As we walked through the winery at Château de Beaucastel, I asked César Perrin if he minded if I took some photos. ‘Sure,’ he said, ‘but we’re not allowed to take any of the actors.’

Between two sorting tables laden with purple grapes were lighting rigs and a camera crew all focusing on two glamorous individuals staring into each other’s eyes. They were filming the latest episode of the TV series Drops of God.

You never quite know what to expect at Beaucastel.

The Perrin family has always done things differently. Working organically as early as 1950 and farming biodynamically since 1974, the family was one of the first in the region to champion Mourvèdre; now, they’re backing Counoise.

But arguably their most radical move to date was to create their top white cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes in 1986, a wine that marries richness and vigour like few others.

Scroll down for notes and scores of 19 vintages of Beaucastel Roussanne Vieilles Vignes

A break from tradition

Today, most of the neighbouring estates bottle a range of different Châteauneufs. But in the mid-1980s that wasn’t the case; local estates produced just one red wine (and perhaps one white).

There were only a couple of estates making a Cuvée Spéciale at that time, and making a white one was unheard of.

Given this appellation’s longstanding dedication to blending, producing a white Cuvée Spéciale just from Roussanne – a single grape variety – was even more broad-minded.

I visited César and his father François Perrin a few weeks ago to taste 19 vintages of this pioneering white, from 2023 back to 1986 – one of the most comprehensive verticals they’ve ever done.

Four decades of winemaking

François was just 24 years old when he joined the family estate in 1978. ‘I didn’t understand anything to begin with,’ he says, but there was a particular plot of Roussanne that caught his eye that was planted in 1919 by his grandfather Pierre.

François first vinified this Roussanne separately in 1986, and, happy with the results, he continued to do so. ‘I had no idea they would live this long,’ he says.

Having both François and César present at the tasting was particularly instructive. François could tell me about the older vintages that he made, and César filled in the details on the more recent vintages; the 2012 vintage marks the transition from father to son.

From time to time, François teases César when we taste the older wines: ‘You see,’ he says to César, ‘we made good wines back then!’ But you can tell they get on well.

Picking by eye

The source of the fruit has always remained the same: a 4ha plot from the Beaucastel estate on the northeastern edge of the appellation. Yields are naturally low – around 15hl/ha – and around 6,000 bottles are released per year.

The key to the style is ripeness. ‘We don’t look to keep acidity,’ says François, ‘we pick it ripe, and when it turns roux,’ referring to the freckled, russet colour that Roussanne develops late in the season.

This always takes place between 15 September and 5 October, and they haven’t noticed much change with the picking dates.

‘The grapes almost start to deteriorate,’ adds César, ‘it can be a bit scary – but that’s the secret to Roussanne Vieilles Vignes.’

Stylistic evolution

In the 1980s, François says that the winemaking was ‘more empirical’. Today, they have more precision when it comes to temperature control and protecting the wine from oxygen.

They use more demi-muids than barriques now to age the wines, and they use either new or one-year-old oak.

With the help of a guide called a merrandier, someone specialised in splitting wood and making wooden staves, César buys entire oak trees from private forests, some aged up to 250 years old. These are then dried for three years before being fashioned into barrels.

The essence of Roussanne Vieilles Vignes

Roussanne is an unusually adaptable grape. It can make wines of lightness and purity in the cool, mountainous region of Savoie; it can make middle-weight St-Josephs in the northern Rhône.

And in Châteauneuf it makes wines of deep opulence – and none more so than Beaucastel’s Roussanne Vieilles Vignes.

When young, it typically has flavours of pear and apricot, leaning towards peach or even mango in warmer years. Notes of honey and spice build over time. The acidity is only ever mild, but saline touches on the palate and noble bitter notes help to bring structure.

Be aware that it usually goes through ‘a period of oxidation, a certain flatness around 10 years on average,’ according to François. ‘Then it becomes young again,’ he says, ‘but more angular and tense, less supple.’

This was borne out by the tasting; the 2016, though clearly an excellent wine, will disappoint if you open it now – it’s currently in this oxidative phase. The 2014 however is much more expressive and youthful.

What amazed me was how fresh and vibrant the oldest wines were – both the 1988 and the 1986 were still wonderful, with an extraordinary clarity and salinity.

It goes against the prevailing belief that full-bodied, low acid wines can’t age. Radical styles can behave unexpectedly.

What’s next for Beaucastel? Its most uncompromising project to date – a revolutionary new winery – has nearly come to fruition. More on that later.

But I can confirm it’s a fitting home to a wine such as this – one of France’s greatest Mediterranean whites.

19 vintages of a white masterpiece

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Elizabeth Gabay MW, Poppy de Courcy-Wheeler and Justin Howard-Sneyd MW tasted 158 wines, with 2 Outstanding and 30 Highly Recommended.

Languedoc whites: Panel tasting scores

158 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 2

Highly recommended 30

Recommended 114

Commended 12

Fair 0

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit current-release, still white wines from any of the AOPs within the Languedoc (with the exception of AOP Picpoul de Pinet), as well as from any of the IGP and Vin de France, but not including single-varietal Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.

The wine-growing region of Languedoc is 200km in length, arcing round the southwestern edge of France’s Mediterranean coastline. Diverse terroirs with schist, limestone, clay and sand can be found along the coastal plains and the southern foothills of the Massif Central.

There is an Atlantic influence in the northwestern vineyards, higher altitude coolness in the foothills of the Pyrenees in the south, and cool air sweeping down the Rhône Valley in the east. The resulting diversity can make it almost impossible to define a ‘Languedoc style’.

Languedoc white wines rated 90+ listed below

A riot of varieties

A long history of producing large volumes of cheap and cheerful wines has fixed the image of the region for many consumers, but affordable land and free-minded attitudes have meant that the region has, for a number of decades, also produced some stellar wines.

Judge Justin Howard-Sneyd MW said: ‘It was great to see the wines aspiring to price levels certainly not achieved 20 years ago, meaning the best wines are excellent value compared to wines of similar quality from the Rhône, Burgundy or California.’

A distinctive feature of the tasting was the rich assortment of local white grape varieties. These include Clairette, Piquepoul, Terret Blanc and Gris, Carignan Blanc, Grenache Blanc, and Riveirenc Blanc and Gris; some saved from obscurity or even extinction.

Rhône varieties such as Marsanne, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Araignan (also called Picardan) and Viognier, as well as Rolle (Italy’s Vermentino) and Macabeu (Viura in Spain), are also increasingly widespread. For Howard-Sneyd, ‘the most successful wines were Mediterranean blends’.

