The last Friday in April gives wine lovers a golden opportunity to enjoy the lush, perfumed aromas of Viognier.

International Viognier Day started out as a low-key celebration in 2021, but it has grown in popularity with each passing year. It offers fans a chance to enjoy a glass with friends and family, but it’s also a great time to reflect on Viognier’s remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction.

Who created International Viognier Day?

Australian producer Yalumba introduced International Viognier Day in 2021. There wasn’t a specific reason for choosing the last Friday in April, but it’s a pretty quiet time in the calendar.

The last Friday in April is also National Hairball Day in the United States and Día de la Chupina – a day where students play truant – in Argentina, but that’s about it.

Yalumba is famous for planting the first Viognier in South Australia’s Eden Valley back in 1980. At the time, plantings outside France were almost non-existent. Yalumba created International Viognier Day to help wine lovers to discover this aromatic white wine.

Back from the brink

Viognier originated in the northern Rhône Valley in France. It’s the sole grape permitted in the prestigious Condrieu appellation. Viognier has been cultivated in the region since the Roman times, but it had all but disappeared by the 1960s.

Phylloxera, two World Wars and the lure of easier-to-grow alternatives all played their part in pushing Viognier to the brink of extinction. At one point, global plantings had been reduced to less than 15 hectares, almost entirely confined to Condrieu.

Just a small group of dedicated producers – led by Georges Vernay – kept the flame alive. Yet Viognier then began a remarkable resurgence in the 1980s. Pioneering growers in Australia, California and the southern Rhône planted new vines, and today the variety covers more than 16,000 hectares worldwide.

Producers are now making high-quality Viognier in Brazil, California, Canada, Chile, China, Colorado, Greece, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa and Virginia, capping the grape’s remarkable recovery.

An aromatic charmer

Viognier often delivers heady aromas of apricot, peach and honeysuckle, with a rich texture that sets it apart from crisper whites. The grape is naturally low in acidity, giving it a rounded, generous mouthfeel.

It’s not easy to make great Viognier – pick the grapes too early and the aromatics fall flat; pick too late and it can become heavy and overblown. However, when it’s done well, Viognier is a beautiful, luscious, elegant wine.

Award-winning wines from DWWA 2025

Brazil

Quinta do Canário, Elegance 2023
Silver, 92 points
Perfumed aromas of violets, peaches and white spices, some toasty undertones. Nicely textured, dense and concentrated. Long finish. Alcohol 13.5%

Canada

Road 13, Select Harvest, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia 2023
Silver, 90 points
Aromatic nose with peach, daisy, chamomile. Varietal palate, rich with phenolics and slick in texture. Lovely acid definition. Alc 12.8%

Chile

Tabali, Pedregoso Gran Reserva, Limarí Valley 2023
Silver, 90 points
Bright stone fruit aromas with touches of floral and coastal nuances. Interesting and enjoyable touch of bitterness, tense texture. Alc 13.5%

China

Chateau Mihope, Helan Mountain East, Ningxia 2022
Silver, 90 points
Aromatic nose, showing notes of roses, grapes, apple skin, white peach, nectarine and bees wax. Soft texture, fresh and flinty. Alc 14%

France

Roland Grangier, Les Combéluz, Condrieu, Rhône 2023
Gold, 96 points
Sublime juicy apricot, yellow peach and candied pear aromas seep over the gorgeous oily texture which is braced by the racy acidity and salty, mineral backbone. Alc 14%

Domaine Verzier, Authentic, Condrieu, Rhône 2024
Gold, 95 points
Labyrinthine flavours of apricot, Mirabelle plum, lychee and mango paste entwine with jasmine and sweet rose florals. Delightfully viscous with a gentle grip of acidity. Textbook. Alc 14%

Domaine de Métifiot, IGP Alpilles, Provence 2023
Silver, 94 points
Elegant nose of subtle peach and apricot, sweet spice, nougat and a hint of ginger on the palate. Alc 13%

Domaine Saint Ferréol, Vin de France, Languedoc-Roussillon 2023
Silver, 94 points
Elegant aromas, very aromatic touches of lychee, golden kiwi, acacia, apricot and yellow apple. Oily texture, with a subtle salinity. Alc 13%

Greece

Domaine Skouras, Eclectique Viognier, Peloponnese 2023
Silver, 93 points
Rich with sweet oak spices, vanilla, popcorn, cream and toast alongside tropical pineapple and mango linger with creamy finish. Alc 13%

India

Sula Vineyards, Dindori Reserve, Nashik, Maharashtra 2024
Silver, 90 points
Floral nose with aromas of peaches, apricot, rose petals, honey and peaches. Inviting on the palate, refreshing and zesty. Alc 13%

Mexico

Casa de Quesada, Indómito, Aguascalientes 2022
Silver, 90 points
Musky nose of apricot and peach, then to a palate of musky rose, plush stone fruit and a lifted acidity.
Alc 13.4%

New Zealand

Brave Roots, Marlborough 2024
Silver, 90 points
Elderflower, apricot and guava aromatics give way to an elegant, juicy, textured palate. A well-made, fresh style. Alc 14%

Portugal

Adega de Borba, Senses, Alentejano 2024
Silver, 91 points
Pretty nose of honeysuckle, orange blossom and white pepper spice, then to a silky palate of apricot kernel and spice. Alc 12.5%

South Africa

Babylonstoren, Viognier, Simonsberg-Paarl, Paarl 2024
Silver, 92 points
Honeysuckle and white blossom perfume meld with nectarine, mandarin and dried apple rings, lifted by lemony acidity and rounded lees texture. Alc 14%

United States

Holy Cross Abbey, Colorado 2023
Silver, 90 points
Pretty nose of violet and orange blossom; pear, stone fruit and a touch of spice on the palate. Alc 14%

See all DWWA 2025 award-winning Viognier wines

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Despite the trials of the growing season, St-Joseph has delivered a surprisingly consistent set of wines.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for St-Joseph wines

The reds are light- to medium-bodied, tense and spicy.

I can’t remember the last time I detected so much black pepper in the wines – a welcome effect of cooler conditions.

The tannins in many of the wines are fine and elegant, in contrast to 2022’s beefier wines. Though some are a little weedy, it’s essentially a very drinkable and refreshing vintage thanks in part to low levels of alcohol.

Most will be best drunk young, to enjoy their fragrance and delicacy.

If anything the whites are even better. While the reds are lean and fresh, the whites are relatively rich and opulent. Acidity levels can be on the low side, but most are very enjoyable and speak clearly of their origins.

Jean Gonon, who works organically, says that he had to spray the vines even more in 2024 than 2021, which was notoriously tough and beset with bad weather. But 2024 is a better year.

‘In 2021, it rained and then it was grey,’ he says ‘in 2024, there was brightness between the rains. And the light is important.’

See all St-Joseph wines tasted

Key St-Joseph producers in 2024

• Domaine Benoît Roseau
• Domaine Bernard Gripa
• Domaine Coursodon
• Domaine Gonon
• Domaine Jean-Louis Chave
• M Chapoutier
• Pierre-Jean Villa

Best-value St-Joseph wines in 2024

• Benoît Roseau, Sur le Quartz, St-Joseph Blanc 2024
• Benoît Roseau, La Ribaude, St-Joseph Rouge 2024
• Domaine Coursodon, Olivaie, St-Joseph Rouge 2024
• Jeanne Gaillard, La Relève, St-Joseph Rouge 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

St-Joseph 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

St-Joseph 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

St-Joseph 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

St-Joseph wines in 2024

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• St-Joseph: Revisiting 2022 in bottle
• Walls’ hidden gems: Domaine Verzier, a new future for the northern Rhône
• Northern Rhône 2015: Panel tasting results

In tough vintages, it’s often Crozes-Hermitage that suffers the most.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Crozes-Hermitage wines

While not as bad as calamitous years such as 2014 and 2021, 2024 ‘was psychologically and physically difficult,’ says Guillaume Sorrel of Domaine Marc Sorrel, ‘a vintage we don’t want to repeat’.

There was incessant rain in the spring, and the appellation struggled in the wet weather, especially on flatter vineyards where water can collect. Vineyards on slopes tend to fare better.

Organic growers faced particularly difficult dilemmas, with the threat of rot and mildew, with many having to carry out a record number of treatments in the vineyards

Many of the reds are dilute, and lacking in length and generosity.

There are some exceptions, however, particularly those from the north of the appellation around the village of Larnage. But it’s important to choose your Crozes-Hermitage carefully in 2024.

It’s not all bad news, however. Thankfully there are some very good whites.

With bright natural acidity and no excess flab or richness, this is a vintage that combines freshness and amplitude. Many of the wines are therefore nervy, savoury and balanced. There are many good-value options to explore.

See all Crozes-Hermitage wines tasted

Key Crozes-Hermitage producers

• Domaine Belle
• Domaine Marc Sorrel
• M Chapoutier

Best-value Crozes-Hermitage wines

• Chapoutier, Sicamor, Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 2024
• Domaine Mucyn, Les Charmeuses, Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2024
• Domaine Vendome, Les Bruclas, Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2024
• Domaine Belle,Les Pierrelles, Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2024
• Domaine Combier, Cuvée L, Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Crozes-Hermitage 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Crozes-Hermitage 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Crozes-Hermitage 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Crozes-Hermitage wines in 2024

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‘In 2022 and 2023, Côte-Rôtie had the advantage,’ says Maxime Chapoutier. ‘But in 2024 – Hermitage is back!’

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Hermitage wines

There are some very good red Hermitage wines this year in an elegant, fresh and appealing style, following a cool, wet end to the growing season.

That being said, some don’t quite have the power you might expect from this renowned appellation.

Jean-Louis Chave, of his eponymous domaine which is based in the village of Mauves just south and across the river from Tain-l’Hermitage, believes that 2023 is a better vintage in general, ‘but the best 2024s are as good as the best 2023s,’ he says.

While only good for red Hermitage, this is an excellent vintage for its whites.

They’re unusually consistent; in fact, it’s hard to go wrong with white Hermitage this year, so you can buy confidently from many producers in this appellation.

What impresses is the sheer verve and dynamism of the wines, teamed with the natural breadth and richness of this terroir. They will drink well young and age well too.

See all Hermitage wines tasted

Key Hermitage producers in 2024

• Château de St Cosme
• Domaine Belle
• Domaine Jean-Louis Chave
• Domaine Marc Sorrel
• Emmanuel Darnaud
• M Chapoutier

Best-value Hermitage wines in 2024

• Cave de Tain, Au Coeur des Siècles, Hermitage 2024
• Domaine des Remizières, Cuvée Emilie, Hermitage 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Hermitage 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Hermitage 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Hermitage 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Hermitage wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

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During my en primeur tastings in October this year, I ask Franck Balthazar what he thinks of the 2024 vintage.

‘I love it,’ he says, and to taste his wines you immediately see why. It’s the kind of vintage that really chimes with his fragrant, elegant style of Cornas.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Cornas & St-Péray

According to Olivier Clape, ‘it looks more like an old-school vintage, less big and impressive, but more detailed’.

Here, like elsewhere in Cornas, it’s a return to a more measured style that’s more about classicism than exuberance or power.

Some wines are a touch dilute and lack breadth, but most have energy and freshness, often accompanied by a herbal note to the aromatic profile.

Most will be approachable young, and apart from a few notable exceptions, this isn’t a vintage for long ageing, so pay attention to the drinking windows advised.

See all Cornas 2024 wines tasted

See all St-Péray 2024 wines tasted

Key Cornas & St-Péray producers in 2024

• Frank Balthazar – Cornas
• Domaine Clape – Cornas
• M Chapoutier – St-Péray
• Domaine Bernard Gripa – St-Péray

Best-value Cornas & St-Péray wines in 2024

• Chapoutier, Haut Chamblard, St-Péray 2024
• Domaine Johann Michel, St-Péray 2024
• Domaine Courbis, Champelrose, Cornas 2024

Compare vintages: See coverage from previous years

Cornas & St-Péray 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Cornas & St-Péray 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Cornas & St-Péray 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Cornas & St-Péray wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

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• Cornas to drink now: Matt Walls’ top 20
• Expert’s Choice: St-Péray

Conditions were challenging throughout the Rhône Valley in 2024, but the northern pole of the northern Rhône struggled the most.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for wines from Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu

Quality is heterogeneous in Côte-Rôtie. Rather than single-vineyard wines, it was the blends that often showed best.

In fact, Stéphane Ogier won’t be making his single-vineyard Côte-Rôties this year; ‘It’s a fresher vintage,’ he says, ‘and they have their place.’

Yields were very varied even within individual parcels, and several estates said they had to chaptalise.

This being said, there are some lovely individual wines, in a delicate, compact style. These should largely be best drunk young. But overall, this isn’t a brilliant vintage for Côte-Rôtie.

Though white wines are often excellent in 2024, across both the northern and southern Rhône, the picture in Condrieu is mixed. Although many are largely fresh and balanced, some lack enough concentration and length.

The best wines are head and shoulders above the rest however, showing intensity, vitality and no excess alcohol. It will pay to do your research in this vintage.

See all Côte-Rôtie 2024 wines tasted

See all Condrieu 2024 wines tasted

Key Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu producers in 2024

• M Chapoutier – Condrieu
• Domaine Merlin – Condrieu
• Pierre-Jean Villa – Condrieu
• Domaine JP Jamet – Côte-Rôtie
• E Guigal – Côte-Rôtie

Best-value Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu wines in 2024

• Roland Grangier, Les Combéluz, Condrieu 2024
• Mouton Père et Fils, Côte Bonnette, Condrieu 2024
• François et Fils, Rozier, Côte-Rôtie 2024
• Domaine Billon Christophe, La Brocarde, Côte-Rôtie 2024

Compare vintages: See our coverage of Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu from previous years

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2023: Report and top-scoring wines

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2022: Report and top-scoring wines

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2021: Report and top-scoring wines

See the full Rhône 2024 vintage report

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu wines in 2024

Wines rated 97+ are featured in the main report

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• Walls: tasting Domaine Burgaud’s Côte-Rôtie 1988-2008
• Walls: Côte-Rôtie 2019 in bottle

Seven wine styles to drink with pork:

White wine

• Riesling
• Viognier
• Chenin Blanc

Red wine

• Sangiovese (Chianti Classico)
• Mencia
• Grenache / Garnacha (red or rosé)
• Gamay (Beaujolais)

Decanter Premium is the ideal last-minute gift for wine lovers!

Is red or white wine best with pork?

Pork is quite a versatile meat that can match brilliantly with both red and white wines – not to mention orange wine – depending on what you’re cooking or eating. 

Try Riesling white wines or juicy reds with relatively high acidity to cut through the fat content of roast pork belly, or comforting Grenache-led red blends with midweek bangers and mash.

Tuscany’s Sangiovese-fuelled reds, with their balance of structure, wild berry fruit and acidity, can be delicious with a porchetta-style roast or slow-cooked pork shoulder at the dinner table. 

‘Italian reds always have that wonderful acidity that’s perfect with pork,’ wrote Decanter food and wine expert Fiona Beckett in this festive pairings piece.

Food and wine pairing principles

Food and wine pairing has been the subject of debate among wine writers. While proponents outline certain principles, personal taste is hugely important in this arena.

Even classic wine styles may vary between individual producers, but experimenting with different combinations and trying new bottles can be part of the fun.

When it comes to choosing a wine to pair with pork dishes, Jean-Baptiste Lemoine, deputy director of food and beverage at The Goring hotel in London, previously told Decanter it’s important to consider:

• the cut of the pork;
• the way it’s cooked;
• the sauce you are serving it with

Matthieu Longuère, a master sommelier and the wine development manager at Le Cordon Bleu London culinary school, told Decanter in 2024. ‘Whatever the meat is, it depends what you do with it.’

Think about matching the intensity of the wine with that of the dish, as well as any acidity and sweetness brought by ingredients in the meal.

Wine with pork belly and suckling pig

For tender, melt-in-the-mouth suckling pig, Lemoine advised drinking lighter styles of red. These include Spanish Mencia, Nerello Mascalese from Sicily, Pinot Noir from cooler regions or Chilean Carménère.

He also recommended Riesling with a touch of sweetness. This can be a classic with pork belly, too.

‘Roast pork belly works best with a wine that has a high level of acidity plus a touch of sweetness,’ wrote Fiona Beckett, naming 25 top food and wine pairings.

Germany is renowned for top Riesling wines, from dry styles to varying sweetness levels. Great Rieslings are also found in Alsace and the US Finger Lakes area, as well as parts of Austria, Australia, New Zealand and Canada – to name a few sources.

Flavours in the dish can help to lead your wine choice, too.

Apricots in this cider vinegar-roasted pork belly recipe ‘would lead me in the direction of Viognier rather than Riesling’, Beckett noted. 

In a Decanter ‘perfect pairing’ article for chestnut-stuffed pork fillet, she said: ‘Given the sweetness from the chestnuts, prunes and redcurrant jelly, I’d go for a wine that has a touch of sweetness itself. [For example] Alsace or New Zealand or Oregon Pinot Gris, or an old-vine Chenin Blanc.’

Wines to drink with a roast pork

‘Roast pork calls for something that combines richness with acidity, whether it’s white or red,’ Rhône expert Matt Walls previously told Decanter.

For white wine lovers, ‘Condrieu [Viognier] can be a brilliant match for pork roasted with herbs like Oregano or Marjoram,’ said Walls, who is Decanter’s Rhône correspondent and a contributing editor.

He also advised considering fresher styles of Chardonnay, as well as Chenin Blanc from either the Loire Valley or South Africa.

Tuscan reds, such as Chianti Classico or the vaunted wines produced around the hilltop town of Montalcino, can be delicious with a herby pork roast, or a porchetta-style festive dish – as previously noted. 

Walls pointed to Grenache-led wines, as well as Pinot Noir from warmer climates. Grenache is known as Garnacha in Spain, and stole the show in a Decanter panel tasting of red wines from Aragón last year.

Wine to drink with pork sausages

Walls returned to the Grenache theme when considering a wine for pork sausages. ‘For a classic bangers and mash, I tend to reach for a young Grenache-based wine like a southern Rhône.’

Classic blends of Grenache, Syrah (Shiraz) and Mourvèdre – and variations on the theme – are produced in many regions, from the Rhône and Languedoc-Roussillon in France to parts of South Australia and California.  

In a similar vein, the Carignan from Languedoc-Roussillon featured in the list below promises to enhance comforting bangers and mash on an autumnal evening, wrote Decanter’s David Williams in his recent review.

Other options include Gamay-based Beaujolais Cru, which can also make a great wine match for traditional Christmas ham. 

Don’t ignore rosé wines or orange wines at the dinner table, either.

Dry rosé wines could be a good bet for BBQ pork, whether pulled or cooked as a chop, said Lemoine. However, the meat might overpower some of the more delicate styles.

Decanter’s Williams recently recommended this budget-friendly, off-dry orange wine led by Grüner Veltliner. ‘A cushion of sweetness makes this a great match for spicy pork dishes,’ he wrote.

Watch out for too much oak in some wines

Beware of wines with prominent oak flavours when it comes to some pork dishes. 

Oak in wine can be tricky with sweet and sour pork, for example, said Longuère at Le Cordon Bleu London. 

‘The oak is quite bitter, quite smoky. If you have something sweet, it tends to make it taste quite metallic. And if you have something quite high in acidity, it clashes.’

Great wine with pork: Inspiration from our experts

The following wines have all been tasted by Decanter’s experts and include bottles at a range of prices.

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See more food and wine pairing ideas

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.

Related articles

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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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An awful lot of wine is made under the generic Côtes du Rhône appellation. Around 167 million bottles in 2022, to be precise. And while much of this is pretty average, a small proportion transcends the appellation. The greatest of all is Château de Fonsalette.

It’s one of the three estates owned by Emmanuel Reynaud. The most famous of the three is Château Rayas in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. And although Fonsalette is not as well known, the wines are still extremely desirable. Hedonism Wines in London currently sells the 2009 at £580 per bottle.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 22 Massif d’Uchaux wines to try

The property is situated 20km north of Châteauneuf in Lagarde-Paréol, which is one of the five villages (along with Mondragon, Piolenc, Sérignan-du-Comtat and Uchaux) that make up the Côtes du Rhône Villages Massif d’Uchaux appellation.

It’s not exactly a household name. Would Massif d’Uchaux be better known if Château de Fonsalette used the appellation on its labels? Undoubtedly, and it could if it wanted to. But the Reynaud family has been making wine here since long before the appellation existed, and I can’t imagine it changing its labels any time soon.

So this remains something of a hidden terroir. And that’s certainly how it feels as you make your way from one tree-lined vineyard to another; it’s shady and quiet here – except for the birdsong.

Wooded idyll

The Uchaux massif is mostly forest. Commercial vineyards only arrived after the Second World War, along with the heavy machinery required to clear enough trees to plant vines.

There have been small vineyards here for hundreds if not thousands of years, but it was never the most obvious place to grow vines. Not so long ago, quantity was favoured over quality – and yields here are among the lowest in the southern Rhône as the soils are so poor. The vast hill is an island of sandstone and limestone with a covering of red clay – much older soils than the galets roulés that encircle it. But persevering is worthwhile, as the wines it produces have a style all of their own.

These wooded vineyards create wines with clarity of expression and detail – they have a fluency without needing to shout. They have an acidity and spice that lifts and gives focus to an aromatic palette that’s built around raspberry and Szechuan pepper.

The appellation was ratified in 2005 for red wines only, since so few whites were made at that time. But they do grow white varieties here, and the results can be just as electric. Local winemakers are lobbying for a change to the rules to include them; though bottled under Côtes du Rhône or Vin de France, I’ve included some local whites in the tasting notes below.

Overperforming estates

Fonsalette might be its most famous estate, but it’s not the only one producing excellent wines here. I spoke recently with ace winemaker Jérôme Bressy of Domaine Gourt de Mautens near Rasteau, who was full of praise for Eric Michel of Cros de la Mûre. I share Jérôme’s enthusiasm.

Another Massif d’Uchaux estate which deserves wider renown is Domaine la Cabotte. Marie-Pierre Plumet d’Ardhuy, whose father owns Domaine d’Ardhuy in Burgundy, moved here in 1981.

Together with her husband Eric and son Etienne, they have been working their 30ha estate biodynamically since 2007. They are wines of subtlety and finesse that I’ll be writing about in detail soon.

Château Simian, a biodynamic estate that’s improved greatly in the past 10 years, is another name to know. Its reds and whites from this terroir are among the finest, channelling the tension and spice that defines the wines grown on this hill.

Florian Serguier is the owner and winemaker, and he’s recently taken on the post of co-president of the appellation. It’s been somewhat rudderless since 2015, so he should provide some much-needed direction.

‘Our first piece of work is to get ourselves better known,’ he says. Unifying such diverse characters won’t be easy.

Frustratingly, few of these wines are easy to find in the UK market. But if nobody talks about this place and its wines, then Massif d’Uchaux is fated to remain a hidden appellation.

It took Gigondas decades to be promoted to cru status. It will likely take Massif d’Uchaux just as long. But I’ve no doubt that this exceptional terroir deserves it.

22 wines to try

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Côte-Rôtie

Young Côte-Rôties are normally fairly easy to read, but that wasn’t the case with the 2022s. Many of them appeared very fruity, with soft structures, lacking energy and aromatic detail. There were some excellent exceptions however, often from those originating from old vines grown on schist and fermented with a proportion of whole bunch.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for top-scoring Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2022 wines

See all 400 Rhône 2022 tasting notes and scores

Rhône 2022 full vintage report and top-scoring wines

Northern Rhône 2022: Full report and top-scoring wines

The grapes appeared ready to pick very early on, according to Stéphane Ogier, but to obtain full phenolic maturity, ‘you really had to wait,’ he says.

