variety. Die Mousseux, and most other sparkling wines. tYves Cuilleron (Les Ayguets) • Delas (Clos In the Méthode Dioise Ancestrale, the wine Boucher) • E. Guigal (La Doriane) • CRÉMANT DE DIE AOC first undergoes a long, cold part-fermentation in Vignobles du Monteillet (Les Grandes This dry sparkling wine was introduced in 1993 bulk and when bottled must contain a minimum Chaillées) • Alain Paret (Lys de Volan) • to replace Clairette de Die Mousseux, which THE RHÔNE VALLEY – THE NORTHERN RHÔNE 217 was phased out by January 1999. Like the old Remizières1 (Emilie) • Marc Sorrel (Gréal) • MORE GREEN Clairette de Die Mousseux appellation, Crémant Tardieu-Laurent (Vieilles Vignes) de Die must be made by the , NORTHERN RHÔNE 1Particularly recommended for white as well as red. but whereas the former could include up to 25 In addition to the producers recommended percent Muscat à Petit Grains, the latter must be HERMITAGE in this directory that are either biodynamic made entirely from Clairette. VIN DE PAILLE AOC or organic, there are also the following. SPARKLING WHITE It is too early to make a No negative inference of quality should be definitive pronouncement, but it looks as if In the first edition of this book (1988), I wrote taken from the fact that they are not featured Crémant de Die will be every bit as neutral “In 1974 Gérard Chave made the last vin de among the other producers. There are a and lackluster as Clairette de Die. paille of Hermitage, a wine that is now confined number that have been recommended in gClairette to the Jura vineyards of eastern France. other editions, and still make some fine Monsieur Chave declares he made the wine wines, but have been culled out to make k1–3 years for ‘amusement.’ Considering its success, it is room for others. tCarod extraordinary that some enterprising grower Biodynamic has not taken advantage of this appellation.” CROZES-ERMITAGE AOC Ferme des Sept Lunes () has since made several vintages Monier (St.-Desirat) See Crozes-Hermitage AOC of Hermitage vin de paille on a commercial Organic basis—or as near commercial as you can get CROZES-HERMITAGE AOC Achard-Vincent (Sainte-Croix) with this style of wine—and other producers Barou () Crozes-Hermitage is produced from a relatively include Michel Ferraton, Jean-Louis Grippat, and Bégot (Serves-sur-Rhône) large area surrounding Tain, hence the quality is Guigal. Even the local coopérative has churned du Coulet (Cornas) very variable, but a good Crozes-Hermitage will some out. At one time all Hermitage blanc was, C. V. de Die Jaillance (Die) always be a great bargain. in effect, vin de paille, a style that dates back in Giniès (Piégon) RED These well-colored, full-bodied wines this locality to at least 1760. Marc Chapoutier Lattard (Autichamp) are similar to Hermitage, but they are generally apparently drank the last wine of that vintage in des Treilles (Montbrison-sur-Lez) less intense and have a certain smoky-rustic- 1964 when it was 204 years old. The traditional raspberry flavor that only deepens into vin de paille method in Hermitage is not as intensive as the one revived relatively recently At last, some truly exciting wines are being blackcurrant in the hottest years. The finest produced under this appellation. St.-Joseph wines do, however, have surprising finesse, in Alsace, in which the grapes are dried out over straw beds until more than 90 percent of has now replaced Cornas as the bargain- and make fabulous bargains. seeker’s treasure trove. g the original juice has evaporated before they are Syrah, plus up to 15% Roussanne RED The best wines are dark, medium- to and Marsanne pressed, as even Chave’s legendary 1974 was made from grapes bearing as much as a third of full-bodied, with intense blackberry and k6–12 years their original juice, but some of the results have blackcurrant fruit aromas and plenty of soft 8–20 years for top wines and great years been equally stunning. Despite decades between fruit, whereas mediocre St.