Since the 1980s, international varieties have been increasingly planted in Languedoc. Chenin Blanc was an early introduction in the area around Montpellier, appreciated for its acidity, and can now be considered a local grape. It is used extensively in Limoux and in the area of Terrasses du Larzac, where it is hoped it will soon be included in the list of permitted varieties.

Wines made from 100% Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc were excluded from the tasting. Newer international varieties such as Riesling, Petite Arvine, Colombard, Petit Manseng and Alvarinho do crop up, and can contribute freshness and acidity.

Single-varietal Viognier performed well, but blends including a small percentage of it did not.

Oak, concrete and freshness

Not every Languedoc appellation includes white wines, and those that do often produce just a small amount. This makes it more difficult to establish regional styles and Howard-Sneyd notes that whites under the large Languedoc AP ‘struggle for identity, and this risks being a dumping ground for anything that doesn’t have a more specific AP.’

Great freshness was found in maritime La Clape and the higher altitude and limestone soils of Terrasses de Larzac, but we were disappointed not to have found greater freshness in the wines from Limoux.

The best wines all had extended ageing in wood, concrete or tank, with great balance of freshness and richness, complexity and power. Poppy de Courcy-Wheeler felt that the use of oak did not always justify higher prices.

The lowest-scoring wines were often marked down due to flabbiness and a lack of freshness or, conversely, by hard, unripe greenness and more clumsy use of oak.

While there may not yet be clear regional Languedoc white styles, the range is still impressive: from rich, complex, oaked wines to lighter, fruity wines with prices from below £10 to over £50. Clearly this is a region with opportunities for exciting discoveries.

Languedoc whites panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Elizabeth Gabay MW is a wine writer, educator, speaker and consultant, with a focus on rosé and the wines of southern France, where she has lived since 2002. Her second book Rosés of Southern France (£22 Amazon, 2022) was co-authored with her son Ben Bernheim

Poppy de Courcy-Wheeler is a wine buyer for Waitrose, focusing on rosé, Burgundy and regional France, having previously worked for more than five years in roles including wine buying and head of trade sales at importer Charles Taylor Wines

Justin Howard-Sneyd MW is the DWWA Regional Chair for Languedoc-Roussillon. A former wine buyer in UK multiple retail, he is a wine trade consultant via his company The Hive Wine Consulting, a trustee of the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation, and produces wines at Domaine of the Bee in Roussillon

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Pickers went to work at the Margaux third growth Château d’Issan last week (19 September), harvesting the crop for a new white wine due to be released next year.

However, rather than picking Sauvignon Blanc or Sémillon, the two staple white grapes found in and around Bordeaux, they were instead collecting bunches of Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne and Rolle (Vermentino) – varieties native to France’s Mediterranean south.

Lockdown project

The idea for d’Issan to produce a white wine began in 2020. The 45th parallel runs through the estate and a small 1.7 hectare plot directly on the parallel was lying unused.

Mulling on possibilities during March of 2020, it was decided that the estate would produce a white wine from it.

Soil pits dug during that year as part of a pre-planting study confirmed it would be a good spot for white varieties, given the underlying limestone soils with clay towards the top.

White wine wave

Many fellow Bordeaux crus classés have produced white wines for a long time, though many did not sell them commercially.

Château Mouton Rothschild’s Aile d’Argent and Château Margaux’s Pavillon Blanc are two of the most famous examples of Médoc whites that have been available for a while.

Increasingly, however, estates in the region have begun releasing white wines to complement their ranges, either from new plantings, or, on occasion, releasing white cuvées previously held for private consumption.

So much so, in fact, that a Médoc Blanc appellation is currently under consideration, a development Panos Kakaviatos recently explored for Decanter.

However, all of these wines conform to the traditional model for Bordeaux Blanc, being blends that favour either Sauvignon Blanc or Sémillon, perhaps with a dash of Muscadelle.

Not like the others

From the beginning, the d’Issan team decided on a very different future for their small plot.

They instead considered varieties from both the Côtes du Rhône and Piedmont – two more regions that likewise lie on the 45th parallel.

After much deliberation and tasting, they chose the Rhône grapes.

Owner and managing director, Emmanuel Cruse, told Decanter: ‘After extensive research and soil analysis, we concluded that these four varieties would provide good and interesting results when grown on the soil of this plot (clay and limestone).

‘It is a kind of experiment for us – we do not want to be the 85th Bordeaux blend with Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and eventually Muscadelle!

‘We organised a blind tasting with our team and we collectively preferred these varieties (which are grown elsewhere on the 45th parallel, like d’Issan) in terms of taste.’

Garden of Issan

Planting began in July 2021, using clones and rootstocks that were ‘carefully selected’ with help from nurseries in the Côtes du Rhône.

The wine will be unveiled during next year’s en primeur tastings. It will go by the name ‘Jardin d’Issan’ – a nod to both the size of the vineyard and the polycultural approach taken by the estate within its historic walled vineyard.

Given the unusual blend (for the region), it will also be classified as a Vin de France.

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Trying to get a handle on Roussanne is like trying to grasp a cloud. Just when you think you’ve got it – pouf! – it slips through your fingers. It doesn’t help that it’s often blended with more assertive grapes. To shine a light on it, I pulled together 90 Roussanne wines from around the world. The ensuing tasting gave up some unexpected secrets.

One of Roussanne’s most unusual attributes is that it can make exceptional wine in cool climates, hot climates – and everything in between. How many other white grapes can do that? It made for an interesting outcome: many of the top wines are stylistically totally unlike one another.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 15 startlingly good Roussanne wines from both hemispheres

Pierre-Jean Villa (pictured, below) regularly makes one of the finest varietal Roussannes in the Rhône’s St-Joseph appellation, and even he describes it as ‘totally unpredictable… a baffling variety’. So for winemakers and drinkers alike, it’s not one for beginners. But persevere, because the results can be truly fascinating.

The beautiful redhead

Roussanne either takes its name from the French word ‘rousse’ (the feminine form of ‘redhead’) or ‘tâches des rousseur‘ (‘freckles’), which refers to the speckled, russet-gold colouring that the grapes develop as they ripen.

It originates from the northern Rhône valley, and from here it travelled to Châteauneuf-du-Pape and eventually dispersed throughout the southern Rhône. It’s comfortable in the heat, and now plantings in the south far outweigh those in the north.