The best are very tannic and will likely close down for a period after bottling, so could disappoint if opened too soon; patience will be essential. I intend to reassess these once in bottle when they should offer a clearer image of what’s to come.

Individual appellation analysis on:

Crozes-Hermitage | St-Joseph | Cornas & St-Péray | Hermitage

Condrieu

As for Condrieu, Ogier reports ‘good volumes, but low acidity, even though we blocked the malo’.

It was a very mixed bag, with many wines lacking a sense of drinkability – simply too high in alcohol, glycerol and soft peach fruit. But this wasn’t the case for all the wines. Where producers could find freshness and balance – thanks to great terroir, smart winemaking, or both – there are some very impressive wines.

The style this year is intense, flamboyant and powerful, even for Condrieu.

Rhône 2022 score tables:

All top Rhône 2022 score table

Top-scoring southern Rhône 2022

Top-scoring northern Rhône 2022 

Top-scoring Rhône 2022 red wines

Top-scoring Rhône 2022 white wines

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2022 key producers:

• Domaine JP Jamet, Côte-Rôtie
• E Guigal, Côte-Rôtie
• Stéphane Ogier, Côte-Rôtie
• M Chapoutier, Condrieu
• Pierre Jean Villa, Condrieu

Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2022 top value wines:

• Château le Devay, Condrieu 2022
• André Perret, Condrieu 2022
• Pierre Gaillard, Côte-Rôtie 2022
  

Matt Walls’ top-scoring Côte-Rôtie & Condrieu 2022 wines:

The wines below all scored 95 points or above, and are listed Condrieu then Côte-Rôtie in score order.

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The region’s vintners welcomed the 2021 vintage after what was a cataclysmic year in 2020, marred by wildfire smoke. The heat dome phenomenon was the signature event of the growing season. Yet, as in the Willamette Valley further to the north, it occurred early enough in the summer not to impact the vintage’s final wines. Yields were below average, and the dry conditions marked the beginning of a drought that is still ongoing in this part of Oregon.

Overall, the wines from 2021 in Southern Oregon are riper in style, and the white wines show brilliant balance. While many of the red wines have yet to be released, they are tending towards opulence and ripeness overall.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 21 top wines from Southern Oregon in 2021

Warm but not hot

‘The 2021 growing season started somewhat inauspiciously in the Applegate Valley,’ said Nate Wall, winemaker for biodynamic Troon Vineyard. ‘We had a cool March, which ended with a late April spring frost. We prune our vines quite late, at the very end of winter, in an attempt to delay bud break for this exact reason.’

‘The good news here was the cooler spring also delayed bud break in most varieties,’ Wall continued. ‘There were only a handful of vines susceptible to the effects of the frost when it occurred. We had a much drier than normal spring, leading to a slightly drier than normal summer. This really kept disease pressure low, so we could slightly back off on our already minimal organic spray program.’

‘The vintage was one of the five warmest on record in the region,’ commented climatologist and owner of Abacela winery, Dr Greg Jones. ‘It was also very dry, starting the slide into drought conditions we have seen over the past couple of years, and that continues today.’

‘The major weather event of the 2021 vintage came over three days in late June. A heat dome over British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest,’ Jones continued. ‘All-time temperature records were broken by 5-10 degrees. Weather stations throughout Southern Oregon broke records during this time as well, with temperatures reaching 45-47°C.

‘Fortunately, the plant growth and fruit development stages at the time [post-flowering] were such that there was not as much damage to the vines or developing berries as anticipated. Plus, growers were well aware of the coming heat wave from forecasts and used irrigation to hydrate the vines during the event.’

The growing season settled in nicely after the heat dome with steady, somewhat cooler temperatures than average in Southern Oregon.

‘From mid-August until late September, the weather was steady and seasonal, with an average high of 28° C and no major heat spikes. Weather during harvest was dry and allowed for the picking of clean fruit of excellent quality. We saw moderate alcohol levels and good acidity overall,’ Brian Gruber of Irvine & Roberts Vineyards reports.

The resulting wines

‘The conditions of 2021 resulted in slightly more hedonistic wines,’ Wall reported. ‘That cooler summer allowed for really nice ripening, so we had these ripe, concentrated fruit flavours with more approachable tannins. This was due to more phenolic ripeness and slightly less whole cluster tannin.’

‘So the wines, on the whole, have been very well received. I am not sure if there will be a slight sacrifice to the long-term ageability of these wines because of this amalgamation of factors – time will tell.’

Southern Oregon 2021: Top-wines tasted

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I cannot tell you just how tempting it is to describe François Merlin as a magician in the cellar. But this would be lazy. Not to mention inaccurate. There’s no trickery here – just decades of determination, raw talent and hard graft.

As Merlin approaches retirement, his domaine can now be considered among the top tier of northern Rhône producers. This is an extraordinary achievement, as he started out with nothing. In Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu, his might prove to be the last generation of winemakers to achieve this feat.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for 12 wines from Domaine François Merlin

Early years

Tasting with Merlin tends to be swift. He’s always in a hurry, speaks loudly, and you get the feeling he doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Behind his round black spectacles, his weathered features tell a story of a life lived in sun and wind.

After completing a year’s national service in the army, he was aimless, so spent time shepherding a farmer’s herd of goats in Condrieu. It was his love for working outdoors, rather than wine specifically, that led to his next job – tending vines for a winemaker in Ampuis. And not just any winemaker, but the great René Rostaing.

Merlin started working for Rostaing in 1985, and he quickly developed an interest in wine. In 1987, he bought just under a hectare of Condrieu vines (from the goat farmer) and he sold the first bottles under his own name in 1990. In 1999, he quit his job as head of viticulture for Rostaing in order to concentrate on his own production.

From Condrieu to Côte-Rotie

Bit by bit, his estate developed. In 2000, he bought more parcels of Condrieu and rented his first parcel of St-Joseph. It wasn’t until 2005 that he could afford to rent some Côte-Rôtie, 1.2ha of lieu-dit Cumelle. ‘I took what I could get,’ he says. ‘It was hard to find land back then. And it’s even harder now.’

At the time, south-facing sites in Condrieu were prized and the hardest to obtain; he had to put up with east-facing plots. As the climate has warmed up, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. And the parcels were in exceptional lieux-dits: Chanson, Côte Chatillon, Poncin and Jeanraude, which borders Château-Grillet.

His aim is to avoid ‘hot and heavy’ Condrieu, so climate change is a worry. Some winemakers suggest blocking malolactic fermentation, but not Merlin: ‘Cutting malo is not the answer,’ he says; ‘you lose minerality and depth.’

The St-Joseph Les Grands Ducs (named after the eagle owls that nest there) is also a favourable terroir – a sunny vineyard of granite and schist in St-Pierre-de-Boeuf. The first vintage they made had to be bottled under IGP Collines Rhodaniennes as the vines were so young. We tried it for fun; remarkably, it’s still offering pleasure and interest 10 years on.

It was his eldest son, Laurent, that planted the site in 2010. He studied viticulture and winemaking at college, rejoining his father at the estate in 2013. Now Laurent is in charge of winemaking and viticulture, and his father looks after the commercial side.

Last of the Mohicans

Laurent is fortunate that his father bought land when he did. In Côte-Rôtie, the price of vineyard land has ballooned to €1,250,000 per hectare (an increase of 13% over the last five years), with Condrieu around half that. Merlin belongs to the last generation who could build an estate here from scratch.

It’s gratifying for locals that these vineyards are now held in the esteem they deserve. But it feels like the end of an era now that local people will have such difficulty gaining a foothold in these ancient vineyards. No wonder Merlin is so often in a rush; he got in just as the door was closing.

See notes and scores for 12 wines from Domaine François Merlin

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In the 1960s, Viognier nearly died out completely. Many Decanter readers would be horrified by this scenario, but certainly not all – it is, after all, one of the most divisive of grapes. Its birthplace is Condrieu, and the new president of the appellation, Pierre-Jean Villa, is under no illusions. ‘People either like it or they don’t.’ he says. ‘It’s not universally enjoyed like Chardonnay.’ But those that like it, love it. To him, ‘Condrieu is magic – but fragile’. In the face of climate change, he’s helping a new generation of winemakers adapt their winemaking to create a fresher style of wine.

Scroll down to see Matt Walls’ selection of 12 Condrieu wines to try

Founding father

Today there are more than 16,000ha of Viognier grown around the globe (source: ‘Which Winegrape Varieties are Grown Where?’, Anderson & Nelgen, revised edition 2020), but it wasn’t always so widespread. It originates in the northern Rhône, where it has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years. But the late 19th and early 20th centuries were tempestuous, and after the region was battered by phylloxera and two world wars, by 1965 plantings had dwindled to just 8ha. The late Georges Vernay never stopped believing in Condrieu, however, and he inspired a group of fellow winemakers to replant the region’s vertiginous terraces. Together they saved Viognier from extinction and since then it has spread around the world.

Strong character

For anyone studying for wine exams, being served a Viognier in a blind tasting is always a bonus as it’s so easily identifiable. But strong characters can be polarising. Some love the variety for its opulent fullness, satin texture and heady fragrance of peach, violet and jasmine. For others, its acidity is too low, alcohol too high, and the perfume and flamboyance are overpowering.

Contrarily, it’s possible to like Condrieu even if you’re not a huge fan of Viognier. When Viognier is grown on this particular sequence of airy granite slopes – particularly the dark biotite granite at the heart of the appellation – it takes on a salinity and intensity that helps to balance the variety’s natural propensity to corpulence.

But the 21st century has produced a new threat – one that can exaggerate Condrieu’s personality still further: a rapidly heating climate. It’s something of which the new generation of local winemakers are acutely aware. Aurélien Chirat, who recently took over his family estate after spending time in New Zealand, says ‘we need to find freshness – without forgetting we’re from the Rhône’.

Condrieu at a glance

AP created 1940; one of the eight northern Rhône crus

Wines 100% still white, mostly dry but a small amount of sweet Condrieu is produced

Grapes 100% Viognier

Climate Continental: hot summers, cold winters, strong north wind

Private estates 87

Annual production (2022) 215ha producing 7,961hl (average yield 37hl/ha)

Amount exported 32%

Vineyard surface certified organic 14%

Vineyard surface certified HVE 31%

Top recent vintages 2021, 2020, 2016, 2014

[SOURCE: INTER RHONE, 2022]

Leading from the front

When the presidency of the appellation became available, Pierre-Jean Villa (pictured above) hoped that a young wine-grower might rise to the occasion. But he didn’t see many hands go up, he says, and he gradually realised that most were too inexperienced for this political role. In the spirit of Georges Vernay, Villa felt a duty to lead from the front, ‘until someone from the next generation is ready to take it on’. They’re all fortunate: Villa is one of the finest vignerons of his generation.

Villa has identified two main objectives, the first of which is to update and refresh the image of Condrieu – he is currently working with an agency on branding and digital communication.

The second is altogether more crucial: to help local winemakers adapt their viticulture, ‘to avoid the wines getting overly heavy and rich in the face of climate change’, he says.

Villa is an expert in all things viticultural and has several approaches in mind, such as using massal selection instead of clones (ie, propagating new vines using cuttings from the best existing stock of old vines in a vineyard) and choosing more resistant rootstocks. He’s also keen to promote agroforestry (planting trees within and around vineyards), which can help to reduce erosion, increase biodiversity and reduce greenhouse gases – something he’s been experimenting with in his own holdings.

Villa points out that Viognier has one major strength in the battle against climate change – it’s not averse to hot weather. It’s a naturally low-acid variety that finds balance through minerality and positive bitterness. ‘We’ve always made wines at 14% with low acidity,’ says Villa.

Fighting the flab

Xavier Gérard took over the family estate from his father François in 2013 and has rapidly gained a strong following for his Condrieu. He says that the new generation of winemakers have been adapting their work in the cellar as well to create a more balanced, food-friendly style.

In the winery, keeping temperatures low during fermentation and very gentle pressing to avoid crushing the skins both help to rein in overly exuberant fruit flavours. Reducing lees stirring during maturation helps to avoid flabbiness. And dialling down on the oak also helps – particularly heavily toasted barrels that add vanilla flavours and oak tannins that ‘make the wine even fatter’, says Gérard. ‘I’m really backing off from small barrels and new oak.’

In order to preserve freshness and acidity in the wines in warmer vintages, Gérard has an ingenious approach to harvesting. He brings in half of his grapes early at just 11.5% potential alcohol with high acidity, then the other half when they’re fully ripe: the best of both worlds.

A greener future

When the late Georges Vernay retired after the 1996 vintage, he handed the estate to his daughter Christine, who still leads the estate today. Growing grapes without resorting to herbicide in Condrieu is particularly challenging, since everything on these precarious terraces needs to be done by hand. But Domaine Georges Vernay is now certified organic and they are working towards biodynamics. ‘This is a historic estate,’ says Christine, ‘and we have a duty to lead by example.’

Christine Vernay has proved an inspiration in other ways. Female winemakers were rare 20 years ago, but she has demonstrated that success is possible for the women who are taking over their family estates today. Among them is her daughter Emma. I asked Christine which areas Emma will have to master at the domaine. ‘Everything,’ she answered.

It’s not going to be easy. With Viognier, she’ll be growing a demanding grape variety in challenging terrain, and in a chaotic climate. But the new generation in Condrieu benefit from strong leadership, and are adapting their methods to make some thrillingly fresh and drinkable wines.

It’s not for everyone, admittedly. But for those of us who love it, nothing compares – just one sniff and we know we’re in for a treat.

10 names to know in Condrieu

Cave Yves Cuilleron

For many, Yves Cuilleron is synonymous with Condrieu, but when he originally took over the family estate, in 1987, it was just 3.5ha. Now he owns plots in almost all northern Rhône appellations, totalling 75ha. Winemaking, however, remains notably hands-off, and the results reliably excellent.

Clos de la Bonnette

Established by Isabelle and Henri Guiller-Montabonnet in 2009. Their picturesque vineyards are tucked away in a verdant valley in the hills behind Condrieu town and have always been organic. Their son Antoine is now taking up the reins. Try their vibrant Condrieu Légende Bonnetta (2020, £55.95 Lea & Sandeman) to see why this is one of my favourite new estates.

Domaine André Perret

When André took over from his father in 1982, the estate was mostly fruit trees. What he hands over to his daughter Marie today is one of the very foremost Condrieu estates. His cuvée Chéry is consistently one of the greatest wines of the appellation – a measured and beautiful expression.

Domaine du Monteillet

At wine tastings around France, this estate’s stand is always mobbed. It’s no surprise as owner Stéphane Montez makes complex and expressive St-Josephs and Côte-Rôties – and some thrilling Condrieu. His cuvée La Grillette from a plot bordering Château-Grillet is particularly concentrated and intense.

Domaine François Villard

François was training to be a chef when he was bitten by the wine bug and bought his first Condrieu vineyard in 1988. He now has 40ha around the northern Rhône. He makes three expressive Condrieus from different terroirs and his new fourth cuvée, Villa Pontciana, is a selection of his best barrels.

Domaine Georges Vernay

Christine Vernay, took over from her father Georges in 1996; she makes three Condrieu cuvées and all are consistently excellent. Her Terrasses de l’Empire (2018, £72.95 Wine Republic) is the most approachable and classically styled. Les Chaillées d’Enfer (2020, £98.75-£120 All About Wine, Fintry Wines, Strictly Wine, Vinvm) is more concentrated, from two 50-year-old plots of Viognier. The Coteau de Vernon is a wine of great complexity and freshness that can last for decades.

Domaine Niero

One of the rare northern Rhône estates that produces more white wine than red, and is expert at Condrieu. Established in 1985 by Robert Niero, now managed by his son Rémi. In conversion to organic.

Domaine Pierre-Jean Villa

Originally from Chavanay in the northern Rhône, Villa trained and worked in Burgundy before returning home to establish his own estate, which is now certified organic. Villa is an expert in all things viticultural and recently took over as the new president of the appellation. Wines of great balance and elegance.

Domaine Stephane Ogier

Stéphane’s father Michel established the estate in 1983 and within 30 years it reached the top tier of northern Rhône producers. Best known for his single-vineyard Côte-Rôties, but his Condrieus are equally impressive. His Combe de Malleval (2020, £45 Laithwaites) is generous but not exaggerated, while his Vieilles Vignes de Jacques Vernay (no relation to Georges) is a more intense, ageworthy example.

Domaine Xavier Gerard

Unfailingly enthusiastic, Xavier took over the family domaine from his father François in 2013, after a stage at Boekenhoutskloof in South Africa – known for its excellent Syrah. He’s one of northern Rhône’s most exciting new talents, making fresh and drinkable Condrieu that’s now among the very best.

Finest Viognier: Walls’ 12 Condrieu wines to tempt

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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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When I taste the new vintage in the Rhône every autumn, I taste the wines blind, meaning the bottles are covered up. At the end, when the wines are revealed, many of the top performers are no great surprise. Something I find particularly exciting, however, is to see an estate that I’m unfamiliar with do better and better, year after year; a dark horse breaking away from the pack. In recent years, this is something I’ve witnessed with Vignobles Chirat.

Aurélien Chirat was tinkering with some machinery when I arrived at his winery to find out more. It’s located in the little village of Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône in the heart of Condrieu, high on a hillside overlooking the Rhône river. Aged 35, he is younger than I was expecting, a calm presence but bright and chatty.

Aurélien, a fourth generation winemaker, joined his father Gilbert at the estate in 2008. ‘When I arrived,’ said Aurélien, ‘he threw the keys at me and said “now it’s your job!”’ They worked together until February 2023, when his father fully retired.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 11 Vignobles Chirat wines to try

New tricks

After his studies, Aurélien did some internships in other wine regions. In 2012 he worked at Te Kairanga in Martinborough, New Zealand. Compared to his father’s more rustic approach, he was struck by the precision of the winemaking.

I asked Aurélien what he brought back from his visit. A lot, it turns out: an improved approach to cellar hygiene and oxygen transfer, a better understanding of chemical analysis, and new techniques such as cold maceration.

He has continued to experiment since his return. Since 2019, he’s stirred the lees (bâtonnage) of his reds – a process more commonly associated with white wines. He finds it adds body and power, which was useful in the rather reedy 2021 vintage.

He has also taken to blocking (or part-blocking) malolactic fermentation in his whites in hot vintages. He prefers this to acidifying, a practice more common in the southern Rhône, but one that’s been creeping north as the climate gets hotter.

Old ways

Learning new approaches from other regions has been valuable, but Aurélien says that benefiting from his father’s knowledge has been priceless. ‘He was the best winemaker, but hated the commerce and the administration,’ said Aurélien. ‘He knows the terroir, he knows how his father worked, how his grandfather worked. Which is great, because we need to look to the past to see how to work today.’

As a response to climate change, his father suggested two key modifications to their red winemaking, both of which were common in the region 50 years ago: chapeau immergé (submerged cap) and whole-bunch fermentation. ‘We destemmed everything before 2016,’ said Aurélien, ‘before, stems were an aberration to me. Now I hardly destem at all.’

As for chapeau immergé, he says ‘it’s like a cafetière’. Instead of letting the mass of skins and stems float to the surface of the fermenting juice, it’s held under the surface by a perforated wooden board. So no more pumping over or punching down: ‘it’s diffusion, not extraction,’ he says. Since employing these old techniques, he’s found his wines have gained finesse.

Back to the future

Often when a young winemaker takes over an estate, they have ambitions to expand. But not Aurélien – quite the opposite. He’s already reduced their holdings from 10ha down to 8ha.

This is partly a response to his father’s retirement – the loss of a pair of hands. But it’s also driven by his desire to work more sustainably. ‘I might have to give up more parcels to concentrate on just those I can work organically. Some might call me an idiot, but it’s a personal choice. Our ancestors had small domaines, and they all worked organically before chemicals arrived. You can live on five to six hectares here. I’d prefer to do this than lose part of my soul.’

Since arriving at the estate 15 years ago, Aurélien’s made a raft of changes. And the wines have gone from strength to strength. He’s clearly much more than a one-trick pony.

Matt Walls’ tasting notes and scores for 11 Vignobles Chirat wines:

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Basketball legend Tony Parker announced today (17 November) that he has officially purchased Château Saint Laurent, which lies just to the east of Avignon in southern France.

Financial details weren’t disclosed, but the move marks a new winemaking venture for Parker, a six-time NBA All-Star who retired in 2019 after a glittering career that also included representing France at international level.

Picturesque Château Saint Laurent dates back to the 14th century, the time of the Avignon Papacy. A 10km underground passage reportedly leads from the estate to famous Palais des Papes in central Avignon.

Today, the estate has 40 hectares of vineyards planted to classic Rhône varieties Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Viognier and Roussanne.

‘I have always loved the Rhône Valley,’ said Parker, who is working with a winemaking team to produce red and white blends at the estate, plus single-varietal bottlings.

‘I fell in love with Château Saint Laurent as soon as I saw it, and I am now fully committed to crafting some amazing wines while simultaneously making one of the most incredible reception venues in the South of France available for private use.’

From 1 June 2023, the Château will be open for private parties, weddings and conferences.

Parker’s first vintage will be 2022. Only 3,000 bottles have been produced and these initial wines won’t be released until November 2023, it was announced.

A spokesperson told Decanter that the first white blend comprises Viognier and Roussanne, while the red blend features Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault.

Parker has also partnered with Club dVIN to offer 500 limited-edition non-fungible tokens (NFTs), set to go on sale in December 2022.

A press release said owners of these digital tokens will get access to six bottles of Parker’s initial vintage and a six-bottle allocation in all future vintages, alongside the opportunity to attend an annual ‘Pick up Party’ with Parker at the estate – as well as other events.

Core members of the winemaking team include young oenologist Guillaume Velly, and vineyard manager Sébastien Clément. ‘Sébastien knows this terroir perfectly, as he himself has vines next door, where his Grenaches have won awards for their finesse’, the spokesperson said.

Maxime Brun took over operational management of Château Saint Laurent in 2022, with experience in different consumer sectors, including at L’Oréal Paris and Nestle, he added.

While Saint Laurent is Parker’s own Château, the former NBA player also separately teamed up with Michel Reybier, owner of Château Cos d’Estournel, earlier this year – as a partner at Reybier’s Château La Mascaronne in Provence.

The NBA wine scene has become renowned in recent years, and several players have made the jump from enjoying top bottles to more active involvement in the sector.

Earlier this month, fellow NBA star Carmelo Anthony and business partner Asani Swann announced the release of ‘Oath of Fidelity’, a 2017-vintage Châteauneuf-du-Pape, under their VII(N) The Seventh Estate brand.

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A Sauvignon Blanc-driven blend since its first commercial release with the 2013 vintage, Ornellaia Bianco is produced in tiny quantities by this highly regarded Bolgheri-based estate – from three small vineyards that enjoy cooling sea breezes during the hot summer months.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for an Ornellaia Bianco vertical: 2013-2019

The Bolgheri region is today dominated by world-class red wines based largely on Bordeaux grape varieties. Yet red wines weren’t permitted under the Bolgheri DOC when it was established in 1983; this only came following a regulation change in 1994.

Since then, white wines have been largely overshadowed. It’s somewhat of a rarity, then, to be able to taste a vertical of white wine from the region.

A vertical of Ornellaia Bianco, which is bottled as a Toscana IGT wine, is particularly rare, given the winery has only completed seven vintages and produces no more than 10,000 bottles (around 800 cases) each year.

