Rhône Reds
The Rhône might as well be two separate regions. The defining feature that connects them both is the namesake river, cutting through France from the Swiss Alps all the way south to the Mediterranean. But the Northern and Southern Rhône are very different places viticulturally. This tasting covers the top red wine appellations: 3 from the north and 3 from the south, so that you can form your own opinions about Rhône Reds.
Stuff to know
The North
With just 5% of total Rhône wine production, northern Rhône wines are far fewer, and therefore, often more expensive, than wines from the southern Rhône. Syrah is the star grape here. In other countries, it might be called Syrah or Shiraz, but here, on its home turf, it is always and only Syrah. The appellations of the northern Rhône each have their own rules around whether white grape varieties can be blended with Syrah, but most producers these days eschew blending, creating monovarietal wines.
In these northern reaches, vineyards are often shockingly steep, some with hand-built stone walls holding back threats of erosion. Walking in these vineyards is a workout. Managing them is quite literally an uphill battle. And the slopes are critical, a defining feature of the wines’ terroir. It can get cold in the northern Rhône, roughly 170 miles (270 km) north of the Mediterranean. Winters are hard, summers are hot and Le Mistral, a bitterly cold violent wind whips through for days at a time during the growing season. If it weren’t for the rocky slopes maximizing every bit of sunshine and warmth, Syrah might not ripen here at all. Instead, this is arguably where the world’s best Syrahs are made.
The South
In the sunny, extensive southern Rhône, where 95% of all Rhône wines are made, the Mediterranean isn’t so far off. Avignon, in the heart of the southern Rhône, is only 60 miles (100 km) from the sea. It takes about an hour to drive between the northern and southern Rhône, during which the climate, vegetation, soils and culture all shift to something new and distinctly southern.
Instead of rocky cliffs, the southern Rhône is best known for its famed ‘galets;’ smooth, oval-shaped stones once peppering riverbeds, now surrounding vines. Other parts of the vast terrain have soils made of sand, limestone, clay or alluvial mixes. Vines aren’t planted on the edges of the river here, but instead are spread out over gentle hills with the occasional mountain sprinkled in. This dry, warm region is Grenache country.
Unlike Syrah in the north, Grenache rarely flies solo in the southern Rhône. Most of these wines are blends, some with as many as 13 or more varieties in the mix. The big 3 are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, better known in the wine world as “GSM.”
What to look for in this tasting
Sauvage. A French word whose meaning is pretty self-evident. I can still remember that when I first heard this word unironically used to describe wines from the Northern Rhône, I smirked and inwardly laughed. It just felt ridiculous. It sounded like a perfume ad. But these days, I can give it a grudging nod. I won’t even rule out using it myself one day.
My preferred word to describe Rhône Reds is sexy. Just as ridiculous as sauvage, ok, probably. But tell me I’m wrong after tasting through these wines.
Like all things sexy, there’s something that’s a bit wild and raw about these wines. Sure, they’re polished, but they’re also just a teensy bit dirty. In the way that truffles are both addictive and slightly off-putting. Like we’re not supposed to be so attracted to a smell that’s not that far from sweaty socks.
There are lots of unusual descriptors that pop up for Rhône Reds: bacon fat, game, leather, sweat, bonfire, pepper, barnyard, blood. If you’re already feeling squeamish, just know that I’ve had outrageously delicious Rhône Reds that I’d describe in more “typical” wine descriptor terms like Kalamata olives, black cherries, Herbes de Provence, smoke and dark cocoa. Just like in deciding what is sexy, you’re the only one who can decide what you taste.
The Wines
#1: Hermitage
“Air-mee-tahzhe.” That’s the best I’ve got to help with the French pronunciation on this one. If you pronounce it like an English speaker, most retailers will know what you’re looking for anyway. And the word actually does mean what it sounds like. Legend has it that the hermit Gaspard de Stérimberg asked Queen Blanche de Castille to make the top of this granite hill along the Rhône river his sanctuary after returning from an Albigensian Crusade in southern France, where he was wounded fighting heretics. He retreated to a life of solitude and tending vines, and the small community up there followed his lead. There’s even a small chapel marking the location today.