There is a little Roussanne planted in the Languedoc, too, but its other main French residence is cool Savoie, where it’s known as Bergeron. Outside Europe, small amounts are found in South Africa, Australia, California, Washington, Oregon and Canada. Although it’s growing in popularity, it still represents less than 1% of global plantings.

Generalising about the style of wine it produces is difficult; a Roussanne from Châteauneuf is very different to one made in Savoie. So it’s always worth knowing the wine’s origin, and reading any tasting notes, as best food matches and drinking occasions will differ from one example to another.

Northern Rhône

In the northern Rhône, Roussanne is often blended with Marsanne and it can contribute to all the white wines south of Condrieu: Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, St-Joseph and St-Péray. Marsanne, however, is much more common, with the latest planting data from Inter Rhône recording 450ha compared to Roussanne’s 146ha.

The varieties share a family resemblance – a similar weighty profile and palate richness – and both have moderate acidity at best. But they have their own distinct characters.

Marsanne conjures yellow-fleshed fruits, like apricot and mango, whereas Roussanne’s fruit allusions are white fleshed: pear and lychee. While both can be floral, Marsanne smells of honeysuckle; Roussanne of white blossoms. But while pure Marsanne is common, pure Roussanne is rare.

There’s a reason the locals favour Marsanne: Roussanne is notoriously tricky to grow. ‘I call it capricious,’ says Villa. ‘It does exactly what it wants.’ In 2023, he lost half of his Roussanne crop to heat and drought. But in 2021, when frost decimated the region, it performed brilliantly. ‘It’s so hard to predict,’ he says. It’s also prone to powdery mildew and rot.

Once harvested, the challenges continue. ‘It’s both reductive and oxidative,’ says Villa – respectively, in the absence of oxygen it’s prone to developing odorous sulphur compounds; and in the presence of oxygen prone to reacting, causing the loss of colour and flavour – so handling the grape requires a delicate touch. ‘It’s my enfant terrible!’ he says. ‘But I love it – to guide it, to understand it. When it’s good, it’s precise, with aromatic detail and minerality.’

But he doesn’t shy away from its potential pitfalls. ‘It doesn’t have much acidity and can take on heaviness and alcohol,’ he says. ‘You need to be hyper-precise with the picking date.’ Even then, some pure Roussannes can feel a bit one-dimensional – but a handful of the northern Rhône examples grown on granite really shine.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation is famously liberal when it comes to grape varieties, with 18 different varieties permitted. Given that Roussanne is one of them – and Marsanne and Viognier are not – it suggests that Roussanne ventured south before the other two.

The results are very different to a typical St-Joseph. Grow any grape in Châteauneuf and it’s like when a character eats a mushroom in Super Mario Bros – it becomes a bigger, more powerful version of itself – Roussanne into Super-Roussanne. It develops a more opulent texture, becomes even more concentrated and structured, often with riper flavours, ranging from Williams pear to quince to pineapple.

César Perrin, head winemaker at Château de Beaucastel, is the master of Châteauneuf Roussanne. He agrees with Villa that the key is choosing the right moment to pick. ‘It goes very quickly from green to overripe,’ he says, adding that there’s a frighteningly narrow 24- to 48-hour window in which to harvest.

Pick too early and the wine will lack complexity and display a bitter, abrasive finish. But wait too long and the alcohol can shoot up. Perrin believes this might be the reason why Roussanne hasn’t developed more worldwide popularity.

It’s a variety that takes well to barrel ageing. This requires some expertise, as in the wrong hands, or the wrong wood, it can make for heavy wines that lack drinkability. When mastered, however, oak can further accentuate Roussanne’s luxurious texture and rich flavour profile, adding spice to its poached-pear fruits and providing welcome structure.

Southern Rhône

Roussanne’s popularity has now spread throughout the entire Rhône valley and, says Inter Rhône, in the central Côtes du Rhône growing area it’s the fourth most widely planted grape after Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Clairette. Though it tends to be richer and riper in style than the northern Rhône examples, it rarely takes on the plus-size dimensions of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

It may be that the Châteauneuf wines garnered some of the highest scores in this tasting, but the quality throughout the rest of the southern Rhône was actually more consistent, thanks to a lighter touch in the cellar. The best of these wines came from appellations with mountain influence: Ventoux, Luberon, Séguret. These higher-altitude sites tend to bring out Roussanne’s lighter, floral side, which is further underscored by a little bit more natural acidity.

Savoie

The mountainous Savoie is situated to the east of Lyon towards the border with Italy. The most commonly planted grape here, according to Vin de Savoie, is Jacquère with 800ha under vine, but there is also 100ha of Roussanne – a little less than the northern Rhône. Here it’s known as Bergeron, and it’s only permitted in one of the 20 AP Vin de Savoie sub-regions: Chignin-Bergeron.

The climate here is significantly cooler than the northern Rhône – let alone Châteauneuf-du-Pape – so it may be surprising that Roussanne has been adopted here. Gilles Berlioz is one of the most proficient exponents of Chignin-Bergeron and he explains that ‘it’s the warmest part of Savoie… it’s a microclimate at the crossing of two valleys and it’s the southernmost commune of the Massif des Bauges, so it’s protected from the wind’.

Chignin-Bergeron might be relatively rich, therefore, compared with a classic Jacquère, but it’s the lightest style of Roussanne – reliably fresh, even if the acidity is only moderate. The best have a spellbinding mineral crispness, the very essence of freshness, that you don’t find in Roussanne anywhere else. It clearly thrives in the mountains, and transmits a sense of alpine brightness, mountain air, cold streams and meadows.

‘Often the problem with Roussanne is that it can get a bit too heavy, a bit too flabby,’ says Berlioz. ‘Here we can keep a lot of freshness and balance – wines with tension.’

Despite their lightness, they age surprisingly well. ‘We’ve had them at 20 years and they’ve been very good,’ says Berlioz. ‘So you can keep them for a long time. But it’s very much connected to the work of the winemaker.’

This equals the ageability of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Roussanne, but while Châteauneuf examples rest on their power, depth and concentration, Chignin-Bergerons glide forwards on their freshness and tension.

Australia, South Africa and the USA

Roussanne has been slow to catch on elsewhere, but the impressive quality of some wines from outside Europe shows its potential. Samantha O’Keefe (above) is owner of the Lismore estate in South Africa, situated high in the mountains, 45km inland from coastal Hermanus. She has long been known for the quality of her Syrah and Viognier, and she planted Roussanne and Marsanne in 2016 after a pilgrimage to the northern Rhône.