The reason for the tasting was to celebrate Ornellaia Bianco’s 10th harvest, although we will need to wait a few more years to taste the 2022 vintage.

With plenty of tidbits of vintage information from the ever-eloquent Axel Heinz, estate director at Ornellaia, the wines were lined up and poured in pairs and threes to avoid any getting too warm.

Tasting all seven wines together tells the story of the search for Ornellaia Bianco’s identity. ‘The objective is to make a wine that reflects the sense of place of Ornellaia…but also of Bolgheri,’ said Heinz, admitting that the team has yet to settle on a particular style for the wine.

There’s very little in the way of a common thread between any two vintages, other than the use of Sauvignon Blanc as the base with which to blend (or occasionally not blend) other varietals.

‘There is a link to the past through the use of Sauvignon Blanc,’ commented Heinz, perhaps referring to the white wines made by Bordeaux estates, as well as the use of the variety in the estate’s Poggio alle Gazze, first produced in the 1980s.

Ornellaia Bianco: Year by year

Scroll down to see full tasting notes and scores for all seven wines

2013

‘By vintage 2013 we were ready to make a white Ornellaia that spoke of the place and the name,’ said Heinz.

Ornellaia Bianco 2013 was the first commercial release, with a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Viognier producing just 4,000 bottles.

The individual base wines were fermented in barriques (30% new) with no malolactic fermentation, then aged on the lees for up to 18 months with occasional batonnage. A final three months on steel was completed before blending and bottling.

The large proportion of Viognier gives this warm yet fresh vintage superb aromatics with exotic flashes, but it’s by no means voluptuous.

Heinz described 2013 as, ‘a vintage I would love to see in a few years when we have more accumulated experience with the whites.’

2014

The 2014 vintage was a notoriously wet year, with average temperatures in July and a cool August. ‘There was no ripening going on in August,’ said Heinz. While this affected the red wines of Tuscany, it was good news for white varieties as the grapes were able to preserve aromatic compounds.

For this second vintage of Ornellaia Bianco, the Viognier was reduced to 13%, with 13% Petit Manseng also introduced to the base of Sauvignon Blanc. ‘Because it was a cooler year, it gave us a wider choice of grape variety,’ noted Heinz.

The wine was made in the same way as with 2013 but, thanks to the grape and vintage differences, the finished blend emerges as a more focused, structured, saline and fresh expression.

2015

In 2015, the estate pressed ahead with a wine made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc. A very hot July threatened to shut down the ripening process but rain in August cooled things down and gave the grapes a chance to retain freshness.

This has developed a delicious waxy and grilled pineapple character; it’s leesy and rich, yet fresh. Bolder than 2014, it’s perhaps less finessed but carries excellent balance through to the very long, juicy finish.

2016

Conditions in 2016 were cooler but drier than 2015, making an interesting comparison between Ornellaia Bianco’s only two 100% Sauvignon Blanc vintages. For me, the 2016 is the better wine by a small margin, although it trades at a hefty premium to the 2015.

The 2016 is corseted and refined, demonstrating a push-pull between juicy concentration and mineral restraint, suggesting there is much more to come from this wine.

2017

Winemakers up and down Italy know 2017 as the ‘drought year’, although a very warm March was also followed by much cooler weather at the end of April that led to frost in some other parts of Tuscany.

‘2017 was as challenging as one might think for the whites, because of the early harvest,’ said Heinz, explaining that he was still away on holiday when the decision was made to start harvest on 7 August.

Although its reputation precedes it, the vintage was perhaps saved by a drop in temperature during harvest, which Heinz said was actually cooler than during harvest in 2018 and 2019.

The wine lacks the acidity found in the other vintages of Ornellaia Bianco, but this is offset by a focus and richness to the fruit (aided by 9% Viognier), as well as some lovely tangy minerality.

Perhaps as a result of the vintage conditions, ageing time was reduced to no more than 12 months (previously up to 18 months) in order to produce a more aromatic profile. This shorter ageing regime has remained in subsequent vintages.

2018

After a scorching 2017, there was no water stress for the vines in 2018: spring saw three-times the average rainfall. This delayed budbreak, although flowering was actually a week earlier than anticipated due to the higher-than-average spring temperatures.

The season remained wet through to July, which was warm and dry. August was as hot as in 2017 but, crucially, there was a little bit of rain.

The long ripening caused by the wet season led to an extremely protracted harvest, which commenced on 16 August but was not completed until mid-September. ‘We felt comfortable letting the grapes hang,’ noted Heinz, although he confessed that he may have pushed it too far and so ‘inversed the trend’ with the 2019.

As with 2015 and 2016, the comparison between equivalent blends in 2017 and 2018 is interesting: 2018, again a blend of 91% Sauvignon Blanc and 9% Viognier, is bolder and more concentrated, allied to plenty of freshness (yet more suppressed aromas) and with a more three-dimensional quality than 2017.

2019

A cold and wet spring was followed by a very hot and dry summer with just two days of rain at the end of June, which helped to drop the temperature to normal levels, giving ideal conditions for ripening.

Herbal and stony with cut grass, green fruits, and plenty of passion fruit and papaya, this 2019 is a dramatic departure from preceding years but also seems to hark back to the earliest vintages of Ornellaia Bianco – while seeking out a fresher, lighter, more aromatic character.

Heinz and his team certainly worked hard to bring back aromatic finesse following 2018’s subdued aromatic character, picking earlier and introducing a selection of larger barrel sizes.

The Viognier in 2019 was increased to 19% of the blend, the biggest proportion since the first vintage in 2013. Sauvignon Blanc makes up the other 81% of the the 2019 wine.

‘In certain vintages,’ said Heinz, ‘all it takes is a few days and you’ve missed that golden window of opportunity. Viognier is as frustrating as it is magnificent.’ This decision to increase the Viognier component was therefore likely due, at least in part, to ideal weather during harvest.

It will be interesting to see how the winemaking team approach the next few vintages, especially given the tricky growing conditions in 2022.

One interesting development that may inform the future direction towards a more ‘typical’ Bordeaux-style white to match the Bordeaux-inspired Ornellaia rosso is that this year the first small parcel of Sémillon was harvested.

If experimental vinifications go to plan, we could well see this variety joining Sauvignon Blanc in a few years.

Ornellaia Bianco: 2013-2019

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Much of the messaging in food media seems to take a ‘this is what you should be cooking right now’ approach: ‘try this cuisine’, ‘use these leftovers’, ‘eat seasonally’ and so on. It’s probably counterproductive to a (still relatively fresh) cookery writer’s career to state it, but there’s too much choice.

At the genesis of this book, it struck me that we’ve found ourselves looking at things the wrong way around. Aspiring to master new (to us) cuisines, use up leftovers and eat ingredients at their peak are all relevant. But these are distracting sub-themes when there’s something more visceral that sits above them all: most of the time we simply cook the things we do so that we can eat what we fancy.

With that realisation in mind, I set about writing a cookbook that would provide clarity, order and direction when we respond to our cravings – grouping recipes into six sections: fresh and fragrant; tart and sour; chilli and heat; spiced and curried; rich and savoury; and cheesy and creamy. Of course, many of the best cuisines and recipes balance the full range of tastes and multiple flavours. However, more often than not, dishes have a key characteristic or an edge that can be categorised under one of these six flavour profiles. I hope that thinking along these lines, of dominant characteristics and flavours, is a good starting point. It’s a new, if ultimately obvious, framework.

Cider vinegar-roasted pork belly & apricots recipe

I find a craving for something sharp often goes hand in hand with a desire for something rich and fatty. It’s not obvious which sensation I’m really after, although the former is essential to cut through the latter. Does that make the sour element more or less important? Does it matter? Pork belly is one example of an ingredient that needs acid to complete it. Apricot season often chimes with a desire to edge away from comfort food, and the tart notes that appear when cooked go perfectly here (you could use rhubarb in exactly the same way).

Serves 4-6

Preparation time 15 mins

Cooking time 2 hours plus 15 mins resting

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp fennel seeds
• 10g-20g flaky sea salt
• 1.25kg-1.75kg pork belly (bone in, skin scored)
• 250ml dry (hard) cider
• 100ml apple cider vinegar
• 10 baby shallots, peeled and halved
• 40g fresh ginger, sliced
• 6-9 apricots (3 halves per serving), halved and pitted

Method

1. Bash the fennel seeds to open them up. Mix half of them with 1 tablespoon of the salt, then rub that into the flesh of the pork (the base and the sides). Sprinkle the rest of the salt, or as much as you need, to completely cover the skin on top. Refrigerate uncovered for 90 minutes or more (overnight is best).

2. Heat the oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9. Brush the salt off the top of the pork and discard, but leave any fennel seeds still attached to the flesh. Place in a roasting tin in which the pork fits snugly. Roast in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes, during which time the skin will puff up and harden to form crackling.

3. After that time, remove the roasting tin from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 140°C/275°F/gas 1. Carefully decant the rendered fat from the base of the tin into a heatproof container, then pour the cider and vinegar into the tin (taking care not to get the crackling wet). Add the shallots, ginger and the remaining fennel seeds, then return the roasting tin to the oven for a further 1¼ hours, adding the apricot halves (cut-side down), to the liquid around the pork when there’s 30 minutes to go.

4. Once cooked, remove the pork from the roasting tin and leave to rest on a board in a warm place for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, transfer the apricots to a plate or container, taking care to keep them intact. Place the roasting tin (with the liquid, shallots and ginger still in) on a high heat and bring to a furious boil for 10 minutes, reducing the liquid by half to two-thirds so it becomes a glossy and viscous sauce.

5. Pick out and discard the ginger. Serve the apricots next to generous slices of pork belly, with the sweet-sour sauce and shallots spooned over both, and a big green salad and a bowl of well-salted baby potatoes.

Crave by Ed Smith was published in May 2021 (Quadrille) and is available through Amazon UK.

Ed Smith is a former City lawyer turned cook and food writer. Crave, his latest recipe book, won the Cookery Book category in the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2022. His award-winning blog is at rocketandsquash.com

The wines to drink with cider vinegar-roasted pork belly & apricots

You would often use wine as a corrective to a slightly fatty ingredient like pork belly, but Ed has cleverly done the job for you by putting apricots on the side. That would lead me in the direction of Viognier rather than Riesling, which is my usual go-to with pork belly – although if you’re a Riesling fan, a fruity style such as the ones you tend to find in New Zealand would work, too. Viognier has, of course, apricot notes of its own but you’d be enhancing them rather than cancelling them out with the other elements of this dish.

There are so many good ones now, particularly from Australia and South Africa.

Other good options would be Pinot Gris – again from New Zealand, for preference – or an old-vine South African Chenin Blanc. A Vouvray or Montlouis from the Loire would work too. And if you prefer red? I’m thinking Grenache or Garnacha, or a vibrant young Côtes du Rhône. You want younger wines with this dish rather than more mature ones.

By Fiona Beckett

Wines selected by the Decanter team

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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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There is an abundance of well-known South American wines that are capable of long ageing.

These include icons such as Almaviva and Nicolás Catena. However, I want to shine a light on some less well-known bottles I’ve found that you may not have heard of, but are certainly wines for the long haul that can still evolve beautifully over time.

I like to call it relic hunting.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 12 ageworthy South American wines

It’s a game I play every time I go to a wine shop while I’m in South America. Looking beyond the polished bottles on the front row, I rummage in the back aiming for those covered in dust or with tired labels.

In a small mini-market in Argentina’s remote wetlands I found a Terrazas de los Andes Chardonnay 2010 for less than £2… I nabbed that, and later delighted in its oily texture with a plate of cured jabali (wild boar).

In a restaurant near Chile’s Torres del Paine park I once found a Carmen Reserve 1999 and, much to the waiter’s surprise, enjoyed the whole bottle to myself over a dinner of guanaco (a larger version of a llama). It was so old that the label read Grande Vidure, years before it was renamed Carmenère, but the wine was far from old: spicy, energetic and delicious.

In a wine shop in Mendoza two blocks from my house, I found a Mendel Semillon 2013 for a third of its usual price. After popping home to have a quick sample, I came back with a trolley and took all of the 11 bottles left. I still kick myself for drinking those so fast, but the heady notes of lemon peel and honey with piercing acidity were irresistible.

I probably shouldn’t share this information because I’ll be deeply upset when I can’t play relic hunter anymore. But for the meantime, South America’s wines are being sold and served scandalously young – with older vintages wrongly being sent to the back of the shelf.

Without an en primeur system, or fine wine collectors either, there’s little incentive for wineries to hold back their wines and delay often much-needed income. There’s also still a misconception that many of South America’s wines can’t age.

Although the sunny climates in most of Argentina and Chile do make wines approachable in their youth, that does not mean that these wines aren’t ageworthy; in fact, they most certainly can be. And today more than ever, South America’s winemakers are producing wines that are worthy of holding back to taste in their prime of maturity.

Semillon makes a stand

On a visit to Lagarde winery in Luján de Cuyo you won’t leave the cellar without hearing the story of the 1942 Semillon.

By accident, an entire 1,800-litre oak cask was left filled with a 1942 vintage of dry Semillon wine and forgotten about for half a century. On its rediscovery in 1991, it was bottled as a special release and has served as one of the greatest testimonies to the ageability of South American white wines ever since.

The modern-day champion of Semillon in Argentina, though, is undoubtedly Roberto de la Mota. He started out in his winemaking career producing Semillon along with Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay with his father Raúl de la Mota at Bodega Weinert in the late 1980s.

But although the variety had lost favour in Argentina since, dwindling from over 5,500ha to just 600ha today, in 2009 de la Mota took up the mantle again. He has been making Semillon for his Mendel label ever since, waving the flag for this under-appreciated variety.

‘We have many old vines of Semillon in Mendoza, and really excellent-quality Semillon in cooler parts of the Uco Valley,’ explains de la Mota, who makes his wine from 70-year-old vines in Altamira. ‘The cool climate with the limestone soils give us very fresh acidity and strong personality, capable of long ageing.’

Several others have joined the Semillon mission. These include the Michelini family, Nieto Senetiner and Altocedro in Mendoza; Matías Riccitelli, Humberto Canale and Marcelo Miras in Río Negro. In Chile: Carmen and Santa Rita in Apalta; Bouchon and Longaví in Maule; and Roberto Henríquez and Leo Erazo in Itata.

Not only does the high acidity make these wines ageworthy but the concentration found in the old vines adds to the complexity and length of these outstanding wines.

Chardonnay for the long haul

However, it isn’t only old-vine Semillon that is proving its great potential to age.

Chardonnay is also a worthy contender. It was on a mission to make great Chardonnay that US winemaker Paul Hobbs was first brought to Argentina in 1989 by the Catena family, at the eve of Argentina’s quality revolution.

‘Even then I could see there was potential in the Chardonnay fruit – even if the winemaking needed a radical change,’ says Hobbs.

Today he makes several single-vineyard Chardonnay wines at Viña Cobos. ‘There are some extraordinary old vines, such as our 80-year-old Zingaretti estate in the Uco Valley, and great sites to plant new Chardonnay vines as well,’ he adds.

New vines of Chardonnay have, in particular, redefined the calibre of South American white wines in recent years. The combination of identifying great terroir with a modern, sensitive approach in the cellar has led to some of South America’s greatest and most ageworthy wines today.

They include Errazuriz’s Las Pizzaras from Aconcagua, Catena Zapata’s White Bones from Gualtallary and Bodega Chacra’s Chardonnay from Río Negro. While from Limarí the wines of Tabalí, Reta and Amelia will all no doubt still fend for themselves after decades in the cellar.

Following in the footsteps of Chardonnay, there is a great impulse happening across Argentina, Chile and Uruguay to make ageworthy white wines and blends from other key varieties including Chenin Blanc, Albariño, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. The fruits of which I’m sure we’ll enjoy in the years to come.

Reds built to last

Before the 225-litre French barrique became popular in South America in the 1990s, most of the red wines were made in large vats or foudres and aged significantly before release.

Some producers, including Bodegas Weinert, Carmelo Patti and Bodegas López in Mendoza, never stopped making wine this way.

Weinert’s current Cask Selection release is vintage 2012. Carmelo’s current UK release of Cabernet Sauvignon is 2007 and López has re-released its 1983 vintage of Montchenot.

While these are prime examples of a traditional approach still holding great promise for the future, the wines of the ‘modern school’ in South American winemaking are also coming of age now.

Complex and classy Bordeaux blends from top crus in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay – such as Viñedo Chadwick, Almaviva, Don Melchor, Nicolás Catena, Lindaflor, Cheval des Andes, Balasto and Monte Vide Eu – may still be released far too early, but they age gracefully in the cellar for those patient enough to wait.

Tasting these older vintages leaves no doubt of the potential for ageing – both in cask and bottle – that South American red Bordeaux blends have.

Beyond Bordeaux varieties and French barriques, there’s another movement underway seeking to optimise the continent’s Mediterranean varieties and returning to large-format ageing vessels. Marcelo Retamal is one of these returnees.

‘Before French barriques, we used these large old vats made from rauli (a native Chilean tree), so it’s nothing new,’ explains Retamal, who was head winemaker at De Martino from 1996 until 2021. ‘I now prefer larger format foudres and cement because we have less of an oak impact, but great conditions for long ageing of red wines.’

His Mediterranean red blends, including Syrah, Garnacha and Mourvèdre, from Viñedos de Alcohuaz in high-altitude Elqui, spend up to five years in cask or concrete. Bottles such as his Pingo Pingo Carignan, with 2015 as the current release, show the great vivacity that these wines retain and only hint at the long life yet to come.

Old-vine reds

Old vines of Carignan further south, in Maule, are also at the heart of some of the most exciting ageworthy red wines coming from Chile.

The association and quasi-appellation of VIGNO, Vignerons of Carignan, was set up to celebrate these dry-farmed old vines but also with a minimum two-year ageing requirement — one which is often far surpassed.

On a recent tasting of the VIGNO collective’s 2010 vintage, I can assure you these wines are still relative infants, with dense, compact aromas and a tense tannin and acid structure built to last. They are also often a bargain, giving anyone an ample opportunity to build a long-lasting wine collection.

Whether Carignan or Cabernet Sauvignon, there are a host of South American reds that will stand the test of time. As with the white wines, we just need to have the patience as a market to give them time to shine.

Until then, you’ll find me lurking at the back of dusty wine shelves hunting down some of these priceless gems.

See tasting notes and scores for 12 ageworthy South American wines

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The South of France is a vast region, ranging from Nice on the Mediterranean coast in the east, to Biarritz on the Atlantic coast in the west. It’s separated from northern Spain and the Iberian Peninsula by the Pyrenees Mountains.

The latest Occitanie tasting showcased the sheer variety of appellations that can be found here. Historically, Occitania was a culturally distinct area encompassing parts of France, Spain and Italy, where the Occitan language was spoken. Today the term Occitanie describes a French administrative region, created in 2016 by combining the areas of Languedoc-Roussillon and the Midi-Pyrénées.

The region is bordered by Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in the east, Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the west and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in the north.

Occitanie is now the largest wine region in France. A total of 263,000ha of vineyards produce around a third of the country’s total wine production.

In particular the area is known for organic and biodynamic viticulture, thanks to a generous Mediterranean climate. There are a total of 1,557 organic wineries here, working with 23,303ha of organic vineyards.

Wine styles

The numbers are impressive and perhaps it’s no surprise that they translate into a vast array of wine styles. Wines from Occitanie can be red, white and rosé and are produced across 87 AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) regions. These include Languedoc, Faugères, Minervois, Corbières, Côtes de Gascogne, Pic-St-Loup, Cahors and Côtes de Roussillon.

Producers can choose to make wines within the appellation system or the less restrictive IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) system. This is a great place to start if you’re looking for value wines from this area.

Stylistically wine lovers are spoiled for choice in Occitanie. Options range from crisp whites such as Picpoul de Pinet – perfect with seafood – to the full-bodied reds of Côtes du Roussillon-Villages, via fruity Pic-St-Loup rosés. Not forgetting the naturally sweet wines of Banyuls.

Many wines are approachable blends, featuring grapes such as the red Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Carignan, or white Colombard, Roussanne and Chenin Blanc.

The choice can be overwhelming, so we’ve highlighted some favourites from the tasting, all costing less than £20. They include a honeyed white blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Vermentino from Côtes Catalanes; an organic IGP Pays d’Oc rosé and a hidden gem red, made from the unusual Fer Servadou grape in the little-known IGP of Aveyron.

Great value wines from Occitanie:

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Like many teenagers, I was obsessed with movies when I was growing up. When I see original posters today for films I enjoyed back then, the effect is immediate – a glance somehow conjures the story, the characters and the emotional impact all at once.

Today, wine labels can have a similar effect. And what more iconic labels are there in the Rhône than Guigal’s single vineyard Côte-Rôties?

When I see the red and gold label of La Mouline, it has the same effect as when I’m confronted with the poster for Goodfellas. Both are classics of their genre that have stood the test of time.

And after 21 years, how are the 2001 La Las holding up? I tasted all three iconic wines to see how this eminently classic vintage is looking today.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the three 2001 La Las

Vintage overview

Speaking over the phone, Philippe Guigal said 2001 ‘was a vintage that we needed to communicate to people, as they were focused on 2000 due to Bordeaux; but for me, I’ve always preferred 2001 in the Rhône.’

Looking back at his records, he said that spring saw mixed conditions, but was at least frost-free. Flowering took just 10 days across the whole of the northern Rhône, and although summer got off to a cool and cloudy start, the temperatures soon topped 33 ̊C.

There were some small rains shortly before harvest, but nothing problematic. The producers’ decision-making was hampered, however, due to that particularly French hazard: the employees of Météo-France, the national weather forecasting service, had gone on strike.

‘It started at the beginning of harvest, and went on for the whole period, so we had no idea what weather was coming!’ said Guigal.

The harvest took place between 28 September and 6 October in Côte-Rôtie, and was ‘normal-sized’ according to Guigal.

‘We considered it to be exceptional in St-Joseph and Condrieu; good to very good in Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie and Crozes-Hermitage… We thought the vintage would have good to very good cellaring potential.’

The La La cuvées: a recap

La Mouline

Vineyard location: lieu-dit Côte Blonde

Soil type: gneiss and calcareous loess

Average vine age: 75 years

Grapes: 89% Syrah, 11% Viognier

Winemaking: extraction solely by pumping over for 20 minutes twice a day. 40 months in new oak barriques. 20% stems included at the bottom of the vat to enable juice to circulate

La Turque

Vineyard location: lieu-dit Côte Brune

Soil type: Schistous clay rich in iron oxide

Average vine age: 25 years

Grapes: 93% Syrah, 7% Viognier

Winemaking: Extraction by pumping over and punching down. 40 months in new oak barriques. 20% stems included at the bottom of the vat to enable juice to circulate

La Landonne

Vineyard location: lieu-dit La Landonne

Soil type: Clay limestone rich in iron oxide

Average vine age: 35 years

Grapes: 100% Syrah

Winemaking: Extraction by continuous pumping over for 24 hours a day – an automated system powered by the carbon dioxide produced by fermentation. 40 months in new oak barriques. 100% stems included

How are the 2001 La Las tasting now?

The 2001 vintage is eminently classic. Around the same period, only 1995, 1999 and 2005 were any better.

It’s a vintage that has aged surprisingly well throughout the Rhône Valley, and these three wines are no exception.

All three of these Côte-Rôties displayed their classic personalities.

La Mouline was all about the explosive aromatic display – in this respect it’s a classic Blonde-side Côte-Rôtie. It’s light on the palate – you could easily drink this without food – and not endlessly long, but with a refreshing saltiness. Drinking beautifully now, it delivers spellbindingly complex aromatic fireworks. It will continue to age gracefully for many years to come.

