The Southern Rhône
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218 FRANCE THE SOUTHERN RHÔNE While the mellow warmth of the Grenache is found in most Southern Rhône wines, this region FACTORS AFFECTING TASTE AND QUALITY LOCATION sand, stone-clay, calcareous clay, is in fact a blender’s paradise, with a choice of HThe Southern Rhône starts at and pebbles. Viviers, south of Valence, and runs up to 23 different grape varieties. VITICULTURE AND south to Avignon. JVINIFICATION THE SOUTHERN RHÔNE is a district dominated by herbal CLIMATE The vines are traditionally planted scrubland, across which blows a sweet, spice-laden breeze. This FThe Southern Rhône’s climate is at an angle leaning into the wind is a far larger district than the slender northern côtes, and its unmistakably Mediterranean and its so that the Mistral may blow them production is, not unnaturally, much higher. Allowing the north a vineyards are far more susceptible upright when they mature. The to sudden change and abrupt, south is a district where blends generous 10 percent of the generic Côtes du Rhône appellation, violent storms than are those of the reign supreme. However, pure the southern Rhône still accounts for a staggering 95 percent of all Northern Rhône. varietal wines are gaining ground. Traditional methods of vinification the wines produced in the region. ASPECT are used on some estates, but EThe terrain in the south is modern techniques are common. WINES OF THE MIDI OR PROVENCE? noticeably Mediterranean, with olive At least half of the Southern Rhône is in what was once called groves, lavender fields, and herbal GGRAPE VARIETIES the Midi, an area generally conceded to cover the départements scrub amid rocky outcrops. Primary varieties: Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre, SOIL of the Aude, Hérault, and Gard. This is never mentioned by those Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, intent on marketing the Rhône’s image of quality, because the DThe limestone outcrops that Muscat Rosé à Petits Grains Midi was infamous for its huge production of vin ordinaire. The begin to appear in the south of the Secondary varieties: Aubun, Northern Rhône become more Rhône River marks the eastern border of the Midi and its most Bourboulenc, Calitor, Camarèse, prolific and are often peppered with Clairette, Clairette Rosé, Counoise, famous appellations are geographically part of Provence. But, clay deposits, while the topsoil is Gamay, Grenache Blanc, Grenache viticulturally, these areas do not possess the quasi-Italian varieties noticeably stonier. Châteauneuf-du- Gris, Macabéo, Marsanne, Mauzac, that dominate the vineyards of Provence and may, therefore, be Pape is famous for its creamy- Muscardin, Oeillade, Pascal Blanc, colored drift boulders, which vary more rationally defined as a high-quality extension of the Midi. Picardan, Picpoul Blanc, Picpoul according to location. Stone-marl Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, soils persist at Gigondas and Roussanne, Syrah, Terret Noir, Ugni THE SOUTHERN RHÔNE, see also p.213 weathered-gray sand in Lirac, Tavel, Blanc, Vaccarèse, Vermentino and Chusclan. The soils also The wider southern part of the Rhône Valley area stretches its (known locally as Rolle), Viognier incorporate limestone rubble, clay- fingers down toward Provence and eastwards to the Alps. N102 l D538 'E MONTÉLIMAR s le Teil D540 c Villages entitled to add Villeneuve- o D107 Coteaux du Tricastin Côtes du Ventoux e u de-Berg t la-Bégude-de- Dieulefit their name to the Vinezac ch a 7 A7 è y N Mazenc Jabron Côtes du Rhône rd Châteauneuf-du-Pape D104 A D579 e Villages appellation Coteaux de Pierrevert St-Thomé n ô 837 h 319 D262 R Lablachère 261 Côtes du Vivarais crus Haut-Comtat Côtes du Lubéron entitled to be included RUOMS St-Montant Donzère Berre in the appellation Rousset-les-Vignes Lirac Height above sea D4 D541 St-Pantaléon- St-Remèze les-Vignes 849 D64 Côtes du Rhône level (metres) Vallon-Pont-d'Arc D94 A PIERRELATTE Villages Gigondas rd èc Bourg-St-Andeol D976 VALRÉAS he ST-PAUL- NYONS Côtes du Rhône 50 Beaumes-de-Venise D979 TROIS- Vinsobres N86 Orgnac-l'Even CHÂTEAUX D538 0 5 10 miles Barjac 169 Visan Côtes du Vivarais Tavel 229 D901 St-Maurice-sur-Eygues e 0 10 20 km D994 D94 z vè 40 BOLLÈNE Roaix Ou PONT-ST-ESPRIT Rochegude D8 Rasteau C VAISON-LA- D979 è z Cairanne D975 ROMAINE e Mornas Séguret Séderon SISTERON s A51 R e gu Sablet St-Gervais h Ar Malaucène Jabron 286 ô N7 Gigondas 1909 D542 A7 n N D Lussan BAGNOLS-SUR- e ORANGE 85 u Vacqueyras r 67 a D6 CÈZE Chusclan n DIGNE D6 977 Beaumes-de-Venise c 27 D D8 e LES-BAINS Tave Laudun-l'Ardoise 435 Château-Arnoux Connaux Sarrians D938 Villes-sur- Sault 1 95 N85 Serviers- N86 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Auzon