It remains relatively rare in coastal South Africa, however – commercially speaking, it makes more sense to grow Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, which are easier to sell. When her estate was devastated by fire in 2019, ‘the Roussanne came back with vigour’, she says – ‘it really wants to be here’. Her Roussanne-dominant Cuvée Blanc shows that it belongs.

Breedekloof, west of Worcester, is further inland and has a warmer climate than Lismore. Producer Olifantsberg proves that, as in France, Roussanne can perform across a range of climates here, too.

It’s a variety that also shows its impressive range in the US, with richer styles such as Tablas Creek’s from Paso Robles to more measured examples such as Truchard’s from Carneros; both excellent.

Australia, too, is producing some exceptionally fine examples. Peter Fraser of Yangarra (below) has planted nearly all of Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s grape varieties in McLaren Vale, and while he’s rightly famed for the quality of his Grenache, he deserves equal praise for his pure Roussanne cuvée Roux Beauté, an example of what perfect balance looks like with this tricky variety.

Between genius and madness

Roussanne’s unique climatic adaptability makes it a bit of a chameleon. It strongly reflects where it’s grown, from the Alpine slopes of Savoie to the hot stones of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

But it retains some commonalities: white-fleshed fruits, white flowers and a distinct textural grip and grain. It’s not a crowdpleaser; it’s a wine for wine lovers.

Perhaps it will gain in popularity as winemakers look to alternative varieties to cope with our increasingly chaotic climate. But they’ll have to be up for a challenge – it can be a maddening variety to work with. Even for wine lovers, it’s not an easy grape to get to know.

‘That’s the problem – and the magic – of Roussanne,’ says Perrin. ‘My father always said that the great whites of Beaucastel are always between genius and madness. They can be exceptional, they can be a bit crazy – but that’s Roussanne.’

Walls’ pick: 15 to begin your Roussanne journey

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Michael Hall grew up in England, but moved to Australia at the age of 40 to follow his dream of becoming a winemaker. Having settled in Barossa, naturally he turned to Shiraz.

But he wanted to make white wines too. Riesling and Semillon are widespread there, but he opted for a more unusual grape: Roussanne.

Cool climate wines might get more column inches, but, like Southern France, Italy and Greece, Australia makes some delicious whites from warm areas too. Hall is one of many winemakers getting their inspiration from the Rhône.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for some of Australia’s best examples of white Rhône grapes

Northern Rhône varieties

Some of the first red varieties planted in Australia were Grenache and Syrah, but white Rhône varieties are largely much more recent. There are some early plantings of Marsanne however. Tahbilk, located in the Nagambie Lakes region of central Victoria, has vines dating back to 1927.

It’s a lean, bone-dry expression that has more in common with Hunter Valley Semillon than Hermitage, but has a personality all of its own.

Despite Tahbilk’s success, Marsanne has largely failed to flourish elsewhere in Australia. One notable exception is made by Ben Haines in the Yarra Valley. Like some types of Sherry, it spends time under flor, and then ages oxidatively for 10 years before bottling.

The result is a unique style of dry unfortified white that will richly reward intrepid drinkers with open minds.

Rhône-lovers will be on more familiar ground with Australian Roussanne, a grape that’s seen stunning success in McLaren Vale. Peter Fraser, winemaker at Yangarra, has planted all of the 13 permitted Châteauneuf-du-Pape varieties except Picardan. His pure Roussanne, named Roux Beauté, stands up to the finest French examples.

Thistledown and d’Arenberg provide further evidence of its promise here; while Yeringberg flies the flag for Yarra Valley, and Giaconda for Beechworth.

While Marsanne gets uncomfortable in the heat, Roussanne is more accommodating. As Hall has proved, it can even excel in Barossa. He’s not alone; Yelland & Papps and Lienert have also enjoyed success there.

Viognier pioneers

Though it represents just 1.6% of total white plantings in Australia, Viognier is the most widespread of all white Rhône varieties (figures from Wine Australia’s Viognier Snapshot 2022-2023). Yalumba was the first winery to establish a commercial vineyard in the Eden Valley in 1980 and it was hailed at the time as the Next Big Thing.

D’Arenberg was first to plant it in McLaren Vale in 1995. ‘It really took off,’ says owner and chief winemaker Chester Osborn. ‘Then a lot of people made really average Viognier.’

It’s a fickle variety, and determining the picking date is tricky. Too early, and the results are thin and insipid; too late, and it becomes heavy and oily.

Even those making good examples gave up due to resistance from customers as they didn’t know how to pronounce it. Production is now gently on the wane.

Those who have persevered however have been rewarded, especially in cooler regions. Yalumba’s The Virgilius is considered the benchmark. For a rich style, try Yeringberg from the Yarra; for a brisker style, choose Tahbilk’s.

Southern Rhône varieties

Grenache has made huge strides in Australia over the past decade, and today it’s Australia’s most exciting red grape. So no wonder some growers are testing the waters with varietal Grenache Blanc.

It’s a brave move. Despite Grenache Blanc being the most widely planted white variety in the Rhône Valley, its strength is as a blending grape. Barely any Rhône estates bottle pure Grenache Blanc, as it can lack personality. Results in Australia are mixed, but it can be worth pursuing. Aphelion in McLaren Vale, and Tscharke and Schwarz Wine Co in Barossa lead the way.

Though plantings of Grenache Gris are still minute, those who grow it are enthusiastic. Similarly, the amount of Clairette produced is tiny. But given its climatic suitability this will surely change. Spinifex in Barossa shows it has great potential.

Though more commonly associated with the Languedoc, Picpoul is also grown in the Southern Rhône – and I was surprised to find several examples in South Australia. According to Fraser at Yangarra, Picpoul ‘is showing promise… gaining interest and momentum’, thanks to its fresh, crisp profile.

Evolution

Australia isn’t the only country outside France experimenting with white Rhône varieties; South Africa in particular has been successful. Indeed, their white blends have contributed to the recent renaissance of the Cape’s wine scene. The power of blends is that they express place rather than varietal character. In doing so, they helped South African terroirs find their voice.

Could the same happen in Australia? It’s possible, but drinkers in Australia tend to prefer varietal wines, so progress will be gradual. There are several excellent blends emerging however, such as Yangarra’s Ovitelli Blanc, Coriole’s Sandalwood and Thistledown’s Walking with Kings.

Willunga 100 is known for its Grenache, but ace winemaker Renae Hirsch is keen to add a white to the range. She’s planting a field blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Picpoul and Grenache Gris.

‘Let’s stick to the Rhône thing we’ve got going here,’ she says. It’s an old-school approach, but to me it sounds like progress.