La Turque was considerably deeper and darker than La Mouline; it didn’t have the same aromatic detail or finesse but it did have a more satisfying palate presence and length. It did provide pleasure, but it’s in an introspective phase at present. I expect it will open up again in a few years’ time, at which point it may well score higher. But hold it for now.

La Landonne is always the most structured of the trio, thanks to a combination of factors: there’s no Viognier in the blend; it’s made with 100% whole bunch and continuous pumping over; and it has a naturally austere terroir. It wasn’t fuller in body than La Turque, but certainly had a more robust tannic frame. It scored the same as La Mouline but for different reasons; it doesn’t currently have the captivating aromatics of La Mouline, but is altogether more imposing, grander and more satisfying on the palate. And it will continue to improve.

A long, long life

Though La Mouline is delicious now, the other 2001s really need more time. Longevity is often prized in wines, but having to wait 25 years before opening them is unusual – almost inconvenient! Their extraordinary lifespan is partly thanks to their élevage.

‘We have a vision of long élevage which is always a long-term vision, so in their early years the wines can appear quite raw (brut), often quite severely oaky… Our philosophy of winemaking and maturation is to produce wines that are ready after 15 or 20 years,’ said Guigal.

If there’s one thing that wine lovers know about these wines, it’s their peerlessly long new oak ageing regime.

For many, these wines are defined by this fact. As Guigal says, they are always strongly marked by oak in their youth, but this aromatic element does harmonise to an extent as they mature, even if it can sometimes buff out some finer details on the nose and palate in return for a deep richness.

Red carpet Côte-Rôtie

These are wines that wear their expert winemaking on their sleeve – and this sleeve is cut from the finest French fabric.

Stylistically these are unmistakably luxurious Côte-Rôties, where even casual wine drinkers would recognise that there is something special in their glass. They smell and taste expensive.

Côte-Rôtie comes in many different guises. Some are earthy and naturalistic; others poised and precise.

These are razzle-dazzle, red carpet, Hollywood Côte-Rôties, decked out in velvet and sequins. And who doesn’t like a little glamour in their lives from time to time?

See Matt Walls’ tasting notes and scores for the three 2001 La Las:

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What do I need to know about Château-Grillet?

Back in the 1930s, the celebrated French writer and gastronome Curnonsky identified five white wines as the finest in the world.

Naturally, they were all French: Le Montrachet in Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune, Château d’Yquem in Sauternes, Château-Chalon in Jura, Clos de la Coulée de Serrant in Savennières (Loire), and Château-Grillet near the top end of the northern Rhône.

The last two on the list have had their ups and downs in the intervening years, but after considerable investment over the past decade, Château-Grillet is once again deserving of its place on such a list.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for a selection of Château-Grillet wines

If Le Montrachet is the summit of Chardonnay, then Château-Grillet is definitely the vertex of Viognier.

It’s a tiny appellation of just 3.5ha embedded at the heart of the larger Rhône appellation of Condrieu. Like Condrieu, Château-Grillet is made purely of Viognier, but unlike Condrieu all of the land in the appellation is owned by a single estate, a property which shares the name of the appellation.

The estate’s winemaking history goes back much further than the 1930s. Written references to wines made at the property can be traced back to the mid-1600s, but winemaking in the wider area goes back even further still, to the ancient Romans. In 1827, the estate was bought by the Neyret-Gachet family who retained it until 2011 when it was acquired by François Pinault, founder of luxury group Kering and owner of Château Latour in Bordeaux, Clos de Tart and Domaine d’Eugénie in Burgundy, as well as Eisele Vineyard in Napa, California.

Under Pinault’s ownership, the vineyard has been restructured and converted to biodynamics, and the cellar entirely refurbished. He installed the talented Jaeok Cramette as technical director in 2019, and she now looks after viticulture and vinification.

Château-Grillet: the facts

Appellation established 1936

Communes Straddles St-Michel-sur-Rhône and Vérin

Ownership Estate bought by François Pinault as part of his Artémis Domaines group in 2011

Organic Certified in 2016

Range All wines 100% Viognier – includes Château-Grillet, Condrieu La Carthery, Côtes du Rhône Blanc

Vines Average age 45 years; average yield 19hl/ha

Production Average 8,500 bottles

How did this tiny estate acquire its own appellation?

When the appellation was granted to Château-Grillet in 1936, the official regulations were rather different. If a property had at least two turrets (and could therefore be designated a ‘château’) and its vineyards surrounded it in a single block, the owners could apply for an appellation all of their own. The proprietor at that time, Henri Gachet, did exactly that and his application was successful. No doubt the history and quality of the wines were also pivotal factors.

Historically the estate only produced one wine – its appellation contrôlée Château-Grillet. But recently two more cuvées have been added. The first is a second wine, bottled under the generic AP Côtes du Rhône, introduced from the 2011 vintage. And 2017 marks the first vintage of an AP Condrieu named La Carthery, from vines that lie outside but share a border with the official AP Château-Grillet growing area.

How is Château-Grillet different to a typical Condrieu?

Globally speaking, there are more similarities between these two appellations than there are differences. The terroir isn’t wildly different, and the official appellation rulebooks are very similar in their stipulations.

When you pour a glass of Condrieu, the first thing you’re likely to notice is its wild, exuberant aromatic display, which can encompass violets, peaches and ripe apricots. It’s usually very generous, almost glutinous, on the palate, and acidity is low. The best wines make up for this with a mineral spine that helps to create a sense of structure and freshness.

Château-Grillet tends to be less aromatically effusive and marginally less full-bodied than most Condrieu, but it has an even greater sense of salinity, intensity and tension on the palate. Cramette says that this is due to ‘the lack of water, the poor soil, and to the fact that the vines are planted in the bedrock’.

The largest part of Château-Grillet’s vineyard is a steep, south-facing amphitheatre, a little nook residing within Condrieu that climbs from 150m to 250m altitude. There are 104 granite terraces, with individual vines growing up wooden stakes. This is a particularly hot microclimate, facing the sun and sheltered from the north wind.

Does Château-Grillet deserve its own appellation?

There is no definitive answer. In some ways, Château-Grillet is best described as one of the greatest lieux-dits of Condrieu, along with the Coteau de Vernon and the Coteau de Chéry. Granting Château-Grillet its own appellation would be akin to giving the lieu-dit La Landonne its own appellation within the broader appellation of Côte-Rôtie. But you could argue the case for that too. There’s no denying, however, that Château-Grillet’s history and heritage make it one of the most notable wine estates of France.

What is the estate’s track record?

Decidedly mixed. In 1787, it was famous enough for Thomas Jefferson to organise a visit. It was considered good enough for the court of King George IV of England. We know how highly the ‘Prince of Gastronomes’ Curnonsky rated it in the 1930s. But in the latter half of the 20th century, quality began to stall.

Vintages in the 1960s to 1980s were notoriously unreliable, some excellent, others disappointing. The 1990s saw something of an uptick in quality when the estate passed from André Canet in 1994 to his daughter Isabelle Baratin-Canet. The arrival of Denis Dubourdieu (of Château Doisy Daëne in Bordeaux) as consultant winemaker in 2000 marked another step towards Château-Grillet reclaiming its former glory.

When the estate was bought by Pinault in 2011, one of his first actions was to convert to organic viticulture and to restructure the vineyards. The 2014 vintage was a turning point. Quality since then has been reliably excellent, with some vintages promising to be very long-lived.

I thought Viognier didn’t age well?

It doesn’t as a rule, due to its mild acidity. But Viognier grown in its original heartland performs differently to most other Viogniers found around the world. The grape variety does have a bearing on a wine’s longevity, but so do other elements of terroir. The salinity and intensity the granite soils bring creates the freshness and structure, and the best can develop for 20 years or more, taking on flavours of roasted nuts, gingerbread and saffron.

With such a small production, even finding any for sale isn’t easy. So fans will be pleased to hear the estate has planted a further 0.25ha, which is due to come into production in 2021. Demand has always far outstripped supply – all it takes is a glance at the price to appreciate by how much.

Château-Grillet: a selection of haute-couture Viogniers

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By 1965, the vineyards of Condrieu had largely been abandoned – phylloxera and two world wars had decimated the place and its people. There were just 8ha of vines remaining on these granite slopes.

If it weren’t for the hard work of a few steadfast vignerons, the appellation might have disappeared entirely, reclaimed by the forest. Thankfully, Condrieu survived and has since flourished – but great appellations have been lost before.

We know this because some have recently been rediscovered. In fact, there are two very special terroirs at either end of the northern Rhône that are gradually returning to their former glory.

These aren’t the only appellations making a comeback, but for now, Brézème to the south and Seyssuel to the north are the ones you need to know about. Their renaissance has begun.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for Matt Walls’ top Brézème and Seyssuel wines

Brézème

It wasn’t until Yves Mengin had retired from his accountancy role and moved to the village of Livron-sur-Drôme in the early 1990s that he first saw the hill of Brézème.

A lifelong wine lover, it was immediately clear that, despite its overgrown state, this south-facing slope had magnificent potential. Establishing a vineyard wasn’t his original retirement plan, but, ‘I saw the abandoned hill,’ he says, ‘and I thought – why not me?’

Clambering up the slope, he found old stone terraces from previous vineyards, but the terrain was completely overgrown. It took him four years to clear the ground, rebuild the walls and replant vines.

He named his estate Domaine des Quatre Cerises after the wild cherry trees he tore out to create his vineyard, and in tribute to his four children.

His first vintage was 1998. Mengin was by no means the first to recognise Brézème’s potential. Written references to its wines date back to 1422, and by 1813 there were 40ha of vineyards.

By 1827, wine prices were approaching those of Hermitage. When phylloxera ravaged the Rhône vineyards towards the end of the 19th century, Hermitage was replanted fairly rapidly. Brézème took longer to bounce back. It was only in the 1940s that a few rows of vines were replanted by the Pouchoulin family, followed by Mengin and others.

Points of difference

When it comes to comparisons with Hermitage, it doesn’t stop at prices; the terroir itself bears some similarities, albeit on a smaller scale.

Brézème is a long hill that stands proudly alone on the east bank of the Rhône. Its western flank rises to 256m, then gradually tapers down to the east.

Unlike Hermitage however, the river that flows at its foot isn’t the Rhône itself but the Drôme, a blue-green tributary that flows down from the foothills of the Alps.

Another difference is that there is no granite here; the hill of Brézème mostly comprises clay limestone and alluvial deposits from the Rhône and the Drôme. Grape varieties, however, are largely the same: the reds are made from Syrah, the whites mostly from Marsanne and Roussanne, joined here by Viognier.

Not that there’s anything stopping local growers from planting any of the 23 varieties allowed in the Côtes du Rhône rulebook. It’s something of a historical anomaly, but even though growers here can use the name Brézème on their labels, the land is only graded AP Côtes du Rhône.

They’re hoping that the powers that be will promote Brézème to the same level as crus such as Cornas and St-Joseph, but the process takes years, if not decades, and there is little sign of any imminent changes.

Mengin says the current situation is illogical and that being promoted would give this terroir the recognition and visibility he thinks it deserves.

Standing proud

He’s right: it does deserve it. Though there is some diversity in the reds and particularly the whites of Brézème, there is a stylistic thread that runs through them, and some of these wines are thrillingly good.

What unites them is a sense of energy, tension and rising freshness. Aromatically I often find a subtle spicy char and a touch of menthol in the reds. They are only medium bodied, but have remarkable intensity.

If compared with neighbouring appellations, they bear some similarity to St-Joseph, particularly those that hail from the central section around St-Jean-de-Muzols. But Brézème is a distinct part of the northern Rhône region with its own style; the terroir these wines originate from may be more to the south, but the wines are brisk and light in alcohol.

The whites, although less common, can be just as good. They have a broader range than the reds, from tense and vibrant to full-bodied and lush. I’ve tasted older wines of both colours dating back to the 1990s that prove their ability to develop and improve in bottle.

Today, there are eight producers bottling Brézème. Those of particular interest are Domaine des Quatre Cerises, Domaine Martin Texier, Domaine Lombard (although this is currently being restructured) and Domaine Charles Helfenbein, along with Domaine de Bréseyme not far behind.

Texier and Helfenbein are two winemakers exploring another forgotten terroir. St-Julien-en-St-Alban is at the same latitude as Brézème, but on the other side of the Rhône, and represents the meeting point of the limestone of the Ardèche and the granite of the Massif Central.

Along with the classic grapes of the northern Rhône, there’s some Grenache and Clairette planted here, too. While not yet as exciting as Brézème, it’s another promising new development to keep an eye on.

Seyssuel

While Brézème is at the very south of the northern Rhône, Seyssuel is at the region’s northern frontier. Its rediscovery is more recent than Brézème’s, but its history stretches back even further.

The city of Vienne is just a stone’s throw north of Côte-Rôtie, sitting on the opposite bank of the Rhône river. It was the capital of the Allobroges, a Gallic tribe who were famed for the quality of their wine as far back as Roman times, when it was praised by Pliny the Elder.

By the 19th century there were 100ha of vines planted, and by 1883, wine was the main source of revenue for the town. But shortly after this, it suffered the same fate as Brézème, its vineyards razed by phylloxera.

In the early 1990s, local winemaker Pierre Gaillard happened to be leafing through the works of French agronomist Olivier de Serres (1539-1619), in which de Serres compares the wines of Vienne favourably to Côte-Rôtie. Gaillard spoke to two winemaking friends, François Villard and Yves Cuilleron, about the possibility of replanting some vines there.

‘It was just curiosity to start with,’ says Gaillard, ‘throwing ourselves into the archives.’ In 1996, the trio bought a south-facing piece of land from a local sheep farmer and planted a hectare of Syrah, naming their new venture Les Vins de Vienne.

On tasting their first wine, they realised their gamble had paid off. Since then, they have been joined by more than 20 other vignerons who are equally hungry for a slice of this rediscovered terroir.

Quality is high across the board, but other names to look out for are Christophe Billon, Christophe Pichon, Domaine Bott, Domaine Eymin-Tichoux, Domaine Garon, Hervé et Nathalie Avallet, Julien Pilon, Lucidi et Chapoutier, Pierre-Jean Villa and Stéphane Ogier.

Seeking recognition

In 2016, Graeme and Julie Bott of Domaine Bott planted 3ha of Syrah in Seyssuel, which Graeme describes as ‘a seriously amazing mica-schist terroir’.

In much of this proto-appellation, the soils are very similar to those found in the northern part of Côte-Rôtie. He points out that Seyssuel is a slightly warmer terroir, however; Côte-Rôtie faces southeast, whereas Seyssuel faces southwest, catching the afternoon sun.

I say ‘proto-appellation’, because for now this stretch of land lies within the huge IGP Collines Rhodaniennes, and that is the only official designation that they are allowed to use.

Similar to the winemakers of Brézème, those of Seyssuel are lobbying for this specific terroir to be given its own appellation. And they’re doing all the right things. IGP rules give producers huge leeway when it comes to choice of grapes and production methods, but here they’re sticking rigidly to Syrah for reds and Viognier for whites, and striving for the best possible quality.

A working group has demarcated areas within three communes (Chasse-sur-Rhône, Seyssuel and Vienne) that they believe best represent the spirit of Seyssuel. The result is wines of a consistently high quality and an identifiable style and sense of place.

For now, it’s an appellation in all but name, and they’re hoping for some good news from the appellation authorities in the next year or two.

From the 50ha now planted, about 80% of the wines are red. The quality is definitely a distinct step up from a typical IGP Collines Rhodaniennes, and wines are stylistically similar to Côte-Rôtie in some respects. These are pure, elegant Syrahs which have seamlessly fine tannins, often with fresh raspberry and blackberry aromas and a piquant raspberry acidity.

Most of the vineyard area has been planted very recently; there are no old vines here. This might explain the lack of depth and complexity compared with the finest Côte-Rôtie. For Julie Bott, however, vine age isn’t a big issue – she argues that young vines on good terroir make better wines than old vines on less favoured sites. And as the vines age, the quality here will only improve.

The price factor

The majority of planting might be red, but Seyssuel can produce whites that are just as impressive. The Viogniers from Seyssuel would be hard to tell apart from most Condrieu in a blind tasting, and have a similar stylistic spread.

The slight sticking point for me is the price. If the best IGP Collines Rhodaniennes are priced at about £20, perhaps a price of £30-£40 for a Seyssuel is fair. But at this price, they’re up against some exceptional St-Josephs and even some Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie. For me, there are many Seyssuel wines that feel correctly priced at the lower end of this range, although not so many at the top.

But this is a new terroir with a fascinating history, and no doubt lovers of the northern Rhône will make up their own minds about value.

It transpires that Seyssuel is just one of many terroirs in the Isère department destroyed by phylloxera. As you travel east towards the Alps, several other small terroirs are coming back to life.

François Villard is in the process of buying 3ha in La Côte-St-André, a south-facing limestone slope about 40km east of Condrieu, where he plans to plant northern Rhône varieties along with Alpine grapes Verdesse, Persan, Mondeuse and Etraire de la Dui.

Will the wines ever rival the more famous names of the Rhône? With Villard’s track record, I wouldn’t bet against him.

See tasting notes and scores for Matt’s picks of Brézème and Seyssuel wines:

Wines are in order white then red by score with the first six from Brézème and the second six from Seyssuel

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Of all the columns I’ve written this year, this one should have been the easiest to write: open my tasting notes file, sort by year 2021, sort by score, select the top ten highest scoring wines, copy and paste. Go to the pub.

But it’s not that simple. Some wines are technically perfect and undeniably excellent, wines I respect greatly that deserve their high scores – but on a personal level, they leave me a little cold.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Matt Walls’ top 10 Rhône wines of 2021

There are others, however, that – despite their flaws, eccentricities or peculiarities – have made an indelible mark, a vivid memory that raises a smile.

Clearly these are the wines that mattered most to me this year, so that’s why they feature on this list.

Far from being a quick piece to rattle off at the end of the year, I luxuriated in recalling each wine as I looked over my notes.

It’s a task, like tidying old photographs, that always takes much longer than it strictly needs to.

How a wine makes its mark

What makes a wine plant a seed in my mind when I taste it, growing into such a vivid memory?

Firstly, it can never be boring. Some wines can be balanced, concentrated and taste of where they come from – yet have little to say.

A genuine fine wine is one we want to talk about and return to, whether it has perfect balance or not. Often a wine makes an impression when it surprises us, or when it reveals something new.

For me, it was the unexpected harmony of a 10-year-old Condrieu, and several wines that transcended their difficult vintages.

These are wines that open doors and suggest new pathways of exploration. What all the wines on this list have in common is that they are not just wines of place; they are more than that.

They are confident enough in themselves to be more than just classic examples of their style. It is this strength of character that makes them so exceptional and so memorable.

Much of this is down to the winemaker. The mantra that ‘wine is made in the vineyard’ gets louder each year. But wine doesn’t make itself, it will always bear the fingerprints of a winemaker, whether they like it or not.

Standing out from the crowd

I’ve been lucky enough to taste some exceptional Cornas this year from some of the the best-known estates in the appellation – but the one that lodged itself most deeply in my mind was Philippe Pacalet’s.

He’s not from Cornas, or even the Rhône – and he doesn’t own the vineyards. But this wine is an original vision of Cornas, one of such beguiling scent and refinement that it made a deep impression.

Similarly, the Châteauneuf-du-Papes of iconoclast Mounir Saouma are so atypical but so brilliant that they cast the region in a new light.

If you don’t know Château des Tours, which features in this list, then the name of its sister estate might be more familiar – Château Rayas. All the wines of owner Emmanuel Reynaud have such a strong house style that they are unmistakable, no matter the appellation. Sometimes, nothing else will do.

This Vacqueyras was a wine that was far from perfect, but one with great charisma and personality.

And sometimes that’s more important.

See tasting notes and scores for Matt Walls’ top 10 Rhône wines of 2021:

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The wines of Cornas fall broadly into two camps this year; soft and juicy wines for early drinking and some tighter, structured, appetising wines with good longevity. My suggestions are broadly taken from the latter camp.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring Cornas & St-Péray 2020 wines

Many 2018s and 2019s in Cornas are overripe and soft; 2020 is a welcome return to a more clear-headed, focused style.

Pierre Clape says ‘it was hot and dry but we always had cool nights, especially in July, of 18 or 19 ̊ C, and grapes can ripen very quickly with hot nights’.

See the Rhône 2020 full vintage report and top scoring wines

See all 400 Rhône 2020 tasting notes and scores

In St-Péray, 2020 also marks a return to a more classic style.

In 2019, and particularly 2018, I struggled to find wines to recommend, but 2020 is a much better vintage, full of light, bright, transparent examples.

Years like this remind you that this can be the source of some of the most delicious white wines of the Ardèche. Most will show their best within the first few years of bottling.

Quick links

Northern Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines

Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu | St-Joseph | Hermitage | Crozes-Hermitage

Cornas & St-Péray 2020 key producers

Cave Julien Cécillon

Domaine A&E Verset

Domaine Clape

Domaine Vincent Paris

Ferraton Père & Fils

M Chapoutier

Cornas & St-Péray 2020 top value wines

Cave de Tain, Fleur de Roc, St-Péray 2020

Cave Julien Cécillon, Gemini, St-Péray 2020

Domaine Laurent Fayolle, Montis, St-Péray 2020

Domaine Mucyn, Hypsos, Cornas 2020

Domaine Vincent Paris, Granit 30, Cornas 2020

Dumien-Serrette, Patou, Cornas 2020

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

See Matt’s top Cornas & St-Péray 2020 tasting notes and scores:

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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

How do we define a great winemaking estate?

Extraordinary terroir, winemaking excellence and a long track record for quality are three criteria that spring to mind.

Clos de la Bonnette can only claim the first two, as Isabelle Guiller-Montabonnet has only been making wine since 2009.

Scroll down to see Matt Walls’ tasting notes and scores for eight Clos de la Bonnette wines

As for the third element, however, I suspect it’s only a matter of time.

History

Isabelle’s husband Henri describes Clos de la Bonnette as ‘the history of us, our adventure.’

Before they planted vines, he was a farmer, growing vegetables near Ampuis, working organically as far back as the 1970s.

Isabelle and Henri met in 1992 and used to walk the hills of Condrieu together. They bought a wooded hillside plot on lieu-dit Côte Bonnette, not with viticulture in mind but ‘because it was so beautiful here,’ says Isabelle.

Their son, Antoine, was born soon after. Henri built their family home himself and gradually pulled out trees on the south-facing plot below the house to plant vines. Today that plot covers 1.5ha.

They’ve never used chemical products on their land. Organic viticulture is still relatively rare in Condrieu, ‘but it didn’t scare us,’ says Isabelle, as it was something they already understood.

By 2008, family life and a heavy workload was becoming too much to manage; they had to decide between vegetables and vines. Thankfully they chose the latter.

Henri fell ill soon after, however, and Isabelle found herself in charge of the vineyard and cellar. She was in her 50s and she didn’t know how to make wine – she didn’t even drink the stuff.

‘I learnt by making mistakes,’ she says. It wasn’t until the 2014 vintage that she felt satisfied with her work.

Since then, they’ve acquired two small parcels of Côte-Rôtie in lieu-dit Coteau de Tupin. They’ve also taken on some IGP Syrah and Viognier and bought some Saint-Joseph, but that’s yet to be planted.

The organic struggle

Grasshoppers and butterflies sprang from the grassy verges as we strolled through the vineyards.

‘The number one point is to have a living soil,’ said Henri. ‘And varied vegetation,’ added Isabelle.