D e n 42 e Banon n et-Labaume o N580 u o N85 z lé l sq B A Pouzilhac Lirac CARPENTRAS e D942 N St-Christol D4 D981 Tavel SORGUES PERNES- 911 N96 UZÈS 108 1054 34 Ga LES-FONTAINES D 691 rd o A9 LES ANGLES A7 VEDÈNE Forcalquier D12 u Murs D907 Ga rd L Bras-d'Asse on Remoulins le Thor L'ISLE-SUR-LA- a r SORGUE g D907 la Calmette u N106 Avignon N7 e e 69 APT 501 Ass Aramon D2 D953 D28 D938 D22 N100 N100 e D999 N86 C MANOSQUE tr al Valensole os Jonquières- CHÂTEAURENARD N7 lon a ol Cou von Céréste 6 C St-Vincent D970 Maubec D Riez D999 Tarascon la-Bastide Nimes CAVAILLON des Jourdans Ste-Tulle D952 Beaucaire D99 e D11 A54 Gréoux-les-Bains n St-Remy-de-Provence Lourmarin ô D973 480 h Du D4 R ran 313 Uchaud Bellegarde ce Mallemort N96 570 D569 A7 D D17 e D973 n tr N113 o N113 s d i er Mouriès D13 V V VAUVERT N7 D554 St-Gilles Eyguières PERTUIS D N572 Arles Rognes urance A51 Montmeyan THE RHÔNE VALLEY - THE SOUTHERN RHÔNE 219 THE APPELLATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN RHÔNE BRÉZÈME CÔTES tPaul Autard (Côte Ronde) • Barville • DU RHÔNE AOC Château de Beaucastel1 Y• de Beaurenard (Boisrenard) • Benedetti1 • Bois de Boursan A regulatory curiosity, Brézème is not one of (Felix) • Bousquet des Papes • La Boutinière the 16 Côtes du Rhône Villages, which may • Clos du Caillou • Les Cailloux attach their name only to the end of that (Centenaire) • Réserve des Célestins • appellation, but an anomalous village that Chapoutier Z (Barbe Rac, Croix de Bois) • through a peculiarity in the AOC laws is de la Charbonnière • Gérard Charvin • de allowed to put its name before the basic Côtes Cistia • Font de Michelle • Château de la du Rhône appellation (although some prefer to Gardine • Grand Veneur • de la Janasse • place it after, in much larger letters). The story Lafond Roc-Epine • Patrick Lesec • de dates back to the mid-1800s, when the wines Marcoux Z • Font de Michelle (Etienne from Brézème almost rivaled those of Gonet) • Monpertuis • Château Mont-Redon Hermitage, and sold for nearly as much. In • de la Mordorée (Reine des Bois) • de 1943, when Brézème was first allowed to Nalys • Château la Nerthe1 • de Panisse • add its own name to the Côtes du Rhône AOC, and distribution of the stones varies enormously, Clos des Papes • du Pegaü • Château the vineyards amounted to a mere 25 acres as does the aspect of the vineyards. These Rayas1 • Roger Sabon • Clos St. Michel (10 hectares). Shortly afterward, most of the variations, plus the innumerable permutations (Grand Clos) • de la Solitude • Tardieu- vineyards were abandoned and the village was 1 of the 13 grape varieties that may be used, Laurent (Vieilles Vignes) • Pierre Usseglio • all but forgotten. By 1961 there were barely 2 ⁄2 account for the diversity of its styles. In the de la Vieille Julienne • du Vieux Télégraphe acres under cultivation, yet remarkably a few early 1980s, some growers began to question • de Villeneuve producers continued to make Brézème. the hitherto accepted concepts of encépagement 1Particularly recommended for white as well as red According to Eric Texier, one of the most and vinification; winemaking in Châteauneuf- respected growers was a Monsieur Pouchoulin, du-Pape is still in an evolutionary state. The who was known as the “Grandfather of steady decline of the traditionally dominant COTEAUX DE Brézème.” Texier, a former nuclear engineer, Grenache has speeded up as more growers PIERREVERT AOC took over Pouchoulin’s vines, which are all are convinced of the worth of the Syrah and This appellation consists of some 990 acres (400 Syrah and range from 60 to 100 years old. Mourvèdre. The Cinsault and Terret Noir are still Thanks to Pouchoulin and others like him, the hectares) and was upgraded from VDQS to full well appreciated, and the Counoise is beginning AOC status in 1998. Brézème AOC was extended to include 208 to be appreciated for its useful combination of acres (84 hectares) and, with renewed interest RED Dull, uninspiring wines with little original fruit and firmness. The use of new oak is under character to commend them. in the wine, plantings have increased by a experimentation and it already seems clear that further 55 acres (22 hectares), with more vines it is better suited to white wine than red. gCarignan, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre, going in each year. The regulations for this appellation have a Oeillade, Syrah, Terret Noir RED This pure Syrah wine has been likened unique safeguard designed to ensure that only k2–5 years to a Crozes-Hermitage, but some cuvées fully ripe grapes in the healthiest condition are WHITE Unspectacular, light, dry white wines (Lombard’s Grand Chêne and Eugène, for utilized: between 5 and 20 percent of the grapes with more body than fruit.