Mother nature has been very kind to the Rhône recently, with a string of excellent vintages. 2015, a universally brilliant vintage across Europe, produced very classical wines. 2016 then produced lush generous wines – wines that have an immediacy about them that is super appealing. 2017 is a little bit of a mix of both, with the lush nature of the 2016s held together with a brighter acidity. All three vintages are so good that the wines of the region are excellent across the quality levels. The great news does not stop there. The '15, '16 and '17 vintages are the ones that we have in store now. So, to help you navigate these wonderful wines, I’ve popped together a guide to the wines of the Rhône.

The Rhône valley is situated in south eastern France, just south of Burgundy. It runs from Avignon in the south and finishes at Lyon in the north. The climate is hot and the conditions very sunny. The soil is full of rocks that retain the intense summer heat during day and night. Châteauneuf du Pape has 2750 average hours of sunshine in a year, compared to Bordeaux with 2050 and Burgundy 2000.

The Rhône is broken into two sections, the northern Rhône and southern Rhône.  Ninety-one percent of wine produced in the Rhône valley is red, with only 6% rosé and 3% white. Some of the oldest vineyards in France are in the Rhône valley.

There are four different quality levels in the Rhône – 58% of the volume produced is Côtes du Rhône.

Grape varieties in the Rhône are mainly Grenache and Syrah, but Cinsault and Mourvèdre are also important. In the northern Rhône Syrah is very important and, in some areas, the only variety permitted. Whites are mainly Viognier, Marsanne or Roussanne. Châteauneuf du Pape in the south has 13 permitted varieties. Most producers do not have all planted or use all varieties. However Mont Redon does have all 13 planted.

The appellations in the northern Rhône are;
• Condrieu – producing white wines from Viognier. Look out for the Yves Cuilleron Condrieu.
• Cornas – producing red wines from Syrah. Home to the top producer Pierre Gaillard.
• Côte Rôtie - producing red wines from Syrah. One of the best is from Rene Rostaing.
• Crozes-Hermitage - producing red wines from Syrah. Le Vins de Vienne produces excellent Crozes.
• Hermitage - producing red wines from Syrah, and some whites.
• Saint Joseph – producing red and white wines. Le Vins de Vienne also produces excellent Saint Joseph.
• Saint Péray – producing red and white wines. Masterful winemaker Yves Cuilleron produces excellent St Péray.

The appellations in the southern Rhône are;
• Châteauneuf du Pape – producing red and white. Look out for the Mont Redon in our July Wine Letter.
• Gigondas   –  producing red. Le Vins de Vienne also produces a wonderful Gigondas.
• Lirac – one of the main areas for rosé in the Rhône. Mont Redon produce a wonderful, fragrant Lirac.
• Tavel – the other main area for rosé.
• Vacqueyras – producing red wine. Domaine le Colombier product fruity, fragrant Vacqueyras.
• Muscat Beaumes de Venise – producing fortified sweet wines made from Muscat-a-Petit-Grains.
• Vinsobres – the recent addition to the appellations in the Rhône, producing red wine.

You’ll find wines from the Rhône and all-around France on promotion throughout July as we celebrate everything French for the month.

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