The hillside opposite is still densely wooded, home to cat-like genets and eagle owls. If you let your eyes follow the valley, you can spy the Rhône, but this is a sheltered, secluded part of Condrieu.

The main difficulty in being organic here is controlling the grass without spraying herbicide on the ground. But ‘for the vines to be happy, I must be happy,’ says Isabelle, ‘and I can’t be happy working in a lunar landscape.’

Mechanisation is impossible on steep, terraced vineyards and there isn’t enough room for horses to turn. So Henri resorted to designing and building an all-terrain lawnmower on caterpillar tracks to get between the rows.

They interfere as little as possible with the vines and use preventative treatments. Having contemplated biodynamic viticulture, in the end they decided it wasn’t for them. They say their soils are healthy already and ‘if it’s not necessary to intervene, it’s not useful,’ says Isabelle, even with biodynamic teas.

‘There’s no point in doing it just to do it,’ she says.

The next generation at Clos de la Bonnette

Today the estate covers just 6ha, but they’re not looking to expand – it’s hard enough work already.

The jewel in the family’s estate is their Condrieu vineyard and the style is fresh and vibrant without recourse to new oak. Isabelle makes the white wines and Antoine, now 25, has been making the reds since 2016. He favours a slender, precise, lightly-extracted style of Syrah.

The quality of the 2020 Condrieu Légende Bonnetta proves that the incredible 2019 wasn’t just a fluke.

Could we be witnessing the birth of a great estate? If this kind of quality can be sustained, it just might be.

Tasting notes and scores for eight Clos de la Bonnette wines:

Wines in order of style and score

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There are two words that crop up more than any other when exploring Côte-Rôtie in the Northern Rhône: brune (brown or brunette in English) and blonde (blonde).

They’re used in cuvée names, names of lieux-dits, regional designations and even local legends. Effectively what they refer to is the two main soil types: dark brown mica schist (brune) and pale yellow gneiss (blonde).

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 28 Côte-Rôtie wines

The way these terms are used can be confusing to English speakers. Once this is clarified, we’ll take a look at these two different soil types and how they influence wine style, longevity and quality.

There’s some argument as to how important these soils types are when it comes to the resulting style of Côte-Rôtie, but it’s a convenient starting point for understanding the appellation.

Confusing terminology

Today, there are 73 official lieux-dits in Côte-Rôtie. Looming over the town of Ampuis that sits at the heart of the appellation there are two lieux-dits that sit almost side-by-side: one is called Côte Brune, the other Côte Blonde.

But because the gneiss bedrock runs from lieu-dit Côte Blonde southwards, and the schist runs from lieu-dit Côte Brune northwards, often the entire southern half of the appellation is referred to locally as ‘the Côte Blonde’ and the entire northern half is called ‘the Côte Brune’.

This can create confusion, so for the sake of clarity I’ll use terms like ‘blonde soils’ or ‘brune side’ instead, and save Côte Blonde and Côte Brune for referring to the specific lieux-dits.

The nature of the soils

When it comes to geology, both the blonde and the brune soils come from a similar geological era, going back 300 million years. The difference was created through the amount of pressure and temperature the rock experienced over time.

Jacques Grange, technical director and chief winemaker at Delas, worked his first vintage in the Rhône in 1981 and understands this place better than most. ‘We are in no way seeing differences as large and as striking as what we see in Châteauneuf-du-Pape… or in Hermitage,’ he says. ‘Between the pure granite of Les Bessards and Le Méal, which are in different geological eras millions of years apart. With the brune and the blonde, we have soils of the same origin, which are different only in detail.’

Different they are, however, and not just in colour, as Kévin Garon from Domaine Garon explains. ‘The blonde side is very well-draining, quite acid… it’s much paler in colour, sandy, stony, there’s hardly any clay on the blonde side. On the contrary, on the brune side, with its schist and mica schist, the bedrock is heavily decomposed, the roots go into it easily, the soils are brown, and the main difference is it has more clay.’

Pierre Burgaud of Domaine Burgaud adds that ‘it’s not just the type of bedrock that counts… there’s also the type of arable earth we have too, that’s to say the amount of clay, the level of decomposition of the bedrock, and the amount of limestone in that arable earth,’ and this can vary within individual parcels. To him, the tidy division between the blonde and brune sides is a ‘big simplification’.

Brune styles and blonde styles

Nevertheless, the two main soil types of Côte-Rôtie are broadly associated with different styles of wine, and this is mainly down to the amount of clay and how that affects the vine. ‘The two soils don’t act exactly the same,’ says Grange. ‘If I had to determine a principal criterion that differentiates the two, it’s how the plant takes up water.’

Vines planted on the heavier clay soils associated with the brune side benefit from a more steady, regular supply of water. This is less the case on the free-draining blonde side. This affects the way the grapes ripen and progress through the season.

Grange explains that vines grown on soils with larger quantities of clay tend to suffer fewer episodes of stress and produce wines that are richer in polyphenols – ‘richer in quantity,’ he says, ‘quality is another subject.’

‘Wines from brune soils are more structured,’ he continues, ‘more broad-shouldered, and on the blonde side more mineral and tense – where the tannins appear more delicate.’

In very dry vintages, vines from the brune side can perform better thanks to their access to water. In very wet vintages, the opposite can be true – the draining soils of the blonde side can produce more balanced wines.

Viognier and ageability

These soils might behave slightly differently, and produce wines in different styles, but the work in the vineyard and the cellar isn’t predicated on soil type.

One difference however is the use of Viognier. One of the quirks of the appellation is that up to 20% Viognier is allowed in the blend (though in practice more than 10% is rare). It’s more commonly planted on the blonde side, and it does seem to accentuate the naturally perfumed, floral style of the Syrah grown on these slopes.

Using a splash of Viognier can make for wines that are very appealing when young. Perhaps this is why wines from blonde soils have a reputation for not having the same longevity as those grown on the brune side. But not everyone agrees.

‘Generally speaking, wines from the brune side age better,’ says Garon, ‘because they’re better balanced – in tannins, acidity – but in classic vintages like 2016, 2010, 2006, very well-balanced years – both can age for a long time. The structure of the wine is more similar in years like that. If there’s everything the plant needs, balanced pH, good acidity, good tannic structure – blonde and brune can both age well.’

Of the Côte-Rôties I tasted below, five that showed a ‘blonde’ typicity are as follows:

1. Domaine Benjamin et David Duclaux Coteaux de Tupin 2018,
2. Guigal La Mouline 2017,
3. Domaine Georges Vernay Blonde du Seigneur 2018,
4. Pierre Gaillard Esprit de Blonde 2018,
5. Christophe Semaska Lancement 2017.

Five with a classically ‘brune’ expression were:

1. Domaine Garon Les Rochins 2019,
2. Guigal La Turque 2017,
3. Delas La Landonne 2019,
4. François Villard Montlys 2018,
5. Domaine de Bonserine La Viallière 2018.

Outside the historic heart

When talking about the brune and blonde sides, these stylistic effects are felt most strongly at the historic heart of Côte-Rôtie before the appellation was extended. The more granitic soils at the far south of the appellation near Condrieu have a slightly different expression to classic blonde soils.

As do those at the far north in the commune of Saint-Cyr. ‘As you go further north the influence of the microclimate, influenced by the closeness to the river and the narrowness of the valley and its exposition… these factors are more important than the geology,’ says Grange.

The vines grown on the two different sides of this ‘roasted slope’ do have naturally different expressions: lighter, more perfumed on the blonde side; deeper, more structured on the brune. But this is just one aspect of terroir, and one that can be overemphasised. When it comes to the finished wine, winemaking choices and élevage can have just as great an effect.

‘It’s a bit of a legend, a lovely story. It’s still part of this beautiful appellation of Côte-Rôtie, but fundamentally, for me, it’s almost secondary,’ says Grange. ‘What’s important for me, it’s the way of working, the yield, the way it’s vinified, the way it’s matured. But I think you can find beautiful examples of Côte-Rôtie on pure blonde soils or pure brune ones, that can both be among the greatest wines in the Rhône Valley.’

Brune and Blonde soils in Côte-Rôtie: Matt Walls’ top picks

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Tannat is undeniably the champion of Uruguay. Its hardy character and unbreakable personality performs well vintage after vintage and, as a result, Tannat is Uruguay’s most planted variety – accounting for more than one in four vines. But Tannat is not the only card up this small nation’s sleeve.

Uruguay is actually home to a host of different varieties, spanning the vinous alphabet from Arneis to Zinfandel. And the huge range of wines to be found in Uruguay are all part of its heritage, while also being key to its innovative present and future.

Scroll down for scores and tasting notes for the top 20 Uruguay wines beyond Tannat

Vines came to Uruguay, like the rest of the New World, in the hands of European immigrants, with the greatest influx occurring from the 1850s onwards. ‘We are all children of immigrants – from Italy, Spain and France, and each of them brought over vines on the boat,’ explains fifth- generation vigneron Gabriel Pisano, who makes Sangiovese at Viña Progreso as an ode to his Italian forefathers. ‘We also never had any regulations controlling what you plant.’

Although there was a rather large, government- driven vine pull in the 1990s that encouraged producers to pull out their hybrids and focus on Tannat, families maintained their identity through other heritage varieties. ‘My family were all from Piedmont, like many of the Italians in Uruguay, and actually Barbera, Nebbiolo and Moscato arrived before Tannat,’ explains winemaker Pablo Fallabrino, who also produces Arneis, with Fresa and Cortese coming soon.

Uruguay: The facts

Area planted (total): 5,991ha

Vineyards: 1,213

Wineries: >160

Annual production: <1.33 million bottles

Top 10 varieties: Tannat (1,610ha); Moscatel de Hamburgo (1,107ha); Merlot (651ha); Ugni Blanc (629ha); Cabernet Sauvignon (363ha); Cabernet Franc (237ha); Marselan (184ha); Sauvignon Blanc (127ha); Chardonnay (108ha); Albariño (69ha)

Source: INAVI, 2018

The advance of Albariño

Italian varieties are scattered throughout the wine regions of Canelones, in particular – the heartland of Uruguayan wine, where two-thirds of the industry lies. But it is actually a Spanish migrant variety that is making the biggest waves in Uruguay today. The Bouza family decided to honour their Galician roots when they planted Albariño in 2002 in Canelones, after importing cuttings from their relatives in Rías Baixas.

It was a sentimental decision, but actually the variety thrived in Uruguay’s humid Atlantic climate, which is not unlike Galicia’s, where more than 1,000mm of rainfall a year is common. Today, Albariño is Uruguay’s 10th most planted variety, and is now expanding to the east coast.

‘Albariño has adapted really well in Uruguay,’ explains Germán Bruzzone, winemaker at Bodega Garzón, which has 40ha of Albariño. ‘From Canelones, with the wines of Bouza of course, but also here in Maldonado, where it really suits our granite soils. These soils give us a great acidity and freshness, with good volume in the mouth and a mineral finish.’

Although Albariño is quickly rising through the ranks of varieties to watch, the most planted white grape in Uruguay is actually Moscatel de Hamburgo. Although the variety is largely used for cheaper rosé wines, Fabiana Bracco is keen to kickstart a revolution with her fresh and pithy coastal Moscato: ‘I didn’t want to lose our tradition or the identity that my family built over generations,’ she says of her decision to make fine wine at Bracco Bosca with the family’s old vines.

‘The decision really came from the heart, but I also reasoned that if it had thrived here it must be for a reason! Today, the wine is one of our stars.’ There’s certainly some excitement in Uruguay about the potential of coastal whites, which include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Roussanne, Viognier and Torrontés, among others – giving winemakers plenty of tools to draw from. I’m personally excited about the potential of white blends that can nicely reflect the balanced character and subtle, layered aromas Uruguay’s white varieties often proffer.

Single-varietal reds

Carla Bertellotti, a Uruguayan in London who founded prominent Uruguayan wine importer Vinos Latinos, is also excited: ‘Uruguay should explore further the potential in white wines, both as single varietals and blends. There are great things coming out now, and I reckon we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.’

In Uruguay’s world of red wines, blends have always been at the forefront. ‘In our culture, we are used to saving wines and cellaring them – for which blends have certain advantages,’ explains third-generation vigneron Santiago Deicas. ‘In our family, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot have always been important to us: they make up – blended with Tannat – our top family wine.’

It is common to taste Tannat blends that reflect the character and heritage of each winemaking family: whether it is the Zinfandel-Tannat blend pioneered by Artesana (co-owned by a Californian), or the Petit Manseng-Tannat blend from the Carrau family (of Catalan heritage) in Rivera. Blends were historically a way of softening the sometimes spiky edges of red wines in this humid climate, but with significant viticultural advancements in the past couple of decades, single-varietal red wines are also making their mark on the wine scene.

Pinot Noir is a favourite among Uruguayan wineries, with Bodega Oceánica José Ignacio, Bouza, Garzón, Marichal, Pizzorno and Viña Progreso all making notable examples. But no one exports quite as much Pinot Noir as the Pisano family. ‘It’s our second most exported variety after Tannat!’ exclaims Daniel Pisano, one of the three brothers in charge. ‘We actually sell just as much Pinot Noir in France as we do Tannat… I joke that we’re selling ice to the eskimos!’

There’s clearly a demand for these varieties, and a notable French leaning in many of the country’s top red wines, with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon being the third and fifth most planted varieties respectively.

But it is actually Cabernet Franc that excites me most. Some interesting expressions of Cabernet Franc are now coming from a range of the 99 soil types to be found in Uruguay: from the bony, floral wines of the schist soils of San José to the richer, fruit-driven wines from the calcareous clay of Canelones.

The other area of excitement in Uruguayan reds is with Petit Verdot and Marselan. Both have thicker skins that make them more tolerant of the humid climate. And both make wines of great acidity, freshness and character – with Marselan offering a more supple, food-friendly wine and Petit Verdot acting as a spicier but less austere counterpart to Tannat.

Innovation and diversity

Experimentation with other varieties doesn’t end there. There’s a growing movement of sparkling wines in Uruguay, from the complex and classy traditional-method bubblies of Viña Edén, to the wild pét-nat wines of Pablo Fallabrino (who has also released the country’s first CBD-infused wines, celebrating the legal status of marijuana in Uruguay). Winemakers are dabbling in orange wines too, as well as ageing white wines in amphorae and concrete eggs.

Innovation is bubbling over in Uruguay. ‘In the future we’ll definitely see more diversity, not only in varieties but also in winemaking,’ adds Garzón’s Bruzzone. ‘There are many exciting wine projects here that are spearheaded by the younger generation. They are exploring making wine in very different ways – with some surprising results.’

Although there’s plenty of reason to get excited about Uruguay’s wines beyond Tannat, that’s not to say that Tannat is by any means on its way out. Uruguayan Tannat continues to journey across Uruguay’s wine regions as well as styles – from carbonic-maceration Tannat pioneered by the Pizzorno family, to the many great dessert wines available today, and even sparkling Tannat. ‘Tannat expresses terroir like no other variety, so in Uruguay you find as many Tannat styles as terroirs exist,’ adds Daniel Pisano.

As Uruguay’s most-grown variety, Tannat offers an unparalleled opportunity to travel Uruguay’s wine regions from your glass. But, while you swirl your way around Uruguay, it’s well worth taking several pit stops on your journey to discover the diversity of varieties on offer. Small Uruguay may be, but you can’t ever say it is predictable or boring.

Amanda Barnes’ top 20 Uruguay wines beyond Tannat

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The appellation of Côtes du Rhône Villages St-Maurice is almost extinct. Aside from the local cave cooperative, just two producers bottle any wine under this name; one of them is Domaine Chaume-Arnaud.

Most of what they make is Vinsobres, however – a more familiar name, but appellations like these still serve more as bushel than lighthouse. I can think of no other reason this estate isn’t better known, since its wines are so reliably good.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for five Domaine Chaume-Arnaud wines

A family domaine

It is now in the hands of Thibaud Chaume (pictured above), but it was his mother Valérie who established the estate in 1987, renting 4.5ha of vines from her parents after leaving agricultural college. She was joined two years later by Thibaud’s father, Philippe.

In 1999, they inherited the remaining 30ha of family vineyards, which the domaine continues to farm today.

Their conversion to biodynamic methods in 2003 was a response to global warming, and they were certified by Demeter in 2009.

‘The goal was to keep freshness,’ says Philippe, and he confirms that the acidities in the wines are higher now as a result.

What wines are made at Chaume-Arnaud?

The St-Maurice, made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, is wild and mouthfilling. Their classic Vinsobres is more refined and refreshing thanks to 20% Cinsault in the blend. The depth and ageability of their Vinsobres La Cadène comes from the generous Mourvèdre in the blend.

Their whites are as good as their reds. The Côtes-du-Rhône, made from Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier, is fresh and highly drinkable. Their top white, a Marsanne/Viognier blend also bottled as Côtes-du-Rhône and again named La Cadène, is better still – an excellent Southern Rhône white.

They also like to play with some more obscure varieties for their IGP wines, planted on flat land near the river Aigues, including Caladoc and Merlot for the reds, Chenin, Chasselas et Vermentino for whites.

The spirit of polyculture farming – growing a range of different crops – hasn’t died out here, and they still grow tomatoes, olives and cereals as well as vines. The family is proud of its paysan roots.

Thibaud’s younger brother Raphael is a professional rugby player, but in 2022 he’s due to retire from the sport and return to the family farm. An estate that’s quite literally going from strength to strength.

A selection of Domaine Chaume-Arnaud wines tasted:

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With his thick mop of sandy hair and boyish, gap-toothed grin, it is hard to believe that Robert Hill-Smith – proprietor and chair of Yalumba, Australia’s oldest family-owned winery – celebrates his 70th birthday in 2021.

Scroll down for Sarah Ahmed’s tasting notes and scores on the latest releases from Yalumba

Admired for his leadership and warmth, Hill-Smith – fifth generation of the Barossa-based business – became managing director in 1985.

In 1989 (along with his immediate family) he steered the buy-out of other family shareholders. According to the Wine Industry Directory, Yalumba, founded in 1849, was Australia’s 10th largest wine company by total revenue in 2019.

Yalumba commands great loyalty from staff and growers alike. ‘You really bought into the company,’ says a former employee.

Those who have significantly contributed to Yalumba’s culture and traditions are honoured ‘signatories’ of The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz. Hill-Smith’s father Wyndham (Yalumba’s managing director between 1938 and 1972) launched the wine in 1962.

The signatory for the latest 2016 release is chief winemaker Louisa Rose, who joined Yalumba in 1992 after graduation. The 2015 signatory was Darrell Kruger, vineyard manager for Yalumba’s Barossa properties. He’s been with the company since 1975.

Kruger and other Yalumba ‘VSOPs’ (Very Special Old People, with more than 21 years’ service) have their names inscribed on plaques at the entrance to the winery’s Angaston headquarters, with its iconic clocktower and flag.

Forefront of innovation

With its own nursery since 1975 (supplying vines commercially since 1982), Yalumba has been at the forefront of new clones and varieties. ‘That ability to trial, experiment and philosophise is really liberating,’ says winemaker Rose.

‘I joined Yalumba just as Australian wines were starting to develop a worldwide reputation, so there has always been something for me to do!’ Her work with Viognier in particular has made Yalumba the standard-bearer in Australia.

Following visits in the late ’90s to Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie in the Rhône as well as California, Rose and her team made additional clonal Viognier selections for Yalumba’s nursery to enhance wine flavour, aroma and texture.

To help bring the wines of the world to Australia and Yalumba’s wines to the world, Hill-Smith helped to found wine agency Negociants International in 1985.

It was the same year he became managing director. A difficult one, he explains, ‘because Yalumba was transitioning from being very dependent on fortified wines during the 1970s and ’80s. We had the baggage of history.’

Yalumba sold off its fortified wines and trademarks in 1993, enabling the business to concentrate on table wine production.

Recruited in 1988, winemaker Brian Walsh (Rose’s predecessor) transformed operations. He dispensed with the old-school ‘farmer and chemist’ dichotomy: laboratory-based, white-coated winemakers telling farmers when to pick grapes based purely on sugar readings.

Soon, winemakers were among the vines themselves, tasting berries for phenolic ripeness. This produced a winemaking team ‘linked at the hip with the vineyard’, says Hill-Smith.

Centred on tradition

Today Yalumba (meaning ‘the land all around’) produces about 50 traditional and innovative table wines, ranging from the popular, everyday Y Series label, to its aspirational Rare and Fine range. There are also 11 sister-labels (see box below).

‘Yalumba is defined by the classics, centred on tradition, heritage and the Barossa,’ says Jessica Hill-Smith, Hill-Smith’s eldest daughter and the great-great-great-granddaughter of Yalumba founder Samuel Smith.

She is the latest family member to join the Yalumba fold, becoming a brand manager in 2019.

While The Virgilius Viognier is Yalumba’s flagship white, the portfolio is dominated by Shiraz, the Barossa’s emblematic variety, alongside Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz blends – a uniquely Australian tradition.

Yalumba boasts an extensive network of growers (including ‘VSOGs’ – Very Special Old Growers – whose families have supplied Yalumba with grapes for more than 25 years.

Rattling off a list of families, vineyards and sub-regions, senior red winemaker Kevin Glastonbury (a newly minted VSOP, having joined Yalumba in 1999) confirms 10 sites are ‘leading contenders’ for The Signature every year.

Focus on terroir

Yalumba has produced a single-site Coonawarra Cabernet (The Menzies) since 1986, but the Barossa single-site range came later, in 2005.

Hill-Smith is keen to articulate site and sub-regional variation – ‘to tell the story about the differences at our back door’.

‘Eden Valley’s high-toned spice and aromatic expression; the brilliance of colour from Lyndoch’s foothills at the Barossa’s southern extremity; the stewier and darker Shiraz from Light Pass; and full-bodied but high-toned wines from the northwest’s heavier clay ironstone and terra rossa soils.’

Hill-Smith says this focus on terroir reflects a generation of growers who ‘really respect the land and its points of difference a hell of a lot more than previous generations’.

Yalumba has also snapped up ‘viticultural jewels’ like the Tri-Centenary Grenache vineyard which Hill-Smith feared ‘could have been ripped up’.

Daughter Jessica confirms that the recognition, preservation and promotion of old vines was the motive behind the Yalumba Old Vine Charter, which was subsequently adopted by the Barossa Grape & Wine Association.

A host of firsts

Similarly ahead of the game, in 2005 Yalumba was the first Australian company to be recognised for leadership in greenhouse gas management by the Australian Greenhouse Office.

Spearheaded by Yalumba’s senior environmental manager Dr Cecil Camilleri in the 1990s – long before sustainability became a buzzword – the company’s Vitis programme introduced the framework to analyse, review and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across viticulture, production, packaging and market distribution.

Yalumba also made its first certified organic wines in 2005 and, in 2016, installed Australia’s largest winery solar panelling.

A shift towards minimal winemaking has gone hand-in-hand with giving greater expression to vineyard, variety and vintage.

The fine-tuning of barrels (made at Yalumba’s cooperage since the end of the 19th century) was evident when tasting the 2008 and 2015 Octavius, with Hill-Smith last year.

The company’s flagship Shiraz – once called ‘Oaktavius’ – used to be aged mostly in new American oak octaves (90-litre barrels).

Today oak is the frame, not the picture. ‘With healthy, perfectly ripe fruit you are not using anything as a crutch,’ says Hill-Smith. Recent vintages of Octavius show ‘energy, vibrancy and seamless complexity of layers; more lift and spice’.