Except that the chapel is on the site of a Roman temple of Hercules, and vines have been planted there since the Greeks, and later Romans, colonized France. How much of the story is true and how much is myth? I don’t know, but Hermitage wines are some of the most admired in the Rhône anyway.
This small appellation produces both red and white wines, and the reds can include up to 15% white grapes in the blend, though most producers choose to focus entirely on Syrah.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternatives: Crozes-Hermitage
#2: Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This is the southern Rhône’s most famous appellation, and is arguably the best-known in the entire Rhône. You’ve probably noticed these wines before, with their iconic papal coat of arms and the two keys embossed into each glass bottle. Many of the labels are charmingly traditional too, with old gothic script, coats of arms and sketches of historic buildings.
Even though wines have been made here since antiquity, these wines get their name from the 67 years during which 7 different popes ruled over the Catholic Church from France instead of Rome. Pope Clement V started the trend by moving his court to Avignon in 1309 to get some distance from rebellions in Rome, along with some backup from French monarchs. For extra security, he built a fortress/palace as a ‘summer residence’ in Avignon. Since wine was a necessary part of papal proceedings, Pope Clement V granted the vines around Avignon a special “Vin du Pape” status, which we know today as the wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or “the Pope’s new castle.”
The red wines here can have up to 13 different varieties in the blend, though in practice, most producers focus on Grenache, with primary support coming from the usual suspects: Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternatives: Stick with Châteauneuf-du-Pape
#3: Côte-Rôtie
“The roasted slope” is a rough translation for the Côte-Rôtie, the northernmost appellation in the Rhône. Slope is the key word here, since this is a region where nothing is flat. This far north, the southeast-facing slopes are a critical aspect of the vines’ ability to ripen Syrah grapes, which ‘roast’ in sunshine and its retained warmth in the rocky soils day after day until harvest season.
The Côte-Rôtie is also where the “La Las” are from, and I don’t mean of the Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling variety. Négociant Guigal brought fame to the Côte-Rôtie by bottling wines from individual vineyards La Landonne, La Mouline and La Turque and aging them for a whopping 42 months before release. For those of us who can’t swing hundreds for a La La, there are plenty of other Côte-Rôtie wines from persistent producers willing to hike the slopes and haul grapes up by pulleys and monorails just to give us these distinctive wines.
Côte-Rôtie wines can include up to 20% of the white grape Viognier in the blend, though most producers choose to focus entirely on Syrah.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternatives: Saint-Joseph
#4: Gigondas
In the southern Rhône, there are 95 different villages/communes whose wines qualify to be “Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC.” The next step up is to qualify as a village whose name can be shown the label. Top status is getting your own AOC, or in the Rhône, your own cru. For more than 30 years, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (CDP) was the only cru in town, until Gigondas (”zhee-gon-dah”).
Gigondas was the first to demonstrate that there is distinctive quality different from CDP in the southern Rhône, and that it deserves to be recognized on its own. Today, it is one of only 9 crus in the southern Rhône, including CDP.
Gigondas sits between the Ouvèze, an eastern Rhône river tributary, and the Dentelles de Montmirail, a chain of jagged limestone mountains loved by hikers and rock climbers. Greeks and Romans recognized the quality of wines made here long before the Popes of Avignon claimed their territory nearby. Vines are grown at a higher elevation than those in CDP, though the grape varieties are similar: predominantly Grenache, at least 50%, with Syrah, Mourvèdre and/or Cinsault rounding out the blend.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternatives: Stick with a Gigondas
#5: Cornas
Cornas is the southernmost red wine appellation of the northern Rhône, so as you’d expect, it’s warmer down there than it is up in the Côte-Rôtie. Cornas is old Celtic for “burnt earth,” and sunny slopes are part of the formula that allows Syrah to ripen here. Producers can usually make ‘bigger’ wines down here though, with riper flavors and strong tannic structures.