Australian wines from white Rhône grapes to try

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According to Michel Chapoutier, the best way to eat a lark is to stuff it with foie gras, grill it, then eat it whole, bones and all. I’m tempted to try it, but they’ve been consistently out of stock at my local Tesco supermarket. He adds that they go very well with white Hermitage.

In French, a lark is une alouette, one of the small game birds, along with thrushes and woodcocks, that were once hunted in this part of the Rhône. The small building you can see on the label of Chapoutier’s Chante-Alouette cuvée is an old hunting lodge that still exists on the hill of Hermitage.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for 14 vintages of M Chapoutier’s Chante-Alouette

Blends and single vineyards

Hermitage is more commonly associated with red wine, but a surprising amount of white wine, about a third of production, is made here too. About two-thirds of white plantings are Marsanne, the rest Roussanne, and white Hermitage can be made solely from either, or a blend of both. M Chapoutier grows only Marsanne.

Chante-Alouette was the name of M Chapoutier’s single white Hermitage cuvée as far back as the 19th century, before Michel started bottling his range of single-vineyard wines, the Sélections Parcellaires. ‘It was a bit of a revolution when we did that in 1989,’ says Michel, and it’s no exaggeration. Until then, the tradition in Hermitage was to blend across various parcels, and that’s still the approach today with Chante-Alouette.

M Chapoutier makes three single-vineyard Hermitage wines: L’Ermite, Le Méal and De L’Orée. The first two are named after the lieux-dits, and De L’Orée comes from lieu-dit Les Murets. Chante-Alouette is a blend of these three lieux-dits. The difference is the age of the vines. The single-vineyard bottlings are selections of very old vines, typically with an average age of 100 years old, whereas the vines that go into Chante-Alouette are younger, around 40 to 50 years old.

Michel says that the old vines typically yield 12 to 15 hl/ha (or slightly higher now), while the younger vines produce 35 to 40 hl/ha. This explains the difference in price; at around £60 per bottle in UK retail, Chante-Alouette is a third the price of Le Méal blanc and De L’Orée.

Evolution in winemaking

Apart from a gradual increase in vine age, there were no major changes in the vineyards from 2000 to the present day. The major development was in 1991 when Michel converted the estate to biodynamics.

Old vines naturally produce less fruit, and Michel says that when he converted to biodynamics, yields dropped even further, as he transferred to using solely organic composts.

Michel says he ‘always wanted to work in a bit of a Burgundian way’ when making his white Hermitage, fermenting in barrel and maturing on the lees with limited stirring. By allowing a little carbon dioxide to remain in the wine, he finds he can get by with much less sulphite additions, and the CO2 also heightens the sense of salinity in the wine. He also finds that working biodynamically helps to further accentuate saline notes; ‘dead soils that have been killed by herbicides and fungicides… they never [produce wines with] salinity in the mouth,’ he says.

‘All the work we do on Chante-Alouette and our whites is to emphasise salinity and bitterness,’ says Michel. White Hermitage never has marked acidity, so salinity and positive bitter notes help to build structure and balance its opulent texture.

The most significant change in recent years has been the use of oak. An increasingly warm climate has led to rising levels of alcohol which, Michel notes, is a solvent, meaning more wood flavour is extracted from the barrels than before. So now only half the blend is fermented in barrels (the rest in stainless steel), and only 10% of barrels are new. Since 2008, he’s started using more demi-muids (600-litre) instead of barriques (228-litre) and has recently started introducing some even larger barrels of 1,200 litres.

The tasting

White Hermitage has a reputation for having an extravagantly rich texture, and for generous oaking. Neither is the case with Chante-Alouette; it tends to be a more compact and drinkable style, but still with strong Hermitage DNA.

The wines I tasted (2021-2010, 2007 and 2000) were impressively consistent in style and quality, and clearly reflected the personality of their vintages. Particular highlights were the rich but balanced 2020, the fresh and harmonious 2016, the focused and precise 2014, the opulent 2012 and the powerful 2010.

The 2007 had more noticeable oak work, but it wasn’t overbearing and showed how well this cuvée can age. Over time, the flowers and fruits dissipate, with nuts and honey taking their place. The 2000, though in an advanced stage of aromatic development, was still fresh and enjoyable on the palate.

I’ve long thought this wine was unfairly overlooked as a lesser ‘cuvée classique’ compared to the single-vineyard wines, and although it doesn’t always hit the same heights, it’s nevertheless an impressive wine in its own right and represents remarkable value for money in the context of white Hermitage.

With food, I’d suggest pairing mature vintages with guinea fowl and sautéed mushrooms or a veal chop with risotto alla Milanese. Michel suggests curried flavours, and I’d agree – even curried lamb I’ve found works well. At the end of the tasting, I paired them with pot-roast pheasant, Brussels sprouts and celeriac. It went well – the next best thing to grilled larks.

See Matt Walls’ tasting notes and scores for 14 vintages of Chante-Alouette

Wines are listed in order of vintage, from youngest to oldest

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In November 2022, French broadcaster RTL published an article with the following alarming headline: ‘Red wine consumption has dropped by 32% in France over the past 10 years.’ Soon after, winemakers would be referring to it as la crise (the crisis).

The report offered multiple explanations: a big drop in consumption among young people; wine becoming associated more with festivities than everyday meals; people eating less red meat; the increase in single-parent households where people drink less frequently; and the discouraging slogans of public health policies.

Whatever the reasons, for Rhône Valley winemakers it’s a disturbing trend.

At a recent press conference, regional wine association Inter Rhône announced it would be putting considerable resources behind the area’s white wines, with an aim to double production by 2031. It’s a laudable aim, given that it’s primarily red wine in decline, with global demand for whites still relatively steady.

Scroll down for Matt Walls’ notes and scores for eight Domaine A Berthet-Rayne wines

In recent years in the southern Rhône there’s been a virtuous circle of increased demand for white wines leading to improved quality, which increases demand. When I visit wineries, I hear the same story repeatedly: all their whites are sold out. So government bodies seeking to cultivate production can only be a good thing for wine lovers.

One producer that has long been leading the way with its whites is Domaine A Berthet-Rayne in Cairanne (not to be confused with Domaine Berthet-Rayne in Châteauneuf-du-Pape).

Cairanne is the source of some of the southern Rhône’s finest whites. Compared to Vacqueyras and Châteauneuf, it benefits from higher-altitude vineyards which help bring freshness. Soils are different too; Cairanne is more about clay limestone than stones or sand. The result is wines that offer both generosity and tension.