Neither fined nor filtered since 2011, Yalumba’s range is 100% vegan. Rose says this ‘brings a bit of edge and natural phenolics’ to balance the wine and enhance food-friendliness.

Challenging perceptions

In 2017 Hill-Smith launched the luxury icon Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz blend The Caley. At a time when Australians were emerging from a period of ‘cultural cringe’, he says it aimed to challenge perceptions that ’we are not yet seen as a country to belong to a club of elite wines’.

Though ageworthy, also being broachable on release has been a double-edged sword for Australian fine wine. It is certainly a hallmark of Yalumba’s top wines, whose alluring primary fruit can make them difficult to resist.

At its London launch, The Caley 2012 was presented alongside tertiary delights from the Yalumba cellar. There were reds from 1974, 1961 and 1959 and a 1908 fortified Muscadelle.

The company is building a museum-release programme to emphasise the ageability of its top wines – and preserve us from the temptation of infanticide.

The past year has been a bruising one for the Australian wine industry. First drought, then bush fires, the global pandemic and now swingeing tariffs in China, its biggest market.

‘Every generation has encountered challenges and had to innovate and fight to stay alive,’ says Jessica Hill-Smith.

‘The fact that our family has held on, resisting the temptation to hand over the keys speaks to a sense of responsibility – that we are just custodians for future generations. Yalumba is our home and we fight for it.’

Yalumba: a timeline

1849 Samuel Smith acquires and plants an Angaston property, calling it Yalumba; first wines produced in 1853

1908 Yalumba clocktower constructed

1962 First vintage of The Signature, dedicated to Samuel Smith

1975 Yalumba vine nursery established

1985 Robert Hill-Smith becomes managing director, introducing premium wines The Menzies (1986) and The Octavius (1988)

1989 Robert Hill-Smith and immediate family buy out other family shareholders; premium focus continues with The Virgilius (1998) and The Reserve (1990)

1990s Vitis programme formalises sustainability initiatives at estate and grower vineyards

2006 First certified organic releases of Shiraz and Viognier

2011 Range becomes 100% vegan

2012 First vintage of luxury icon red blend The Caley

2016 Australia’s largest winery solar panelling installed

Yalumba: the facts

Owners Hill-Smith family

Winery Angaston, Barossa Valley

Grape crush 8,000-10,000 tonnes/year (60% from estate grapes)

Annual production 500,000 cases

Vineyard sources Barossa Valley: 100ha estate fruit, 162ha grower fruit; Eden Valley: 35ha estate fruit, 67ha grower fruit; Coonawarra: 40ha estate fruit

Sister-brands Oxford Landing, Jansz, Pewsey Vale, Hill-Smith Estate, Dalrymple, Heggies, Running with Bulls, Smith & Hooper, Ringbolt, Winesmiths & Nautilus Estate (New Zealand)

Yalumba: Sarah Ahmed tastes the latest releases

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Hentley Farm: producer profile

The Standish Wine Co: producer profile

Grant Burge Wines: producer profile

Now until 31 December 2020, ASC Fine Wines is offering special discounted packages on a selection of 90+ point wines.

From 95 point Australian Viognier by Yalumba to award-winning Burgundy from Louis Jadot, Taylor’s LBV Port and ‘a bright, fresh splash of fruit’ with Robert Mondavi’s California Zinfandel, ASC Fine Wines has put together a selection of DWWA 2020 award-winning wines worth discovering this December.

Described as ‘China’s greatest fine wine importer’ by legendary wine critic and Decanter Hall of Fame 2020 winner Robert M. Parker, Jr., ASC has a sales network covering Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. With a constant focus on quality, ASC partners with the best possible wine brands to create an exceptional portfolio which now includes over 1,200 premium labels from more than 100 renowned wineries around the world. 

Associate Public Relations Director Matthew Gong comments, ‘We are thrilled that many of the wines that we distribute in China have won prestigious honours in Decanter World Wine Awards and Decanter Asia Wine Awards year after year. DWWA and DAWA are the signs of quality wines. We are proud that we bring them to China to enrich the life of Chinese wine lovers.

‘This month we have carefully selected from DWWA 2020 some of the most representative award-winning wines of their category, region and style to make packages for the China market. Undoubtedly, they will bring extra joy to the festive season.’

Scroll down to see which award-winning wines are on offer now at ASC Fine Wines. Alternatively, use the QR code below to start shopping now.

ASC Fine Wines x DWWA 2020

Bodega Norton, Privada Family Blend, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina 2017

Silver, 92 points

Very stylish, attractive plum notes with some spices. Full-bodied and harmonious, it has depth and layers of complexity.

Bründlmayer, Rosé Brut, Niederösterreich, Austria NV

Silver, 91 points

Wonderful character, showing aromas of peach ice tea, wild strawberry and fresh red currants, with a creamy texture run through with crisp acidity.

Emilio Lustau, Emperatriz Eugenia, Oloroso, Sherry, Spain NV

Silver, 93 points

Beautiful, honeyed nose of molasses, then to a rich, textured palate of blanched almond, woodsmoke and plush bitter chocolate.

Louis Jadot, Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy, France 2018

Silver, 90 points

Rich vanilla, smoke and spicy oak aromatics with a luscious creamy, toasty palate and a long, velvety finish.

Louis Jadot, Les Petits Pierres, Mâcon, Burgundy, France 2018

Silver, 93 points

Energetic with lots of yellow apple and citrus zip, a vibrant floral freshness and a warming, spicy finish.

Robert Mondavi, Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, California, USA 2018

Silver, 92 points

Deep, poised, curranty red fruits, blackberries and subtle herbal notes. A ripe and generous palate with sweet spice on the finish.

Robert Mondavi, Private Selection Zinfandel, California, USA 2018

Silver, 90 points

A bright, fresh splash of fruit, with earthy berry and red flower aromas, and a little savoury warmth.

Taylor’s, Late Bottled Vintage, Port, Portugal 2015

Silver, 93 points

Elderberry, cherry and blackberry with finely-grained tannins and balanced sweetness. Ripe, brooding dark chocolate and mint aromas. Very appealing.

Yalumba, Samuel’s Collection Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa, South Australia, Australia 2017

Silver, 91 points

Elegant, restrained aromas of smoky cedar and summery sweet fruit lead you to a palate of plum, chocolate and classy, silky oak.

Yalumba, The Virgilius Viognier, Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia 2017

Gold, 95 points

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

Scan the QR code to shop now

About ASC Fine Wines

Website: www.asc-wines.com

Promotion period: Now until 31 December 2020

Promotion details: Save on DWWA 2020 wine packages up to 50% off

Online promo code: N/A (discount applied at checkout)

The 2019 vintage across the Rhône Valley was marked by heat and drought. The heat spikes weren’t quite so high in the northern part of the region but you can feel sun in the wines whether they are from the north or south, writes Matt Walls in his vintage report.

Looking at the 2019 white wines from across the Rhône, Walls found some superb examples.

Scroll down to see Matt’s top 2019 Rhône whites tasting notes and scores

Down south

‘White wines often excel in cooler vintages such as 2014,’ writes Walls in his notes on the southern Rhône. ‘But I was surprised at the quality of many of the whites this year, they have a surprising intensity for such a hot year. Again, it’s Châteauneuf that leads the pack, with good value options in Vacqueyras, Cairanne and Lirac.’

With the exception of some of the Châteauneufs, the whites should be drunk straight away, he adds, to best enjoy their ‘youthful vigour and exotic fruit’. 

Looking specifically at white Châteauneuf he finds lots to enjoy this year. ‘There are plenty of fresh and lively wines considering the intense climatic conditions.’

Elsewhere in the south there are some very good ‘plump yet fresh’ whites to be found in Lirac. Two of which Domaine Pelaquié’s ‘Luc Pélaquié’ and Les Vignobles Assemat’s Lirac scored 91 points. 

Heading north

In the north of the region Walls concludes that in 2019, Marsanne and Roussanne performed better than Viognier. ‘Hermitage is head and shoulders above other Northern Rhône whites,’ he says, ‘but there are some enjoyable wines to be found in Saint-Joseph at more accessible prices. It was an awkward year in Condrieu and Saint-Péray; there are some good wines, but buy with care.’

Among the top-scoring white wines of the vintage are five from Condrieu. ‘Most growers had to make an impossible choice this year in Condrieu, as sugar levels spiralled upwards while flavour ripeness lagged far behind,’ writes Walls.

‘As a result, most of the Condrieus I tasted from 2019 fell into one of two camps. Some had underdeveloped grassy flavours, tarragon and lemon verbena, but were otherwise fresh and balanced. The others had good depth and concentration, but were noticeably alcoholic, gloopy or had very low acidity. Both can be good in their own way; but this isn’t a great vintage for Condrieu.’

‘There are a handful of really delicious wines, and it’s the riper styles that will deliver the most satisfaction, even if the alcohol levels are raised. The best sites really rose to the top, managing to balance the natural opulence of the year with saltiness and minerality.’ 

Hermitage, meanwhile, may be a vintage for reds but the white Hermitage is surprisingly good too. At best the whites were ‘rich and opulent with low acidity, even for Hermitage,’ finding ‘a sense of balance through their concentration and intensity.’

See Matt’s best Rhône 2019 white wines

The following list comprises wines that scored 95 points and above.

See also

Rhône 2019 En Primeur: Full report

Southern Rhône 2019 report plus top scoring wines

Northern Rhône 2019 report plus top scoring wines

With the extreme weather conditions in 2019, ‘you had to be very vigilant with the picking date,’ says Stéphane Ogier.

But it seems like most growers had to make an impossible choice this year in Condrieu, as sugar levels spiralled upwards while flavour ripeness lagged far behind.

Scroll down to see Matt’s top Condrieu and Château-Grillet 2019 tasting notes and scores

As a result, most of the Condrieus I tasted from 2019 fell into one of two camps. Some had underdeveloped grassy flavours, tarragon and lemon verbena, but were otherwise fresh and balanced.

The others had good depth and concentration, but were noticeably alcoholic, gloopy or had very low acidity. Both can be good in their own way; but this isn’t a great vintage for Condrieu.

There are a handful of really delicious wines, and it’s the riper styles that will deliver the most satisfaction, even if the alcohol levels are raised. The best sites really rose to the top, managing to balance the natural opulence of the year with saltiness and minerality.

Quick links Northern Rhone

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines: coming soon

Côte-Rôtie

Saint-Joseph

Cornas

Saint-Péray

Hermitage

Crozes-Hermitage

Key producers in 2019

Château-Grillet

Clos de la Bonnette

Domaine François Merlin

Domaine de Monteillet

Cave Yves Cuilleron

Value picks

Domaine de Monteillet Condrieu ‘Les Grands Chaillées’ 2019

Mouton Père et Fils Condrieu ‘Côte Chatillon’ 2019

Pierre Gaillard Condrieu 2019

See Matt’s top Condrieu and Château-Grillet 2019 tasting notes and scores

See also

Rhône 2019 En Primeur: Full report plus top scoring winesNorthern Rhône 2019 report plus top scoring winesSouthern Rhône 2019 report plus top scoring wines

At Domaine JP Jamet they prefer the 2019 to the 2018 thanks to its freshness and balance.

Jean-Paul Jamet says this is partly thanks to four small rainfalls of around 30mm between 20th July and 20th August which blessed them with larger yields and a more steady, regular ripening.

‘You hope for a few vintages like this in your life,’ he says, describing the vintage as ‘magical’.

Scroll down to see Matt’s top Côte-Rôtie 2019 tasting notes and scores

Pierre Rostaing reports temperatures hitting 40 ̊ C in Côte-Rôtie, but he didn’t experience any berry damage as a result. ‘Hot years trouble me a bit,’ he says, ‘but we had grapes that were ripe and clean.’ He compares the vintage to 2017, albeit with more extreme weather.

The overall quality in Côte-Rôtie is high, in a very ripe style.

Acidity levels do tend to be good however, and where alcohols are in check, there are plenty of deliciously deep and unctuous wines to choose from.

On tasting, wines from schistous soils (northern Côte Brune side) showed markedly better than those from gneiss (southern Côte Blonde side). Philippe Guigal believes ‘the wines have a great capacity to age in 2019.’

Quick links Northern Rhone

Individual appellation analysis and top-scoring wines

Condrieu and Château-Grillet

Saint-Joseph

Cornas

Saint-Péray

Hermitage

Crozes-Hermitage

Key producers in 2019

Domaine Benjamin et David Duclaux

Domaine Christophe Billon

Domaine François et Fils

Domaine Jamet

Domaine Rostaing

Domaine Stéphane Ogier

E. Guigal

Value picks

Domaine Chambeyron Côte-Rôtie ‘L’Angeline’ 2019

Domaine Christophe Billon Côte-Rôtie ‘Les Elotins’ 2019

Domaine Lionel Faury Côte-Rôtie ‘Reviniscence’ 2019

Pierre Gaillard Côte-Rôtie 2019

Domaine Stéphane Ogier Côte-Rôtie ‘Mon Village’ 2019

See Matt’s top Côte-Rôtie 2019 tasting notes and scores

See also

Rhône 2019 En Primeur: Full report plus top scoring winesNorthern Rhône 2019 report plus top scoring winesSouthern Rhône 2019 report plus top scoring wines

While the red wines of the Southern Rhône have a relatively smooth transition from one state of maturity to another, the wines of the Northern Rhône experience a bumpier ride.

It’s advisable to open them in one of two windows; either young and fruity, or wait until it has comfortably moved into a mature stage. If you open it between these two windows, you risk finding it closed down and introspective rather than open and giving.

This doesn’t always happen. Sometimes you get lucky (or unlucky – these closed periods can return in waves). Lighter vintages don’t always fall into a hole; the more structured, tannic and long-lasting a vintage, the more likely it is. I also find that wines made with a large proportion of whole bunches are more susceptible.

Scroll down for Matt Walls’ top Northern Rhône wines from vintages ready to drink now

My general rule of thumb for Northern Rhône reds is ‘first four years or after eight’, but really it depends on the terroir.

For the best wines of Hermitage, it’s worth waiting longer – 15 to 20 years for before opening is safer, but then the wines age for longer than other appellations. Crozes-Hermitage has very different soils; most of the vines are grown on recent alluvial terraces rather than the granite and gneiss of the west bank. They are less likely to close down, and only the very best are worth keeping as long as eight years anyway.

There are other considerations as well as terroir when it comes to ageing Northern Rhônes; vine age, yields and élévage all can play a part. The remaining factor is the character of the vintage. I’m pulling out the following vintages out from my collection to drink now.

2017

The 2017s still sit within the earlier drinking window, and while I’d rather wait to drink Hermitage and Cornas, all the other appellations of the Northern Rhône are still on the table.

It was a hot and exceptionally dry growing season which led to small yields of very concentrated grapes. There was a high proportion of skins to juice, which has produced wines that are rigorous and often quite muscular, not always the most elegant but with plenty of impact. It’s a style that’s likely to close down in the next year or two, so either drink them now or put them out of reach for a while.

I’ve been enjoying Domaine Laurent Habrard’s exceptional Crozes-Hermitage rouge ‘Kévin’ that has retained a sense of freshness despite the dry conditions. Easier to find is Delas Crozes-Hermitage rouge ‘Le Clos’, an elegant style from old vines that is drinking well now.

Red Saint-Josephs are also in a good place. At the lighter end of the scale, Domaine du Mortier ‘Bara’ is fresh and approachable; Ferraton’s ‘Paradis’ is fuller in body, but its bright aromatics are irresistible now.

I’m greatly enjoying Domaine Xavier Gérard’s 2017 Côte-Rôtie at the moment, and even the 2017 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie is still vividly expressive, though it will be even better in 10 years time.

As for white 2017s from the Northern Rhône, for all but Hermitage blanc, Château-Grillet and the best Condrieus, it’s a vintage to drink rather than hold.

2012

The 2012s are just coming up for air after their eight years in bottle, and many are looking really good now. It was a very good vintage in the Northern Rhône, a warm but not hot year that resulted in very well-balanced, elegant wines. It was consistently good throughout the valley, but some more straightforward Côte-Rôties aren’t always as generous as you might hope.

The more basic Saint-Josephs might not have long left in them, but more ambitious single-vineyard bottlings are in a lovely place right now. By contrast, most Cornas and even some Hermitage wines are just starting to awaken. So either way you’re unlikely to by stymied by a wine in a hole unless you pull out a particularly ageworthy Hermitage.

Domaine Monier-Parréol Saint-Joseph rouge ‘Le Châtelet’ 2012 is in a lovely state of maturity now, and in Hermitage, the Domaine Yann Chave 2012 is just starting to come around, though will benefit from longer in bottle. If you have any whites other than top Hermitage in your collection, I’d put them in the ‘drink soon’ pile.

2008

Generally considered to be the worst vintage in the Rhône since the dire 2002, the 2008 started with difficult flowering then had a cool and very wet growing season. From what I’ve tasted recently, there’s no point in keeping these for any longer – get them out and drink them.

Some, especially in Côte-Rôtie can be on the green side. But further south, on the best slopes of Saint-Joseph, Cornas and Hermitage, not everyone made disappointing wines: you might be in for a pleasant surprise.

The Domaine Gonon Saint Joseph rouge 2008 is lean but fresh and appetising, and Domaine Clape Cornas 2008 lacks a little of its characteristic intensity but is nonetheless complex, with peppery herbal aromatics.

Though remembered as a poor vintage, many of the white wines were much more successful. Chapoutier’s Hermitage blanc ‘Le Méal’ is skinnier than a typical vintage, but still a delicious bottle of wine by any standards, with a few more years in the tank still to go. And a Domaine Lombard Brézème blanc 2008 tasted recently was a revelation, brimming with citrusy acidity, lavender honey and violets: a wine of extraordinary character.

2006

A warm, easy-going growing season without great extremes resulted in a delightful vintage for both reds and whites in the Northern Rhône. Though the whites, except for Hermitage blanc, should now all have been drunk, the best reds are drinking well and largely in a harmonious and hugely enjoyable state.

Domaine Clape’s 2006 Cornas is simply incredible and will last for much longer than their 2008. Hermitage is largely ready to be broached now, with wines such as Domaine des Martinelles old vine cuvée ‘Louis et Aimé’ now fully mature but still brimming with sap and intensity.

1989

Some of the best wines from the run of three excellent vintage that started in 1989 are still delivering lots of pleasure today.

At this stage, storage conditions play an important role regarding how the wines are drinking today, but all being equal, I’d be pulling out my 1989s. It was an excellent vintage, hot and dry, but generally not quite as long-lived as the legendary 1990. The 1991 vintage might not be so familiar, perhaps because it was uninspiring almost everywhere else in the world apart from California and Rioja. But don’t underestimate the wines – it was a little cooler and wetter than the others in the trio, but made some beautifully balanced, very long-lived reds.

The greatest 1989s still have plenty of life ahead of them, even if they’re unlikely to improve as such.

Both the Jaboulet Hermitage rouge ‘La Chapelle’ and the Domaine JL Chave Hermitage rouge are at the peak of their legendary powers at the moment. And don’t forget Hermitage Vin de Paille – the Cave de Tain 1989 is still delicious, combining kaleidoscopic aromatics with perfect balance.

See Matt Walls’ top Northern Rhône wines from vintages ready to drink now

Other ‘ready to drink’ vintage guides

Top five Southern Rhône vintages ready to drink now

Anson: Top five Bordeaux vintages ready to drink nowFive Tuscan vintages to drink now

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For most of the world’s wine regions, the majority of their exported bottles sell for less than £50 ($64/€58) in the retail market.

Not so California, where for many of its wines, even a producer’s most affordable, you’ll get little change from that outlay.

Such is the region’s reputation for big wines – in style and price – that the trade body which represents California in the UK felt the need to host an event, Essential California, where only wines costing £50 or under were on show.

This was a canny move as there’s plenty on offer in the £20-£50 bracket and the tasting of more than 500 wines was a great way to shine a light on the value that this great state can deliver.

Cabernet Sauvignon remains king in California, and while plenty of Cabs and Bordeaux blends can be found in the below £50 / $50 range, many of the most interesting wines in this price bracket come from Rhône Valley varieties.

‘Rhône Rangers’ is the tag given to Californian reds based around the classic varieties of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, and it’s this trio of grapes – alongside the peppery Counoise – which produced some of the most exciting wines of the tasting.

Expressive, bright, often floral and rarely overblown, these approachable reds share the same characteristic ripeness of fruit, lingering spice and inherent savouriness as their French counterparts.

There’s a burgeoning white Rhône scene in California too, where Viognier, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc lead the charge and are capable of producing racy, supple wines.

Decanter Premium – Californian Rhône-style reds

California Rhône wines to try under £50 / $50

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California’s Bonny Doon Vineyard sold

What’s the difference between Syrah and Shiraz?

Château-Grillet remains an enigma. This tiny property, located between the villages of Vérin and St-Michel-sur-Rhône, on the right bank of the Rhône river, has a long history.

Records show that the wine was enjoyed by Thomas Jefferson, the Empress Josephine and King George IV of England. Today, Grillet’s tiny size is dwarfed by its reputation and high prices. So, how do recent releases match up to its vaunted name?

Scroll down for Andy Howard MW’s Château-Grillet tasting notes and scores

In recent decades, numerous wine writers have been critical of Grillet, arguing the quality of wine in bottle has not lived-up to the heights that the estate should be reaching.

Appellation Château-Grillet Contrôlée was granted its own INAO status on 11 December 1936. Like La Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, and Clos de Tart it is a monopole, with 3.5ha sited between 150-250m above sea level on 87 dry-stone wall terraces – known as chaillées.

Viognier is the only permitted grape variety, with the estate sited in a sun-drenched, south-facing, natural amphitheatre. Here the soils are poorer than most of the Condrieu appellation, with sandy soils derived from decomposed granite, quartz, feldspar and mica, combined with wind-blown loess.

In 2011, the Neyret-Gachet family (who had owned the property since 1827) sold Château-Grillet to François Pinault’s Artémis group, whose wine portfolio includes Château Latour, Château Vrai Croix de Gay (Pomerol), and Château Le Prieuré in St-Emilion, to name but a few.

Frédéric Engerer is general manager with Alessandro Noli leading the winemaking team. Clearly Engerer believes there is untapped potential at Grillet and this tasting, organised by Dominic Buckwell, Wine GB Director, provided an opportunity to taste the most recent releases against a range of other top Viognier wines from the Northern Rhône.

As well as making changes to the training system in the vineyard, switching from the single Guyot to Guyot Poussard method, Noli has adopted biodynamic principles and now uses a horse to power the winch ploughing the vineyard terraces.

Within the winery, small temperature controlled stainless steel vats have been installed to allow vinification of individual parcels.

In addition, a second wine has been introduced from parcels not felt to be of high enough quality to be bottled as Château-Grillet. Named ‘Pontcin’, this 100% Viognier wine is labelled as Côtes du Rhône.

However, don’t expect any of the Grillet wines to be cheap. Pontcin trades at more than £100 per bottle in bond, with recent vintages of Château-Grillet almost three times this price.

So, with these high prices, is it immediately apparent what makes Château-Grillet so special?

The tasting was useful in many respects as it gave an opportunity to try the most recent vintages, and to compare the grand vin style with that of Pontcin and several top examples of Condrieu.

Those include wines from Georges Vernay, Yves Cuilleron, François Villard and Guigal’s top Condrieu, La Doriane.

The short answer is that the Grillet style is not an easy one to understand and lovers of more flamboyant, exotic Viognier wines might be better served elsewhere.

Château-Grillet has long-held a reputation for elegance despite its sun-drenched site.