-Joseph remains WHITE These dry white wines are improving production, this wine still has its own AOC. much lighter-bodied with a pepperiness more and gradually acquiring more freshness, WHITE Some vins de paille are rich and raisiny reminiscent of the Southern Rhône. fruit, and acidity. whereas others—the best—have a crisp, vivid gSyrah, plus up to 10% Marsanne gRoussanne, Marsanne freshness about them, with intense floral-citrous and Roussanne k1–3 years aromas and a huge, long, honeyed aftertaste. k3–8 years tChapoutier Z (Les Varonnières) • Yann After his famed 1974 vintage, Chave made a WHITE At their best, clean, rich, and citrous- Chave (Tête de Cuvée) • Les Chenets • C. V. 1986 and at least a couple more vintages since. resinous dry wines. His vin de paille is reputed to be the greatest, des Clairmonts (Pionniers) • du Colombier gMarsanne, Roussanne • Combier Y • but is practically unobtainable and certainly (Gaby) (Clos des Grives) k1–3 years Alain Graillot • Paul Jaboulet Aîné not available on the open market. This wine is (Thalabert) • des Remizières1 (Emilie) made in the most commercial quantity, yet this tChapoutier Z (Les Granits) • Chave • still amounts to hardly anything, since the wine Courbis1 (Les Roys) • Pierre Coursodon ERMITAGE AOC is hard to find and very expensive. Jean-Louis (Le Paradis Saint-Pierre) • Yves Cuilleron • 1 See Hermitage AOC Grippat made a vin de paille in 1985 and 1986, Pierre Gaillard • Gonan (Les Oliviers) • neither of which I have had the privilege E. Guigal (Vignes de la Hospices) • Vignobles HERMITAGE AOC to taste, but John Livingstone-Learmonth du Monteilet (Fortior) • Tardieu-Laurent describes them as “not quite like late-harvest (Vieilles Vignes) • François Villard (Reflet) One of the great classic French red wines, Gewurztraminer” in his seminal work 1 produced entirely from Syrah grapes in virtually Particularly recommended for white as well as red The Wines of the Rhône. all cases, although a small amount of Marsanne and Roussanne may be added. The vines are gRoussanne, Marsanne ST.-PÉRAY AOC grown on a magnificent south-facing slope kUp to 30 years This white-wine-only village appellation is overlooking Tain. tChapoutier Z curiously out of step with the rest of the area. RED These wines have a deep and sustained WHITE Firm and fruity, with good acidity for color, a very full body, and lovely, plummy, lip- L’ERMITAGE AOC a wine from the south of the region, but smacking, spicy, silky, violety, blackcurrant fruit. See Hermitage AOC unfortunately it usually lacks charm. Even the A truly great Hermitage has boundless finesse, best growers within this region, recommended despite the weighty flavor. L’HERMITAGE AOC below, struggle to produce anything of interest. gSyrah, plus up to 15% Roussanne See Hermitage AOC gMarsanne, Roussanne and Marsanne k1–3 years k12–30 years ST.-JOSEPH AOC tJ.-F. Chaboud • Bernard Gripa • Jean WHITE These big, rich, dry white wines have a Lionnet • Alain Voge full, round, hazelnut and dried-apricot flavor. The wines have improved recently but are ST.-PÉRAY MOUSSEUX AOC generally no more than curiosities. This is a traditional method sparkling wine gRoussanne, Marsanne made from the wrong grapes grown on the k6–12 years wrong soil. The growers would be advised to tM Chapoutier1 Z (Ermite, Méal, L’Orée, rip the whole lot up and replant with black Pavillon) • Jean-Louis Chave1 • Emmanuel grapes for a red Côtes du Rhône. Darnaud • Delas (Les Bassards) • Alain SPARKLING WHITE An overrated, dry Graillot • E. Guigal (Ex Voto) • Paul sparkling wine with a coarse mousse. Jaboulet Aîné (La Chapelle) • des gMarsanne, Roussanne