The Berthet-Rayne family’s winemaking roots go back to 1880, and current owner André Berthet-Rayne is the fourth generation. His daughter Alexandra joined him in 2017, her husband Axel in 2019.

André has 40 seasons under his belt. He began farming organically in 2000, when he was part of an informal group of winemakers including Domaine la Cabotte and Domaine Oratoire St Martin. They were interested in the effects of the moon and the cosmos on their vines too; Berthet-Rayne will soon be joining them in biodynamic certification.

A hefty 94% of Cairanne’s production is red, and like all of its winemakers, André and family produce mostly red wines, which are often excellent. But what marks out this estate is the consistent quality of their whites.

It’s a style that Berthet-Rayne has been championing for decades. ‘The market at the time wasn’t really there; it was us making good products that created the demand,’ says Berthet-Rayne. Today 20% of the estate’s vineyards contain white varieties and they intend to plant more.

And the resulting products are indeed good – all the way from the Côtes-du-Rhône Villages blanc M&A, up through the range of white Cairannes. I would reserve my highest praise for the Cairanne blanc Castel Mireio. It’s a blend of 30% Roussanne, 30% Clairette, 10% Grenache Blanc, 10% Marsanne, 10% Viognier and 10% Bourboulenc, partly fermented and aged in old barriques for six months. In a vintage like 2020, it beautifully expresses the bounteousness and finesse that the best southern Rhône whites can achieve.

‘The culture here is one of red wine, but that will change,’ says Berthet-Rayne. It’s true that Rhône winemakers tend to measure themselves more by their reds than anything else. I’m sure Berthet-Rayne is right though – evolution will be gradual but there’s space for much more than 6% white in Cairanne. Especially when they’re as good as this.

Matt Walls tastes and rates eight Domaine A Berthet-Rayne wines:

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One of 273 Master Sommeliers worldwide currently, Evan Goldstein has written four books, co-authored several more, and is a contributing editor to The Oxford Companion to Wine. In September 2022, Goldstein was recruited by the San Francisco Giants, his hometown pro baseball team, becoming the first ever Master Sommelier to work for a US professional sports organisation.

Sadly, this rich, honeyed grape variety is disappearing from the vineyards of Hermitage and other appellations in the northern Rhône where it once held court. But Roussanne is a grape you should know. Amazingly, even though it comes across as rich and exotic, with an apparent lack of structure, it can hold that pose for years… without botox!

Roussanne’s roots lie in the central Rhône valley. Precisely when it originated is not known, but the grape’s more recent history is well documented. In the mid-20th century, many of the plantings in France became infected with fanleaf virus and were replaced with the less interesting but more resilient and consistent Marsanne.

True Roussanne was believed to have arrived in California in the 1980s, but the original source of California Roussanne turned out to be Viognier. It’s evident that even in today’s world of modern genetic testing and carefully propagated cuttings, one mistake in sourcing a varietal type can have far-reaching consequences. Not until the 1990s were real cuttings of Roussanne planted.

Labour of love

Roussanne is regarded as uneconomical to produce because it is finicky about growing conditions: it isn’t a large cropper and is susceptible to rot and mildew. And to top it off, the berries ripen late, making rot an even bigger risk.

In contrast to the challenge presented in the vineyard, Roussanne is flexible and forgiving in the cellar. It can be successfully fermented in large or small oak, stainless steel or concrete. It can be harvested at lower sugars but still have ample body, or can be left to increase in ripeness without losing all its acidity. It can sing solo or play well with its relatives (Marsanne, Rolle, Viognier, etc). Finally, Roussanne ages very well due to its unusual combination of richness, minerality and balancing acidity; the best wines can be enjoyed up to 15 years or more after bottling.

When Roussanne sings with food, that song often reminds me of Viognier. As with Viognier, its food-friendliness is underrated. The best wines are rich, silky and balanced, with a panoply of tropical and ripe stone fruit flavours. I love Roussanne with exotic dishes, from north African tagines to pork marinated in cumin and ginger.

If the flavours in your dish are less exuberant, use textures that will pick up on the richer texture of the wine. Thick and creamy soups, slow-cooked root vegetables (like parsnips and carrots), rich cream- and butter-infused pastas and grains (risotto, polenta), oily nuts (especially macadamias and cashews), and richer preparations of fish, shellfish and white meats – all are great tablemates for Roussanne and Roussanne-based blends.

Discover Roussanne: Goldstein’s two to try

Château de Campuget, 1753 Roussanne Sans Sulfites, Rhône 2021 (campuget.com) From third-generation Campuget winemaker Franck-Lin Dalle, this is bottled as an IGP (by French AP law, to be labelled as Costières de Nîmes wines must be blends). It demonstrates what pure Roussanne can deliver in a natural environment – native yeast ferment, no added sulphur, and fully expressive deliciousness of the variety.

Tablas Creek, Roussanne, Paso Robles, California 2020 (tablascreek.com) This vintage is coincidentally the winery’s 20th varietal bottling of its most significant white grape. Jason Haas’ heroic commitment to Rhône grapes in California’s Central Coast is admirable and leading. This Roussanne is characteristic, with balanced weight, texture and aromatic complexity.

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Find Matt Walls’ 22 top-value northern Rhône whites below, and look out for his top 34 northern Rhône reds under £30 which will be published on 11th October.

The northern Rhône produces just 5% of the total volume made in the broader Rhône Valley growing area. As demand for these wines increases, it’s not surprising to see prices ticking up. But it’s still possible to find some excellent wines retailing under £30 a bottle in the UK.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for 22 great value northern Rhône whites

White northern Rhône falls into two distinct stylistic camps: pure Viognier on the one hand, and wines made from Marsanne and/or Roussanne on the other. I tasted these two styles separately, from youngest to oldest.

To provide as many recommendations as possible, I included all the major northern crus, as well as wines from IGP Collines Rhodaniennes and even AP Côtes-du-Rhône and Vin de France, as long as they were grown in the northern Rhône. All wines were tasted blind.

Even though the wines I tasted represent some of the cheapest northern Rhône whites on the UK market, they showed remarkably well – the standard of winemaking is consistently high here, and there were no poor-quality wines.

A couple of the cheapest Marsannes weren’t terribly exciting, but there were four wines under £20 that scored 90 points or above. It’s a style of wine you can buy with a degree of confidence.