In previous decades, early picking was seen as a way to keep acidity high and control excessive ripeness and alcohol, often making Grillet difficult to understand in its youth.

Another key component of the Château-Grillet style is a pronounced mineral edge on the palate, often making the wine seem closer to a Grand Cru Chablis than Condrieu.

In this tasting, what was evident across all of the estate’s wines was an understated quality, with restrained fruit character supported by bright acidity. Château-Grillet’s renowned mineral edge was very apparent.

These are all wines which are capable of, and would benefit from, further ageing.

The renaissance of Château-Grillet is still a work-in-progress, but there are promising signs. However, lovers of full-bodied, rich, exotic, perfumed Condrieu may be better advised to look elsewhere, unless you have deep pockets and are prepared to wait.

See Andy Howard MW’s Château-Grillet and other Viognier tasting notes and scores

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It was a very hot and dry year in the Northern Rhône which meant that the crop was ripe and plentiful.

While many producers achieved balanced and lush wines – some with incredible depth and focus – there were wines across the region which lacked acidity and/or suffered from high alcohol.

Quick link: Northern Rhône 2018 – full vintage report plus top scoring wines

Wherever you look though there’s value to be found in 2018, with Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph the home of some of the year’s best value red wines and Condrieu and Saint-Péray offering real bang for your buck for whites.

The Rhône contains so much variety that value can be found in plenty of other appellations too.

Here, Matt Walls picks out his 15 top value wines of the vintage – all wines are likely to be priced below £25/$40 when released, bench-marked on 2016 and 2017 vintages of the same wine.

It’s well worth adding the wines below to the ‘My Wines’ section of the website as a reference point for when they are released.

See Matt Walls’ best value Northern Rhône 2018 wines:

See also

Northern Rhône 2018 report: The top scorersSouthern Rhône 2018 report: The top scorers

Northern Rhône 2018

Very hot and dry, resulting in a plentiful ripe crop. Many wines with low acidity and potent alcohol, but those that could achieve balance made impressive wines.

4/5

Scroll down to see Matt’s top Northern Rhône tasting notes and scores

There was regular rain in the North during spring, but much less than in the South and later on – it mostly arrived in late May and June, encouraging rapid plant growth, and raising the spectre of mildew. Pierre Clape of Domaine Clape saw nothing overly serious however, just ‘a little on the whites but not the reds.’Organic growers managed to keep outbreaks at bay without undue worry. Spring was warm, and temperatures continued to rise, culminating in a July and August heatwave. The result was a marked drop in acidity and rapid build up of sugars.As the hot, parched weather continued some vines faced blockages in maturity, but a couple of showers in mid-August helped push the vines over the finish line. The choice of picking date was crucial: ‘In years like this,’ says Jean-Louis Chave, ‘if you leave it too long the ripeness explodes.’ He even picked on a Sunday to ensure they didn’t ripen a day too long.

The result is a rosy-cheeked vintage in the Northern Rhône, with lush, velvety fruits and often high levels of alcohol.

High yields aren’t always associated with quality, but according to Stéphane Montez; ‘if we’d have had half the crop, the alcohol would have been too high – thanks to the yield, it was balanced.’ Christophe Pichon of Domaine Pichon also pointed out that the high yields helped improve overall acidity – if not concentration.

‘Those who opted for a light touch in the cellar this year have made elegant, juicy wines.’

The best reds tended to come from the more northerly vineyards this year – Côte-Rôtie and the northern part of Saint-Joseph – where the wines are rich, but retain good balance and an upright character.

It’s a very ripe and potent year elsewhere, including Cornas, which produced some very impressive wines at the top end. In Crozes-Hermitage it’s a plush, ripe year that’s occasionally a bit over the top. It’s not so good for Hermitage; while a handful of wines impressed, some lacked depth and Hermitage character.

It’s largely a vintage for reds in the Northern Rhône. There are plenty of very good wines in Condrieu to choose from, but buy on recommendation as there are even more that lack the opulence that makes this appellation so distinctive. There are more safe bets in Saint-Péray and Saint-Joseph this year, many of which are generously proportioned but also fresh and drinkable.

Read Matt’s individual commune reports and top buys below

Côte-Rôtie

‘A rich year’, according to Jean-Paul Jamet, which neatly sums it up. Even if the vintage as a whole doesn’t have the charisma and natural harmony of the stellar 2015, it’s nonetheless very good in Côte-Rôtie, ripe and easy-going. Some wines are prone to over-ripeness and unbalanced levels of alcohol however, others over-oaking. They will take time to blossom, but there are some beautiful wines in 2018. The alcohols may be high in 2018, but Stéphane Ogier points out that in 2019 they’re even higher.

Use of stems was commonplace in Côte-Rôtie this year, a growing trend across the Northern Rhône. Christophe Pichon explains they can give ‘a sensation of acidity, and perhaps a little more freshness,’ both of which are welcome in an opulent year like this.

Value picks

Domaine Christophe Billon ‘Les Elotins’ Côte-Rôtie 2018
Domaine Martin Clerc ‘Collet’ Côte-Rôtie 2018
Domaine François Merlin Côte-Rôtie 2018
Domaine Bott Côte-Rôtie 2018

Condrieu

A vintage with more misses than hits, 2018 is on the whole a fairly dilute year, lacking the opulence and fullness that make the wines so irresistible. Yields were very high, leading to a lack of concentration; the scorching weather caused the acidities to drop and a corresponding lack of freshness in the finished wines.

After sifting through 50 examples, a dozen stood out, often the most adept producers with vineyards on the most prestigious terroirs. Domaine Niero in particular made some fantastic wines in 2018, as did Domaine de Monteillet. Not a great vintage by any means in Condrieu, but there are a few very attractive wines if you know where to look.

Value picks

Domaine Aurelien Chataignier Condrieu 2018
Domaine André Perret Condrieu 2018
Domaine Gerin ‘La Loye’ Condrieu 2018

Saint-Joseph

A vintage that was ‘hot, hot, hot’ according to Jean Gonon of Domaine Gonon, but his red hit no more than 13.8% alcohol thanks to the generous yields – 38hl/ha in both red and white in 2018. Yields at Domaine Monier-Perréol were a little lower at just 30hl/ha for their reds, and Guillaume Monier reduced the maceration time nearly by half.

Over-extraction is an occasional problem in 2018 elsewhere, as is over-oaking, with raised levels of alcohol accentuating the aromatic impact of the wood. Those who opted for a light touch in the cellar this year have made elegant, juicy wines.

‘It’s a good year for whites too,’ says Monier, and there are many with a surprisingly fresh demeanour, even if they tend towards a rounded, generous style.

Value picks

Domaine Vincent Paris ‘Les Côtes’ Saint-Joseph rouge 2018
Domaine Jolivet ‘L’Instinct’ Saint-Joseph rouge 2018
Domaine Catherine & Pascal Jamet ‘Tour d’Arras’ Saint-Joseph rouge 2018
Domaine de Monteillet Saint-Joseph blanc 2018

Cornas

Pierre Clape stressed the importance of picking early in 2018 – they started as early as September 12. It’s not an excessively ripe expression at his domaine, but it is elsewhere. More broadly it’s a very full-bodied, extravagant vintage, which can be enjoyably seductive. These characteristics can however occasionally detract from the cut and focus that makes Cornas so appetising.

Those with old vines on assertive terroirs really excelled, balancing the natural richness of the vintage with bristling tannins and a mineral grind.

Value picks

Ferraton ‘Les Grands Mûriers’ Cornas 2018
Domaine Guy Farge ‘Harmonie’ Cornas 2018
Domaine Mucyn ‘Aquilon’ Cornas 2018

Saint-Péray

Hot vintages are rarely the most exciting for white wines in the Rhône; the last truly compelling vintage for whites was 2014. Nonetheless, these are varieties that are adapted to warm climates, and growers in Saint-Péray understand how to get the best out of them even when the mercury rises.

Unsurprisingly the wines of Saint-Péray are on the broad side this year, but there are several with a lovely aromatic freshness that will provide a lot of pleasure when young.

Wines majoring on Marsanne were generally more successful than those based on Roussanne, which often felt a bit gloopy.

Value picks

Domaine Alain Voge ‘Harmonie’ Saint-Péray 2018
Domaine Guy Farge ‘Grain de Silex’ Saint-Péray 2018
Cave de Tain ‘Fleur de Roc’ Saint-Péray 2018

Hermitage

Yields were high in Hermitage in 2018, which might explain in part why some wines lack the depth and concentration expected for a hot vintage.

A lighter style doesn’t necessarily mean disappointing wines, but too many producers have soldiered on with robust extraction and long oak maturation, resulting in some harsh and clumsy reds this year. A concomitant issue appears to be a lack of full ripeness in some of the wines. Those who waited for full physiological ripeness then extracted lightly, such as Jean-Louis Chave, have produced elegant examples.

The best wines of Hermitage this year, both reds and whites, are impressive, displaying good energy, freshness and drinkability if not muscle, but a surprising proportion lack profundity and true Hermitage appeal.

Value picks

Domaine Fayolle Fils & Fille ‘Les Dionnières’ Hermitage rouge 2018
Domaine Yann Chave Hermitage rouge 2018
Cave de Tain ‘Grande Classique’ Hermitage blanc 2018

Crozes-Hermitage

The reds of Crozes-Hermitage this year are ripe, plush and juicy. Many of the wines are technically well-balanced, with plenty of impact and volume, which makes them immediately impressive.

If you’re looking for that bright, peppery, refreshing style of Crozes however, that’s hard to find this year. The majority will be best drunk whilst juicy and vibrant, as many will begin to feel cumbersome as they age.

Reds certainly beat whites this year; with a few honourable exceptions, 2018 is a corpulent vintage for Crozes whites, all too often lacking in freshness and acidity.

Value picks

Domaine Combier ‘Laurent Combier’ Crozes-Hermitage rouge 2018
Domaine du Coulet ‘Et la Bannière’ Crozes-Hermitage rouge 2018
Domaine Melody ‘Friandise’ Crozes-Hermitage rouge 2018
Domaine les 4 Vents Crozes-Hermitage rouge 2018

See Matt’s top Northern Rhône 2018 wines:

Rhône 2018 En Primeur: Full vintage report

Originally published in Decanter magazine in 2015.

Autumn is the perfect time to visit Condrieu. Sunlight hits the vines side on, illuminating their yellowing leaves. Your mind can’t help but turn to the languid, golden nectar soon to slide its way into your glass. For a dry wine it has an opulence that borders on the narcotic. To think this style was nearly lost forever is chilling.

Georges Vernay, who passed away at the age of 92 in 2017, played a vital role in its history, and the domaine that bears his name remains the appellation’s most famous. However, while Condrieu made the Vernay name, its Côte-Rôties have also been turning heads.

Scroll down for Matt Walls’ top five Georges Vernay wines

When I visited in the autumn of 2014, it was sunny but wet. There had been a torrential storm; pop-up waterfalls splashed from one tall terrace down to the next before they found their way to the swollen Rhône. The waters don’t have far to run – the village of Condrieu lies on the flat between the river and the crumpled granite that rises up behind the houses. Some of the dry stone walls that hold them up had toppled.

Despite the extra graft this promised, Georges’ daughter Christine was in high spirits. This will be her 19th vintage; at 89, Georges was happily retired. As they both knew, to make wine in Condrieu is to be accustomed to hard work.

When the appellation was granted in 1940 there were 170 hectares under vine; Condrieu is always made of pure Viognier, and at this time the variety was unique to the Rhône. But as growing industrialisation offered better paid, less arduous employment than working these slopes, growers abandoned the vineyards. By the 1950s there were just 6ha left.

The cornerstone of Domaine Georges Vernay is the vineyard planted by Georges’ father, Francis. Like many vignerons in the Rhône in the 1930s, Francis grew grapes alongside other crops. It was well known that vines grew best on the slopes and vegetables on the flat. Living at the foot of Condrieu’s Coteau du Vernon, he planted a hectare of vines on the hillside. Facing south, it happened to be one of the best sites in the village. Recognising its quality, he took the unusual step at that time of bottling the wine himself and selling it to nearby restaurants.

Georges Vernay at a glance

Location Condrieu, northern Rhône

Winemaker Christine Vernay

Vineyard area 22ha, farmed organically

Average vine age 40 years

Grapes 50% Viognier, 50% Syrah

Wines Condrieu: Coteau du Vernon, Les Chaillées d’Enfer, Terrasses de l’Empire

Côte-Rôtie: Maison Rouge, Blonde du Seigneur

St-Joseph Rouge: La Dame Brune, Terre d’Encre

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge: Ste-Agathe

Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes

Viognier: Le Pied de Samson

Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah: Fleurs de Mai, De Mirbaudie

Georges took over from his father in 1953 when the vineyards of Condrieu were all but abandoned. He promptly cleared the other fruits and vegetables to concentrate solely on wine. ‘Nowadays it’s very fashionable to talk about terroir, but I grew up with it. My father really had this conviction,’ says Christine. Georges cleared dense oak and acacia woodland from the Coteau du Vernon slope, built terraces and planted another hectare.

During his 30 years as president of the Condrieu growers’ association, he helped to restore the appellation in a wider sense. An imposing character with a booming voice and a strong personality, he strived to convince the next generation that Condrieu was worth fighting for. The appellation’s fortunes finally started to improve in the 1970s, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that its future felt assured.

Strength to strength

Christine manages the estate alongside her husband Paul Amsellem. Amsellem is chatty, animated and slightly mischievous – quite a contrast to his wife. Serious and thoughtful in manner, Vernay speaks about her wines with eloquence; it’s no surprise that she’s a former language teacher. She feels more at home among the vines than hosting tastings: ‘I’m a free spirit… you have to come and find me.’

When Georges retired in 1996, he asked if either of his two sons or his daughter might want to take on the estate. Only Christine was interested. It was a surprise to the rest of the family; she helped out at the domaine when she was young, but never in the vineyards or the cellar – it wasn’t considered suitable work for a young woman at that time. ‘But it was my childhood, my roots,’ she says. ‘Paul was ready to follow me, and my children were young so it was possible to bring them along on the adventure.’ When she arrived at the estate, she had to teach herself everything.

Formerly more famous for whites, it is the red wines that Vernay has really developed during her tenure at the domaine, with holdings now in St-Joseph and Côte-Rôtie. ‘My father was so emblematic,’ she says. ‘I really had to find my own place. Syrah was something for me to discover; it had mystery for me. Now we make as much Syrah as Viognier. But they are two different worlds.’

For Vernay, making red wine is about energy, movement and immediate attention. She describes the process as ‘carnal, masculine’. Making whites, in contrast, is a much calmer and more delicate practice; when making whites, the winery feels more ‘like a church’, she says.

Viognier is not an easy grape to work with. Vernay explains that it’s capricious, sensitive to climatic conditions, prone to coulure (the failure of grape clusters to form properly after flowering) and gives irregular yields. It can also be overtly aromatic, overly alcoholic and lacking in acidity. The key, she says, is to avoid overmaturity. ‘You have to be very attentive. In just one or two days your alcohol levels can rise too high. What I look for is freshness, complexity and subtlety.’

Slopes and salinity

Georges Vernay was convinced that the slopes were crucial for quality. Not only do they offer good drainage, but they aid full ripening of the grapes. Soils are also a major factor. The estate’s holdings centre around the original heart of the appellation on a particular type of granite called biotite. Amsellem claims it is this soil type, coupled with vine age, that sets the best Condrieus apart from other Viogniers. ‘[The soil] gives the effect of salinity in the mouth,’ he says. ‘It’s a good example of minerality.’ The best wines have a refreshing, mouthwatering character despite their low acidity.

Viognier is now planted around the world, but Vernay believes it doesn’t reach the same heights of quality as in Condrieu. ‘It can be explosively aromatic,’ she says, ‘but this isn’t its raison d’être. This exuberant personality is what people know now, but these wines are heavy and lack freshness. It’s possible that people may not like Viognier but love Condrieu.’ Other Viogniers may have raised awareness of the variety, but they haven’t necessarily done Condrieu any favours.

The Vernay house style is lean and tailored, even for Condrieu. And the wines age surprisingly well; a 1996 Coteau du Vernon we tasted was still delicious and full of life. The Côte-Rôties are fine, delicate and fragrant. ‘I don’t look for body-builder wines,’ she says. For her ‘Syrah is the cousin of Pinot Noir’.

The plans for the estate for now are to build on its strengths. They have finally finished clearing and planting a third plot of Coteau du Vernon and also purchased another parcel of Côte-Rôtie – an additional block of the Maison Rouge lieu-dit in the southernmost part of the appellation. This will increase the domaine’s total holdings across all appellations to 22ha. All the wines are made from estate fruit and there are no plans for this to change.

One of the biggest challenges is managing endless terraced vineyards without using herbicides. Much of the weeding has to be done by hand, which is punishing work in the heat of summer. But having recently been elected to join the Académie du Vin de France, Vernay feels a certain responsibility. ‘It takes a lot of manpower, and that is expensive. But you have to – we can’t continue to pollute. I need to be an example for other vignerons.’

All wine has a hedonistic attraction, but it’s particularly true of the voluptuous charms of Condrieu. It’s thanks to energetic visionaries like Georges Vernay that it still exists. ‘Wine is a pleasure, but it also tells a story,’ says Christine. A statement particularly true of Condrieu, and even more so of this domaine.

Georges Vernay: a timeline

1926 Birth of Georges Vernay

1938 First hectare of Coteau du Vernon planted by George’s father Francis Vernay

1940 Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie both awarded AC status

1953 Georges takes over from his father and Domaine Georges Vernay is established on the basis of the 1ha of Coteau du Vernon

1957 Birth of Christine Vernay

1960 Second hectare of Coteau du Vernon planted

1970 Purchase of small parcel of the Maison Rouge lieu-dit in Côte-Rôtie

1996 Last vintage vinified by Georges

1997 First vintage vinified by Christine

2000 First vintage of La Blonde du Seigneur, Côte-Rôtie

2001 First vintage of La Dame Brune, St-Joseph rouge

2014 Christine is elected to join l’Académie du Vin de France

2017 Georges Vernay passes away aged 92

See Matt Walls’ top five Georges Vernay wines

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If you're looking for more bang for your buck, keep an eye out for these wines as they're released by wine merchants...

Matt Walls selects St-Joseph as the best value appellation in 2017 in his En-primeur report, stating that ‘in a vintage like this, St-Joseph is home to some of the best value wines of France’.

But the Rhône contains so much variety that value can be found in plenty of other appellations too. Here, Matt picks out his top value picks of the vintage.

See also:

Top scoring Rhône 2017 wines

Northern Rhône 2017 wines

Southern Rhône 2017 wines

Best value Rhône 2017 wines:

Return to the Rhône 2017 hub page

Rhône 2017 may be considered a rather inconsistent vintage but flashes of brilliance are still to be found, reports Matt Walls...

Northern Rhône 2017

Concentrated, long-lived red wines, generally very good to excellent in quality, very ripe but not jammy. Apart from a clutch of top performers, whites can lack precision and focus.

4/5

Southern Rhône 2017

A hot, dry year has resulted in a very good to excellent vintage of powerful, structured red wines, though sometimes overripe or with leathery tannins. Whites tend towards richness over freshness.

4/5

‘It’s a very good vintage, with flashes of greatness at both poles’

When we look back in ten years time, 2017 won’t be held in quite the same esteem as the exceptional 2015 and 2016 Rhône vintages – in quality terms it’s simply too erratic.

But here and now you’re not buying a vintage, you’re buying individual wines, and the best 2017s hit similar heights to the two previous years, albeit in a very different style.

The 2017s all share the impact of a parched summer, which has led to a rather inconsistent vintage.

Quick link: See all Rhône 2017 en primeur tasting notes & scores

‘It was dry, there was no rain,’ says Laurence Féraud at Domaine de Pegau in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. ‘The berries were really small, more like blackcurrants. Beautiful bunches, but so small.’

The drought impacted yields to some degree, but not as much as the coulure (poor fruit-set), hitting Grenache hard and, to a lesser extent, Viognier.

Continue reading below

Rhône 2017 en primeur reports:

Top scoring Rhône 2017 wines

Northern Rhône report

Southern Rhône report

Best value Rhône 2017 wines

Winemakers blessed with old vines on the right terroir have been able to turn the dry conditions and low yields to their advantage, making concentrated, powerful, ageworthy wines. Inevitably, however, some wines veer towards overripeness and tough tannins.

There are some good whites in both north and south, but these are relatively scarce this year – whether it’s better in the north or south is hard to call. It’s a very good vintage, with flashes of greatness at both poles, but generally speaking, 2017 is a vintage in which to buy top red wines from the best domaines.

Best Producers in 2017:

Northern Rhône

Domaine Les 4 Vents

Domaine Les Bruyères

M Chapoutier

Domaine JL Chave

Domaine Clape

Domaine Combier

Domaine Guy Farge

Ferraton Père & Fils

Domaine Pierre Gaillard

Domaine Gonon

Domaine Bernard Gripa

E Guigal

Domaine Jamet

Domaine Gaylord Machon

Domaine Stéphane Ogier

Domaine Christophe Pichon

Domaine Rostaing

Domaine Marc Sorrel

Domaine François Villard

Domaine Alain Voge

Southern Rhône

Domaine Alary

Domaine Beau Mistral

Domaine des Bernardins

Domaine Brusset

Domaine des Carabiniers

Domaine Combe Julière

Le Clos du Caillou

Domaine de L’Espigouette

Moulin de La Gardette

Château de Montfaucon

Château Rayas

Domaine Roger Sabon

Domaine Le Sang de Cailloux

Château St Roch

Domaine Vallot

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Burgundy 2017: Full en primeur report

Matt Walls reports on the wines of the Northern Rhône, including the likes of Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage and Condrieu...

Northern Rhône 2017

Concentrated, long-lived red wines, generally very good to excellent in quality, very ripe but not jammy. Apart from a clutch of top performers, whites can lack precision and focus.

4/5

Scroll down to see Matt’s tasting notes and scores

The Northern Rhône experienced very similar weather conditions to the Southern Rhône in the first part of the 2017 growing season. It got off to an early start, only to be interrupted by a sudden cold snap which slowed down growth.

Syrah is less prone to coulure (the failure of fruit to form after flowering) than Grenache, but nonetheless it affected yields; when the weather warmed up again, instead of concentrating on flowering, the vines focussed on vegetative growth.

The vines ‘couldn’t concentrate on two things at once,’ explains Michel Chapoutier, owner of numerous wine estates in the Northern and Southern Rhône.

The white varieties were more susceptible to coulure, however, and some estates suffered substantial losses.

‘In a vintage like this, St-Joseph is home to some of the best value wines in France’

From mid-May, conditions were very warm and sunny, and, like the Southern Rhône, extremely dry. Jean Gonon of Domaine Gonon in St-Joseph described a straightforward growing season with no disease pressure and homogenous ripening across the estate’s various parcels.

‘We picked all the reds in four days…We were a bit disappointed at the end of picking because of the small harvest due to the dry conditions, but if we had the normal yield it would never have got ripe enough.’ They ended up with 27hl/ha against an average of 35hl/ha.

But there were some benefits to the lack of rain. First, it blessed the long harvest with healthy conditions, which started early in 2017 – the first whites being brought in at the end of August.

Secondly, it resulted in small berries with a large skin-to-juice ratio, meaning concentrated flavours and dense tannins that will make for long-lived reds.

Quick link: See all Rhône 2017 tasting notes & scores

Comparisons

Whereas 2016 in the Northern Rhône was the perfect vintage for those looking for detailed, refreshing wines with clear typicity that will drink well straight away, 2017 is more a vintage for the cellar.

