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Northern Rhône 2021: full report and top-scoring wines

In this 'disastrous' vintage where many producers struggled to ripen their grapes, Matt Walls discovers there are still some excellent wines, particularly whites, to be found.

Northern Rhône 2021 overall vintage rating: 2.5/5

Consistently excellent white wines, but reds very mixed due to severe frost and a mild, rainy season. Some are weak and green, others very good in a fresh and structured style.


‘The style of 2021 is light, lean and fresh, with high acidity, low alcohol and strict tannins…but for many producers making red wines, 2021 will be a year best forgotten. For white wines, the opposite is true.’


Northern Rhône 2021 red wine of the vintage

M Chapoutier, L’Ermite, Hermitage

Northern Rhône 2021 white wine of the vintage

Stéphane Ogier, Les Vieilles Vignes de Jacques Vernay, Condrieu


If the southern Rhône had a tough year in 2021, the northern Rhône had it even worse. When talking to growers, one word that came up time and time again was ‘exhausting’. On paper, this was a disastrous vintage, but it was worth fighting for – some producers pulled excellent wines out of their hats. Not many, but some.


Top-scoring northern Rhône 2021 wines:

The wines below all scored 95 points or above, and are listed white then red in score order.


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