Coming soon: 34 northern Rhône reds under £30

The strongest showing came from St-Joseph, but there were very good wines from all appellations. The two stand-out wines were Domaine Lionel Faury’s deliciously hedonistic St-Joseph Blanc 2019 and Domaine Laurent Fayolle’s precise and focussed Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Les Pontaix 2020.

The IGP and Vin de France wines were mixed in quality, but there are some very good Marsannes and Roussannes in these categories, so don’t write them off. And without including IGP and Vin de France, there would have been no Viogniers at all – finding a Condrieu for under £30 is impossible.

But Condrieu lovers on a budget should certainly consider some of the IGPs and Vin de France Viogniers produced by the best estates – the quality can be excellent. The Domaine François Merlin, Brocéliande Viognier 2020 must be one of the most expensive IGPs on the market at £27, but compared to many Condrieus, it offers good value for money.

Vintages

The northern Rhône has enjoyed three interesting vintages in a row for white wines. The 2021 vintage is fresh and zesty in style, with good acidity. The 2020s are a little fuller, well balanced and consistently good. The hot 2019 vintage produced a crop of full-bodied, powerful whites that are even richer than usual, but those that managed to find a good balance are irresistible.

None of these wines need to be kept any longer before opening – they are all ready to drink now. Nor will any of them improve greatly from longer cellaring. The 2021s and 2020s will be good throughout 2023, and many will hold until 2024. The 2019s should all be drunk over this year and next.

22 great value whites to quench your northern Rhône thirst:

The list below shows the Viognier wines by score, followed by the Marsanne/Roussanne wines by score

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Walls’ hidden gems: Domaine La Ferme St-Martin, Beaumes de Venise

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Despite the very dry conditions, this feels like a more naturally balanced vintage than 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring Crozes-Hermitage 2020 wines

The wines are juicy and concentrated without feeling heavy.

Some have a green streak due to blockages in ripening, but these don’t feature in my selection of top-scoring wines. Rest assured you can buy red Crozes-Hermitage with confidence this year.

See the Rhône 2020 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

See all 400 Rhône 2020 tasting notes and scores

The whites are excellent with vibrant and zesty aromatics, even if the acidity isn’t always terribly high, and the Roussanne was particularly good this year.

Quick links

Northern Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines

Cornas and St-Péray | Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu | Hermitage | Saint-Joseph

Crozes-Hermitage 2020 key producers

Domaine des Hauts Chassis

Domaine Laurent Fayolle

Domaine les 4 Vents

Domaine Marc Sorrel

Domaine Yann Chave

Crozes-Hermitage 2020 top value wines

Domaine Betton, Circé Blanc, Crozes-Hermitage, 2020

Domaine Gaylord Machon, La Fille Dont J’ai Rêvé Blanc, Crozes-Hermitage, 2020

Domaine Vendome, Les Pinets Blanc, Crozes-Hermitage, 2020

Domaine de la Ville Rouge, Inspiration, Crozes-Hermitage, 2020

Domaine Laurent Fayolle, Sens, Crozes-Hermitage, 2020

Domaine Melody, Friandise, Crozes-Hermitage, 2020

See the Northern Rhône 2020 score table listing Matt’s top 98 wines scoring 94 points or above

See Matt’s top Crozes-Hermitage 2020 tasting notes and scores:

Related content:

Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines

Northern Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines

Southern Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines

South Australia is home to some of Australia’s most famous wine regions. Barossa Shiraz, Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon or even McLaren Vale Grenache might initially come to mind, and rightly so. The state is responsible for around half of Australia’s wine production with red wines being a main component.

But then there’s esteemed Clare Valley Riesling, Adelaide Hills Chardonnay and a range of other white grape varieties to discover.

Premium – Grosset: producer profile and Riesling vertical

Scroll down to see South Australia’s top-scoring white wines and tasting notes

With a host of different soil types, microclimates and mitigating influences such as cooling coastal breezes and altitude, South Australia is able to produce a varied range of high-quality white wines – evident at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 where two of the state’s (and country’s) top-scoring white wines received Platinum medals and 97 points: Bird in Hand’s Ted Edward Andrew Chardonnay 2018 from Adelaide Hills and Pewsey Vale’s Museum Reserve, The Contours Riesling 2013 from Eden Valley. Just 178 wines out of the 16,518 evaluated were awarded this top accolade.

Tasted and rated by the expert judges and Australian wine specialists at DWWA 2020, here we highlight 20 of South Australia’s top-scoring white wines from fresh Rieslings, Assyrtiko and Grüner Veltliner to elegant Chardonnays and Viognier…

South Australia’s top-scoring white wines: 20 to try

Chardonnay

Bird in Hand, Ted Edward Andrew Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills 2018

Platinum, 97 points

The complexity, depth and quality of this youthful wine strikes like an arrow the moment it enters the mouth. Crème brûlée, white peach, lime zest, salty oak tannin and a nutty hint decorously fill the mouth; undeviating line and length.

Bird in Hand, Nest Egg Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills 2018

Gold, 96 points

A very fine, elegant and restrained example with gentle tangerine and honeycomb aromatics. Pear, citrus, peach, melon, pineapple and vanilla stream across the mouth before being corralled into the long, zesty finish.

St Hugo, Chardonnay, Eden Valley 2018

Gold, 95 points

Seductive nose of lemon, lime leaf and floral buttercup, while the savoury, spiced palate is graced with bright citrus and has a beautiful, saline lift.

Tapanappa, Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay, Piccadilly Valley (Adelaide Hills) 2018

Gold, 95 points

Rich and smoky on the nose, with hints of gentle spiced citrus fruit, and the palate is graced with white peach, nectarine and a hint of spice.

Angove, Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills 2019

Silver, 92 points

Beautifully lifted aromas of white nectarine, lime leaf and green melon lead to a creamy palate of vanilla and lemon curd.

Heirloom Vineyards, Assen’s Fortalice Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills 2019

Silver, 91 points

Vibrant with zippy lime and lifted floral notes, then a palate brimming with nectarine, lemon zest and plush peach.

Riesling

Pewsey Vale, Museum Reserve, The Contours Riesling, Eden Valley 2013

Platinum, 97 points

Sleek with bright lemon curd, smoky flint and opulent lime marmalade on the nose, while the elegantly textured palate is graced with pithy lime zest, wet stone and zippy citrus fruit.

Eden Springs, Riesling, High Eden, Eden Valley 2016

Gold, 96 points

Beautifully floral nose of pear, lime blossom, flinty stone and green apple, then the palate is textured with fresh lemon and a bright, focused polished acidity.