It demands patience but the reward will be complex wines that command respect. The style is lush and giving – occasionally too generous and potent – more impressive but less immediate and drinkable than the thirst-quenching 2016s.

Côte-Rôtie performed very well, the best wines on a par with the stellar 2015, with no signs of greenness. Hermitage also performed strongly, with some mighty, sumptuous reds. Cornas too, though some are almost too rich and potent in 2017.

But the star appellation in 2017 is St-Joseph.

Across the Northern Rhône, whites are significantly less successful, often lacking acidity and focus, but there are some exceptional white wines in a broad, full-bodied style if you buy with care.

Read Matt’s individual commune reports and top buys below

See all Rhône 2017 tasting notes & scores

Côte-Rôtie

Another excellent year in Côte-Rôtie, not as consistent as the stellar 2015 vintage but the top wines are stunning and will last even longer.

Pierre Rostaing at Domaine Rostaing describes his 2017s as ‘structured, dense, with good concentration – all we needed to make good wines for the cellar.’

Compared to the 2015 vintage, 2017 is just as ripe, but more savoury and occasionally a little darker in fruit. Some have been pushed a little too far, with overextraction and overoaking making certain wines heavy going.

Some will drink young, but others will close down for a protracted period – as always, take note of the drinking windows.

Value picks

Benjamin & David Duclaux, La Germine, Côte-Rôtie 2017

Domaine Christophe Pichon, Promesse, Côte-Rôtie 2017

Xavier Gérard, Côte-Rôtie 2017

Condrieu

It was a challenging year for Condrieu producers. Domaine Georges Vernay lost around half its crop due to a combination of a cold spring, coulure and drought. Yves Gangloff lost 60%.

The small crop ripened quickly, often with potential alcohol levels running ahead of phenolic ripeness – resulting in some grapes being picked before the flavours were fully developed, and some wines show unbalanced alcohol.

Most wines are very full-bodied this year, some with unconvincing acidity – stylistically similar to 2015. The best wines are very good, combining opulence with focus.

Value picks

Domaine Stéphane Ogier, La Combe de Malleval, Condrieu 2017

Domaine du Chêne, Condrieu 2017

Ferraton Père & Fils, Les Mandouls, Condrieu 2017

Hermitage

After the disastrous hail of 2016, Jean-Louis Chave reports an easier growing season in 2017, resulting in ‘friendly, soft and lush’ wines that he compares to 2007 or 2000. Michel Chapoutier chooses 1995 as a comparison.

2017 is clearly a very good year, tannic and powerful. Excessive oak influence is still an issue but is gradually becoming less so. The whites are even more rich and lavish than normal in 2017, but where levels of acidity and oak are in balance it can work well, resulting in a particularly lux style of Hermitage blanc.

Value picks

Fayolle Fils & Fille, Les Dionnières, Hermitage 2017

Ferraton Père & Fils, Les Dionnières, Hermitage 2017

Tardieu-Laurent, Blanc, Hermitage 2017

Crozes-Hermitage

After the lush 2015s and the sprightly 2016s, 2017 is far less consistent in Crozes. The vintage has lent itself to powerful, long-lived, tannic wines and those aren’t always characteristics that play to its strengths.

Some producers have harnessed the year to produce striking wines with remarkable depth of fruit and interest. But choose carefully, as there are plenty of overripe, overextracted examples that lack freshness. The reds are better than the whites, which – with some notable exceptions – tend towards being flabby.

Value picks

Domaine Melody, Friandise, Crozes-Hermitage 2017

Domaine Pradelle, Les Hirondelles, Crozes-Hermitage 2017

Domaine Aléofane, Crozes-Hermitage 2017

Cornas

It was a very good vintage in Cornas, reminiscent of 2015 or 2009. The wines are just as concentrated but with marginally firmer tannins.

Pierre Clape recalled a season that saw some coulure on the best sites and hot, arid conditions leading to a very early harvest that ripened ‘like a train’, jumping from 12.8% potential alcohol one week to 14.5% the next.

Some of the wines are a little heady as a result, but most are also endowed with intense fruit, bright acidity and hefty tannic frames, which bring an overall sense of balance.

Value picks

Domaine Alain Voge, Les Chailles, Cornas 2017

Domaine Guy Farge, Harmonie, Cornas 2017

Dumien Serrette, Patou, Cornas 2017

St-Joseph

It’s rarely considered the source of the finest wines, but for me this year the star of the vintage in the Northern Rhône is St-Joseph.

As Michel Chapoutier says, ‘St-Joseph has the biggest hidden potential in the Rhône Valley.’ It’s a large appellation, but there are outcrops of outstanding terroir and very old vines which, in the right hands, can be the source of brilliant wines.

Use of stems appears to be more widespread this year, and when done well can be beneficial to both aroma and structure.

It’s also a relatively good bet for white wines in 2017 – they’re rich but often display more precision than their neighbours. In a vintage like this, St-Joseph is home to some of the best value wines in France.

Value picks

Domaine Christophe Pichon, St-Joseph 2017

Domaine Alain Voge, Les Côtes, St-Joseph 2017

Domaine Pierre Gaillard, St-Joseph 2017

St-Péray

It may be a fairly lavish vintage in St-Péray, but it’s also the home of some successful whites for devotees of an unashamedly profligate style.

The terroir is more favourable for whites than in Crozes, and winemakers here are accustomed to working with full-bodied, generous raw materials.

Inevitably in a vintage like this, some of the wines are heavy and overly viscous, but where winemakers have managed to rein in its worst excesses and retain focus and drinkability, the wines are delicious in an early-drinking style.

Value picks

Cave de Tain, Grand Classique, St-Péray 2017

Domaine François Villard, Version Longue, St-Péray 2017

Domaine Bernard Gripa, Les Pins, St-Péray 2017

Matt’s top Northern Rhône 2017 wines:

Return to the Rhône 2017 hub page

Sauvignon Blanc reigns supreme and Chardonnay is well established, but an exciting range of other white grape varieties is taking root in NZ, reports Rebecca Gibb MW. Be among the first to see the results of our panel tasting for alternative New Zealand white wines...

Is there no sating the appetite for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc? The flamboyant and vibrant style that put the country on the world wine map in the mid-1980s continues to have a thirsty fan base.

The country has become synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc, but it hasn’t always been this way. It was only in 2002 that it became the most-planted variety, taking the crown from Chardonnay, a title it had only inherited from the prolific hybrid Müller-Thurgau a few years earlier.

Despite Sauvignon Blanc’s status as the most important variety in New Zealand today, the country’s vineyards are far from monochromatic. Instead there is an ever-more colourful kaleidoscope of alternative varieties occupying New Zealand’s soils.

Chenin Blanc is recorded in the early 1900s, while Gewürztraminer took root more than half a century ago. Meanwhile, Pinot Gris was praised as long ago as 1906 by the government’s first viticulturist, Romeo Bragato; though it would take another century for its star to rise.

From just 32ha in 1997, it covered 2,369ha in 2017 and is now the third most-planted white variety after Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, finding a home in the arid, southerly extremes of Central Otago.

Scroll down to see the top wines

New energy

However, a new wave of experimental planting is re-energising New Zealand’s white producers – including Galicia’s grape Albariño, predominantly in the warmer, more humid North Island; and Austria’s signature white, Grüner Veltliner, concentrated in the cool South Island. There’s also voluptuous Viognier, vigorous Verdelho and more, for the intrepid wine drinker.

That said, the so-called ‘alternative’ movement is tiny in comparison with Australia, where Italian and Spanish varieties stand alongside Shiraz and Chardonnay vines. More than eight out of 10 litres of wine that leaves New Zealand’s ports is Sauvignon Blanc; but this is an innovative young country that isn’t afraid to fund groundbreaking research and adopt pioneering technologies; with 5,000 grape varieties in the world, make no mistake, New Zealand will be taking its exploration of Vitis vinifera further.

Quick link: View all 94 tasting notes & scores from this panel tasting

The rising tide of alternatives is providing a more colourful and appetising New Zealand wine scene. The country’s maritime climate is well suited to producing aromatic whites with vibrant fruit flavours, scintillating acidity and moderate alcohol levels. And for Sauvignon Blanc loyalists? It’s just one small step from fresh, fruity and unoaked Sauvignon to fresh, fruity and unoaked Albariño, Grüner and friends – not one giant leap.

The scores

94 wines tasted

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were asked to submit their latest release, dry white wines from New Zealand – either varietals (85%) or blends – except Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Two wines per producer (but one Riesling only) were permitted.

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 8

Highly Recommended 33

Recommended 45

Commended 8

Fair 0

Poor 0

Faulty 0

Continue reading below

The summary

High quality and the diversity of grapes and styles made this a fascinating tasting, with plenty of choice for lovers of fresh, aromatic whites, says Rebecca Gibb MW…

It is rare to feel refreshed after a 94-wine marathon, but that’s how all three judges felt at the end of this panel tasting. ‘It’s staggering how New Zealand can produce such absolutely amazing aromatic wines with great flavours,’ said Roger Jones in the post-match appraisal.

Earlier in the day, the team had not been overly enthused when faced with nearly 40 glasses of Pinot Gris, but there were plenty of judiciously made, textural examples from the 2015, 2016 and even the challenging 2017 vintage, which led to three Outstanding and 10 Highly Recommended awards among the high scores.

Quality exceeded all expectations. Melanie Brown, founder of The New Zealand Cellar, said: ‘Having watched New Zealand struggle to determine a Pinot Gris style over the years, finally seeing Gris with flavour and structure – and with good acidity – was astonishing. Gone are the days of tasting flabby, uninspiring alternative whites. These wines were testament to a quickly evolving and dynamic industry, which is capable of retaining its premium reputation beyond Sauvignon.’

Jones revealed that Pinot Gris was an important variety for diners at his restaurant, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn. ‘We have had a huge influx of people looking for Pinot Gris from the New World,’ he said. ‘Quality-wise there was a lot of lunchtime Pinot Gris here, but there were enough high-quality entries too. When Pinot Gris has texture and a bit of bottle age, my customers love it and we need to introduce more people to it.’

While there was a palpable sense of anticipation when the Albariño and Grüner Veltliner flight was poured, the Albariños failed to generate real excitement – though we felt that the variety does have a promising future, particularly in the warmer climes of the North Island. Brown explained: ‘They are new and niche, so don’t have the presence and conviction yet. In a few more years they will have developed an edge that will allow them to attain a higher level.’

A handful of Grüners showed well and offered value, although wines from the 2017 vintage lacked aromatic and palate richness, with firm acid the driving force. Jones was still pleased. ‘They are clean, vibrant and quite exciting. I haven’t had a Grüner Veltliner that excites me from anywhere other than Austria – until today.’

The sheer diversity of New Zealand’s vineyards and the expression of different grapes across the country was impressive. A range of varieties and blends shared the Outstanding podium: Pinot Gris, Riesling, Riesling-Grüner and Marsanne-Roussane. While Marlborough dominates, representing 68% of NZ vineyards, there was a good spread of plaudits across regions from Kumeu in the north to Central Otago in the south.

A number of varieties have made their home around the country, including Pinot Gris, but there are climatic differences across New Zealand, which are reflected in the choice of grapes planted. The warmer-climate grapes Viognier and Marsanne showed that they can excel in Hawkes Bay and Gisborne in the North Island; while the finest Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners are rightly situated on the cool South Island (and in Martinborough).

There is certainly value for money to be found with three of the eight wines rated Oustanding and 12 Highly Recommended wines costing less than £15. At this price, it won’t cost you the earth to go to the end of the world to discover the adventurous side of New Zealand wine.

Our tasters each pick their top 3 wines

Melanie Brown

Brown joined the team at The Providores in 2006, where she helped to develop the largest list of premium New Zealand wine in the UK. She launched her own specialist retailer, The New Zealand Cellar, in 2014, followed by a wine bar and shop in London, where she curates a unique selection of New Zealand wine events.

Millton Vineyards, Te Arai Chenin Blanc, Gisborne 2016

I’ve always been seduced by this wine, which is opulent but with poise and tension. James Millton is New Zealand’s biodynamics pioneer. One of the most texturally pleasing New Zealand wines I’ve tasted. 95/100 Drink 2018-2021

Mount Edward Riesling, Central Otago 2017

Duncan Forsyth, the winemaker and Riesling obsessive, farms organically and produces beautiful single-vineyard wines. This has depth and brightness in equal measure, with purity. 90 Drink 2018-2024

Seifried, Grüner Veltliner, Nelson 2017

Wowzers: bright, clean and superbly approachable! The Seifried family is from Austria, so its no wonder their Austrian varietals are starting to come into their own, and at such value. 92 Drink 2018-2020

Rebecca Gibb MW

Gibb spent six years living in New Zealand, where she became a Master of Wine, graduating top of her class and winning the Madame Bollinger medal for excellence in tasting. A former winner of the Louis Roederer Emerging Wine Writer, her first book, The Wines of New Zealand, will be published this year.

Prophet’s Rock, Pinot Gris, Central Otago 2015

Pure, poised and pretty. Paul Pujol draws on his winemaking experience in Alsace to craft this finely scented Pinot Gris. It offers delicacy, balance and – despite a lick of juicy sweetness on entry – there’s a sense of savouriness. 95 Drink 2018-2023

Burn Cottage, Riesling-Grüner Veltliner, Central Otago 2015

This 54% Riesling, 46% Grüner blend is a rich and pristine style; its edges are starting to soften with time in bottle. 95 Drink 2018-2020

Trinity Hill, Marsanne-Viognier, Hawkes Bay 2016

Mr Honeysuckle meets Miss Apricot on the Gimblett Gravels in this voluptuous yet well-proportioned Rhôneinspired blend. Aged on lees for a whopping 14 months, the result is a sumptuous, suave expression. 95 Drink 2018-2020

Roger Jones

Jones and his wife Sue own Michelin-starred restaurant The Harrow at Little Bedwyn. He consults, writes and travels extensively, hosting food and wine matching experiences. He set up The Tri Nations Wine Challenge to promote the wines of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, which will take place in Hawkes Bay next year.

Kumeu River, Pinot Gris, Kumeu 2016

More famous for their Chardonnay, but the Brajkovich family certainly knows how to make stylish, elegant, classy wines – and this Pinot Gris is up there with the very best. 96 Drink 2018-2022

Escarpment, Pinot Gris, Martinborough 2015

I have known Larry ‘McPinot’ McKenna for many years and this Pinot Gris showcases his capacity to make stunning white wines too – and at a great value price. 95 Drink 2018-2024

Burn Cottage, Riesling-Grüner Veltliner, Central Otago 2015

Farmed biodynamically on a tiny site where it was not suitable to plant Pinot Noir. Rich and energetic, this wine will age beautifully. Ted Lemon of Littorai is the consultant winemaker here. 95 Drink 2018-2020

Alternative New Zealand whites: the facts

White plantings in 2017 Sauvignon Blanc 22,230ha; Chardonnay 3,114ha; Pinot Gris 2,369ha; Riesling 721ha; Gewürztraminer 229ha; Sauvignon Gris 109ha; Viognier 97ha; Semillon 46ha; Grüner Veltliner 44ha; Muscat varieties 31ha; Albariño 28ha; Arneis 23ha; Chenin Blanc 21ha; Pinot Blanc 9ha; Verdelho 7ha

Total New Zealand vineyard size 37,129ha

Wineries 677

Production 253m litres

Sources: NZ Winegrower Annual Reports: Vineyard Register Report 2017-2020

New Zealand: know your vintages

2017 Difficult season with poor summer. Wet and warm autumn led to botrytis pressure. Early picked crops were most successful. A very small crop in Central Otago.

2016 Record crop. Warm, often humid. Harvest period was dry and sunny. Excellent whites and highly attractive reds.

2015 Dry and warm. Small, low-yielding crop after cool flowering. Ripe, perfumed and fully flavoured wines.

2014 Record early vintage. Warm summer with little disease pressure. Excellent across the board.

2013 Touted as the vintage of a lifetime with a warm, incredibly dry summer and autumn. Concentrated, ripe wines across the North and South Islands.

2012 Cool summer led to a late harvest with slow ripening of whites. Intense, vivacious whites, but too cool for later-ripening reds.

Top alternative New Zealand whites from the panel tasting:

View all the tasting notes & scores from the panel tasting

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Why this wine makes the Decanter hall of fame...

Wine Legend: Clonakilla, Shiraz-Viognier 2001, Canberra District, New South Wales, Australia

Bottles produced 10,700

Composition 93% Shiraz, 7% Viognier

Yield 50hl/ha

Alcohol 14.1%

Release price A$48

Price today £70-£80

A legend because…

The style of Shiraz that blends, and usually co-ferments with Viognier is an established, if not historically accurate, tribute to Syrah from Côte-Rôtie. Not everyone admires the style, but most would agree that no Australian winery makes a better version than Clonakilla. Most vintages through the 1990s received high critical acclaim, from show judges and wine guides, and the 2001 came to be regarded as one of Clonakilla’s most outstanding.

Looking back

The Kirk family arrived in Australia from Ireland in 1968, and three years later the biochemist John Kirk planted a vineyard in Murrumbateman, 40km north of Canberra. The property took its name from the family farm in Ireland’s County Clare. The first commercial wines (and the first for any in this region) were made in 1976. Viognier was first planted in 1986, when it was still seen as a rare, exotic variety. Throughout the 1980s Clonakilla Shiraz was blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, but after visiting the Rhône in 1991, Tim Kirk resolved to model the wine on Guigal’s single-vineyard blends he’d tasted from barrel. The first Clonakilla Shiraz-Viognier was made in 1992.

The vintage

2001 was a warm year that gave a good growing season without disease pressure, and harvest for this wine took place from 31 March to 10 April. Although the crop was large, the wines show rich flavours and good concentration.

The terroir

The soil at Murrumbateman is sandy clay-loam, over a layer of friable red clay, which sits on a subsoil of decomposed dacite. By Australian standards the climate here is cool, as the vineyards lie at 600m. The Kirk family gradually increased the area under vine, planting more Shiraz and Viognier between 1993 and 2007, until it reached today’s 13.5ha. The cool climate brings out the spicy red fruit and floral character of Shiraz, though the profile inevitably varies according to vintage conditions.

The wine

In 2001 a third of the Shiraz went into the fermenters as whole bunches. Lightly crushed Viognier grapes were added and then covered with destemmed Shiraz. The gradual release of juice as the bunches broke down through the course of the fermentation prolonged the process and moderated the rising temperatures. There were three punchdowns daily. After a short post-fermentation soak, the wine was run into fine-grained French oak barrels, of which one-third were new, for 12 months. Kirk is aware that an excess of Viognier can impart a blowsy apricot sheen to the blend, which he is keen to avoid, and he also steers clear of a pronounced oaky character to the wine.

The reaction

In the 2002 Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide, Huon Hooke and Ralph Kyte-Powell named the wine Best Red and Wine of the Year: ‘This could be the best yet in a very distinguished line. Tremendously intense and alive, with great elegance and power.’

In the same year Max Allen in Decanter declared it a ‘new benchmark for cooler-climate Australian Shiraz, and a serious rival for the classiest Côte-Rôtie’.

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Georges Vernay, one of the men who saved Condrieu in the Northern Rhône and put Viognier on the world wine map in the process, has passed away at the age of 92.

Georges Vernay (1926–2017) was the pioneer of the appellation we know today as Condrieu in the northern Rhône.

He took over at the family winery in 1953 with only one hectare in the Coteau de Vernon. His father, Francis, had planted vines in 1937 and at that time the domaine was cultivating several crops alongside vines.

The appellation of Condrieu was born in 1940, but the name was not officially listed by French officials until 1945, after the Second World War. The wines of this time were sold simply with Viognier on the label, rather than the name of the appellation.

Before Condrieu gained a worldwide reputation, the appellation nearly disappeared.

In 1960, the AOC included seven hectares of Viognier – believed to be some of the only commercially-planted Viognier left in the world at the time.

In 1986, it extended to 20 hectares; in 1990, it covered 60 hectares; and today the appellation covers 184 hectares.

It was Georges Vernay’s brilliance that transformed this small appellation into one with a worldwide reputation.

‘My father-in-law was a real, erudite wine grower who represented the [Viognier] grape,’ said Paul Amsellem, of Domaine Georges Vernay and husband of Christine Vernay.

‘He did not realise that he represented the grape all by himself [for a long time],’ he told Decanter.com.

Paul Amsellem described Georges Vernay as ‘a forerunner in the comprehension of the Viognier grape but also in the techniques of vinification’.

He added: ‘He was one of the first to use thermo-regulation and barrels in the Rhône Valley.’

Georges Vernay was president of Condrieu for 30 years. Today, all the winemakers from this appellation have lost the forefather of Condrieu.

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E Guigal, La Mouline 1969 is a legend because…

Marcel Guigal has long been renowned for his magnificent trio of single-vineyard Côte-Rôtie wines: La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque. La Mouline was the first, its debut vintage being 1966, just five years after he took the helm at the family domaine. It was followed by La Landonne in 1978 and La Turque in 1985. La Mouline was acquired in 1965, and as it was already planted with some very old vines, he was able to make the wine from 1966. The wine also attracted attention because it was aged in mostly new French oak, for 42 months. Such a method was almost unheard of in a region where Côte-Rôtie at that time was still aged mostly or entirely in large old casks (foudres) or even in chestnut barrels.

Looking back

La Mouline had been the property of the Dervieux family and was already a celebrated site before its purchase by Guigal. It also contained a proportion of Viognier, which was gradually increased to its present level of about 11%. This was not a formulaic approach on the part of Guigal – La Landonne, for example, is pure Syrah. The aim was to produce a wine of exceptional elegance, in contrast to the denser, more powerful style of La Landonne. The early vintages of the single-vineyard wines were directed primarily at the wine lists of the many superb restaurants in the Rhône, but their quality was swiftly recognised and their fame and thus distribution spread.

The vintage

1969 produced a small crop in Côte-Rôtie, but quality was exceptional. This combination of meagre quality with tremendous quality was reminiscent of the even more celebrated 1961 vintage.

The terroir

The vines at La Mouline are on average about 70 years old, although some plants from 1893 still survive. They are grown on soil within the sector of Côte-Rôtie known as the Côte Blonde. Here there is a higher limestone content than in most other sites, although the primary soil types are still gneiss and granite. The 1.5-hectare site is entirely owned by Guigal, unlike La Landonne which has a number of different owners. Guigal has always been a late harvester, aiming for maximum concentration, although never risking overripeness. But, with its southerly exposition in a kind of amphitheatre, La Mouline is a precocious vineyard, and its grapes are picked before most of Guigal’s other top sites.

The wine

On arrival at the winery in Ampuis, the grapes are crushed and destemmed, and fermented at relatively high temperatures, with pumpovers but no punching down of the cap, as Guigal does not want to extract too much tannin. Vinification of the three single-vineyard wines varies, being adapted to the nature and quality of the fruit. From the start La Mouline was aged entirely in new oak, and reports that the 1969 was partly aged in older casks are erroneous. The racking of the wine varies according to the vintage, but the wine is neither fined nor filtered.

The reaction

Decanter’s John Livingstone-Learmonth had a few reservations in 1997: ‘Bouquet rather precarious – ripe fruits, though dusty, dry top notes – and is dense, a little volatile. Warmth and roundness on the palate, chocolate-style flavours. Dense wine, but is a little edgy now. Rather forced black cherries on the finish. Soft sweetness throughout.’

The facts

Bottles produced 4,800

Composition 89% Syrah, 11% Viognier

Average yield 35hl/ha

Alcohol 13.5%

Release price N/A

Price today £3,960