Rhône trends 2023
Sheep in the vineyards and Domaine de Lorient, where they practise polyculture.
(Image credit: www.domainelorient.com)

‘Faced with extreme, repeated and cumulative climatic hazards, how can we best support and adapt our vineyard? Considering these changes, how can the balance of wines be preserved?’ Like many winemakers, Ambre Delorme of Domaine de la Mordorée is embracing 2023 with hope, but also a degree of trepidation.

With a chaotic climate and capricious consumers to contend with, Rhône winemakers are weighing up the best ways to move forward.

1. Red grapes in flux

There’s no sign that Grenache is losing its grip on the crown in the southern Rhône, but the changing climate is affecting the popularity of other varieties.

One of the main beneficiaries is Mourvèdre. Thirty years ago, it struggled to ripen in cooler zones, but now it’s grown all over the southern Rhône. Benjamin Gras of Domaine Santa Duc is a fan: ‘Mourvèdre is very well adapted to the climate and has never been as interesting as it is today. It brings a lot of balance and freshness to blends.’

Syrah, however, is looking increasingly out of place down south. ‘We only have one plot of Syrah left in Gigondas and just one in Châteauneuf-du-Pape,’ says Gras. ‘Both plots are located on cool soils. With global warming, Syrah, a northern grape variety, is less and less adapted to a Mediterranean climate.’

‘We prefer Spanish or local grape varieties,’ Gras continues, and he’s not alone. He likes Counoise and Muscardin, and there is plenty of talk among southern Rhône vignerons about the qualities of Vaccarèse and Cinsault. I expect more producers will be grafting these local varieties in favour of Syrah in 2023.

As it enjoys a cooler climate, I’ve heard no complaints about Syrah in the northern Rhône. One area where it might gain ground is the Diois. This high-altitude region is famed for its sparkling Muscat, but some producers, such as Domaine Jean-Claude Raspail et Fils, are making increasingly impressive reds.

2. More white wines

When I speak to winemakers, often they tell me it’s their whites that sell out first. So it’s no surprise there’s been talk of increasing the production of white wines in both the southern and northern Rhône recently.

I expect to see this continue in 2023, driven by several factors. Firstly, Gigondas will be able to produce white wines under the appellation from 2023, based on the Clairette grape variety.

Secondly, Laudun, currently one of the 22 Côtes-du-Rhône Villages with a geographical name, is likely to be promoted to cru this year or next. It has long been famed for its white wines, which make up 20% of its overall production – around three times the regional average.

I’ve heard winemakers in other appellations such as Vinsobres and Rasteau express their desire to include white wines in their respective appellations too.

Regional wine association Inter Rhône recently announced that one of their main policies in the coming decade will be to increase production and shipments of white wines, which will add fuel to this trend.

3. A return to polyculture

Before the 1960s, domaines across the Rhône Valley commonly practised mixed farming; they didn’t just grow grapes, as many do today, but a multitude of crops. But as quality has gradually risen, so has the value of their wines. This has made farming exclusively vineyards increasingly profitable – not to mention prestigious.

Today, many domaines are seeing polyculture in a more positive light, particularly since it helps to promote biodiversity, which supports the natural balance of the vineyard. Rather than planting exclusively vines, Jérôme Malet has divided Domaine de Fontbonau into three equal parts: one third natural woodland, one third vineyard and one third polyculture. Now they produce not just wine, but also olive oil, lavender, honey and truffles.

The sloping terrain of the northern Rhône is less accommodating to this approach, but producers such as Laure Colombo of Domaine de Lorient in St-Péray are also embracing mixed farming. Colombo produces not just wine but also honey, apple juice and olive oil, a rarity north of Montélimar.

Rebalancing

What these trends all have in common is a sense of rebalancing, driven by a greater diversity of grape varieties and other fauna and flora in the vineyards. Let’s hope this leads to greater balance and complexity in the resulting wines – something we can all look forward to in 2023 and beyond.

Matt Walls
Matt Walls
Decanter's Rhône coresspondent, and DWWA Regional Chair for the Rhône.

Matt Walls is an award-winning freelance wine writer and consultant, contributing regular articles to various print and online titles including Decanter, where he is a contributing editor. He has particular interest in the Rhône Valley; he is chair of the Rhône panel at the Decanter World Wine Awards and is the owner of travel and events company www.rhoneroots.com.