Cornas lies on the Western side of the Rhône, opposite Hermitage, and benefits from a natural amphitheater created by the eastern slopes of the Massif Central, a chain of mountains and plateaus running through south-central France. When Le Mistral pummels through the northern Rhône, the vines in Cornas are protected more than most.
Unlike in the Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, wines from Cornas must be 100% Syrah, with no white varieties allowed in the blend.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternatives: Stick with a Cornas
#6: Vacqueyras
“Vah-kee-rah” is how I’d suggest attempting the name of this appellation if French isn’t your forté. Vacqueyras’ name comes from the Latin “Vallea Quadreria,” meaning valley of stones, which refers to terraced growing areas covered with “les galets roulés;” smooth, pebble-like stones that once covered riverbeds and now lie exposed between vines.
Vacqueyras’ northern border bumps up against Gigondas. The Ouvèze tributary of the Rhône river runs along its western border, with the Dentelles de Montmirail, a chain of jagged limestone mountains, looming over its northeastern edge. The vineyards here are generally at lower elevations than those in Gigondas, and the grapes ripen earlier.
Red, white and rosé wines can be made here, though in reality, almost all of the wines are red. Grenache is the star grape, and must be at least 50% of the blend, with Syrah and Mourvèdre comprising at least a further 20% before any other local varieties are mixed in.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternatives: Stick with a Vacqueyras
Tasting tips
The eats
Barbecue. Real barbecue, cooked low and slow in a smoker. That’s what come to mind first when I think of what I’d like to eat with these wines. Fancy? No. Delicious? Yes.
If you’re into this idea, I’d suggest ordering in. Texan-style, if you can get it where you live. I fully recognize that it’s unrealistic for most to do the whole meat smoking extravaganza. I grew up with a Texan Dad who reluctantly tolerated our Midwestern surroundings. This meant that the basement fridge was primarily intended for brisket preparation, there was an offset smoker with the Texas flag painted on its wooden shelf in our backyard, and neighbors always found convenient excuses to drop by when there was smoke wafting around our cul-de-sac. Even my Swedish husband has adopted the Texan tradition, shipping a pit barrel smoker over with our belongings when we moved to Copenhagen, even though we knew it would sit in storage for a few years while we searched for a house we could afford. If you come from a family like mine, by all means, smoke that beef. Otherwise, support your local restaurants.
Charcuterie and snacks are always an option too, and for this one, I’d aim for meats and cheeses with some age. Think crunchy crystals in the cheese. Dark saucissons, even better if they’re seasoned with fragrant herbs.
The prep
These wines should be relatively easy to find, and your guests will have a range of price points to choose from for each style. It’s up to you as a host to decide if you’d like to set a spending range, or if you’d prefer to let your guests determine what they’re each comfortable spending on this tasting.
Rhône reds from the Côtes du Rhône Cru appellations tend to be more expensive than wines labeled “Côtes-du-Rhône,” or “Côte-du-Rhône Villages,” whose grapes can be sourced broader areas in the Northern and Southern Rhône Valley. This tasting intentionally zooms in on the differences between the Crus, so costs will generally be higher. If you’re finding that the wines’ prices are prohibitive, you can choose to invite guests to split their assigned wine’s cost with a friend or partner, widening the tasting group.
A note on the tasting order: The wines are listed in the order of which should be included first, so that even if there are just 4 wines in the tasting, you’ve got a well-rounded experience ahead. However, I’d suggest switching up the order in which you taste the wines, regardless of how many wines make it in the final cut, so that you’re tasting from north to south, as follows:
Côte-Rôtie
Hermitage
Cornas
Gigondas
Vacqueyras
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