Kilikanoon, Mort’s Block Watervale Riesling, Clare Valley 2018

Gold, 95 points

Pristine, elegant poised white spice, key lime pie and lifted floral aromas lead to a citrus palate laced with a white pepper, green olive and herbal lift.

Gatt, Riesling, High Eden (Eden Valley) 2014

Silver, 93 points

Perfumed with quince, preserved lemon and brown sugar, then honey, tangerine and elegant lime marmalade grace the palate.

Kirrihill, E.B.’s The Settler Riesling, Clare Valley 2019

Silver, 93 points

Generous, plush mango, lime blossom and peach floral notes lead you on to a palate graced with kiwi, bay and thyme.

Cat Amongst the Pigeons, Fat Cat Riesling, Eden Valley 2019

Silver, 92 points

Elegant with hints of white blossom, lime cream and flint on the nose, then a delicate palate of citrus and ginger.

Henschke, Julius Riesling, Eden Valley 2019

Silver, 92 points

Bright, elegant perfumed floral and lime aromas lead to a zesty saline palate laced with fresh, pithy grapefruit.

Other

Hahndorf Hill, Gru Grüner Veltliner, Adelaide Hills 2019

Gold, 95 points

Bright with hints of cool lime, spearmint and mango skin aromas, passion fruit, sun drenched apricot and zesty citrus fruit on the delicate floral palate.

Yalumba, The Virgilius Viognier, Eden Valley 2017

Gold, 95 points

Delicate, with hints of white peach and bright citrus, then on to a focused palate of pineapple, vanilla, creme caramel and subtle silky spice.

Jim Barry, Assyrtiko, Clare Valley 2019

Silver, 93 points

Bright and inviting, with bags of zippy lemon blossom on the nose, zesty acidity and stone fruit on the palate.

Peter Lehmann, Margaret Sémillon, Barossa 2012

Silver, 92 points

Intense gun flint, nutmeg and baked lemon aromas, then layered lemongrass, citrus and toast on the palate.

Nepenthe, Winemaker’s Selection Schubert’s Rd Vineyard Gewürztraminer, Adelaide Hills 2018

Silver, 91 points

Perfumed and heady, with rose petal, lychee and violet on the nose, then ginger, citrus peel and spice brace the palate.

Nepenthe, Winemakers Selection Arneis, Adelaide Hills, 2017

Silver, 91 points

Heady and inviting with a wild thyme, smoke and citrus nose, then the creamy textured palate is laced with a fine acidity.

Langmeil, Three Gardens Viognier-Marsanne-Roussanne, Barossa 2019

Silver, 91 points

Beautifully inviting aromas of peach skin, nectarine and honeysuckle, while the palate is laced with toasty almond, cinnamon and melon.

Search all DWWA 2020 results

DWWA 2021 entries are open – enter now

The fortunes of all wine regions wax and wane, but the story of St-Péray, the most southerly appellation of the northern Rhône, is more turbulent than most.

Making traditional-method sparkling wines as early as 1829, St-Péray soon rivalled Champagne in quality and price. In the late 1800s it was devastated by phylloxera; but as it tried to recover, larcenous négociants put paid to its good name by passing off inferior wines. By the end of the 20th century it had slipped into obscurity – but St-Péray is rising again, and this time it’s the still whites in the ascendant.

The town of St-Péray sits on the west bank of the Rhône in a picturesque valley created by a tributary called the Mialan. One side of the valley is granite, the other is a limestone outcrop with the ruined 12th century Château de Crussol on top. Vines grow on both soils: limestone imparts freshness and tension; granite brings ripeness and salinity. At just 89ha under vine, it’s a small appellation, but a growing one.

St-Péray only produces white wines, using Marsanne, Roussanne or both. Marsanne brings stone fruits, body and structure. Roussanne is less common as it’s sensitive to disease and can ripen suddenly, but it contributes aromas of pear, floral notes and freshness. Most producers blend the two or use pure Marsanne, particularly for sparkling wines.

Despite the paucity of St-Péray mousseux nowadays, there is a diversity of style. Even the lightest have an unusual breadth on the palate. More concentrated examples, with long lees ageing, can be remarkably full-bodied, rich and flavoursome for a sparkling wine. Today’s St-Péray mousseux doesn’t have the finesse of good Champagne, but it does have a distinctive and characterful style. Quality-minded producers such as Rémy Nodin are spearheading a gradual recovery.

The still wines, however, are now world class. They vary from medium-bodied, fresh and floral in style to full-bodied and opulent. What characterises St-Péray in the context of other northern Rhône Marsanne-Roussanne wines is a certain softness on the palate. Crucially this must be balanced – often by both acidity (never high in St-Péray) and light tannins, minerality and a pleasing bitterness. Otherwise the wines can be flabby.

Since St-Péray has hit its stride again, some have pushed an ambitious, concentrated style. When it works, the wines can impress and work well with rich dishes. But if overdone they lack drinkability and refreshment – even more so with prolonged oak ageing. Those who focus on tension and freshness tend to produce a more precise and articulate expression of the terroir.

Cooler years, such as 2014, often give good results as they preserve the all-important acidity and freshness. Warmer years have traditionally been less successful, but I was impressed with the consistent quality from the hot 2015 vintage. These will be best drunk young, but St-Péray isn’t a wine for long ageing in any case – and 2016 is looking even stronger. The future is looking bright again for this phoenix of the northern Rhône.

Matt Walls’ top St-Péray picks

Rosemary George MW was pleasantly surprised by the outstanding quality and originality of the white wines of the Roussillon. See her top five to try below...

Roussillon white wines may only account for a small part of the production of the region, but they are truly worth seeking out, for their minerality and depth of flavour.

The backbone variety is again Grenache, both Blanc and Gris, with the real depth of character coming from Grenache Gris, its citrus notes, salinity and minerality. Roussanne, Marsanne and Vermentino were introduced into the region in the 1980s, with Vermentino proving the most successful. Hervé Bizeul of Clos des Fées was inspired by the Vermentino of Corsica, and he also makes a delicious pure Semillon, with distinctive varietal character.

Carignan Blanc is tolerated, but not included in the appellation, even though it performs a useful role, adding structure and acidity. There is also Malvoisie, otherwise known as Torbat, which is declining in importance; and Macabeo, which is more delicate. Generally Roussillon white wines never undergo malolactic fermentation as it is vital to retain acidity, and sometimes they may be fermented and aged in barrel. Lees stirring can enhance flavour, but must be done with care as it can make a wine too fat and heavy.

Roussillon white wine: Five to try