Rhone Valley Winemakers Tour
20 Dec 2024- Details
- Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
(November 2023) … I have often called the Rhone Valley my “desert island region” – if I am stuck on a desert island and I can only get wine from one region, well need I say more … Today, we get a crash course in Rhone Valley wines from the people who know it best: their winemakers.
By the numbers … 
- 31 Appellations in the Rhone Valley
- 34 Grape varieties grown
- over 2000 years of production
- 2nd behind Bordeaux for AOC vineyards (31)
- 65,197 hectares: 76% red wine / 19% rosé / 11% white
- 1592 independent wineries
- Canada ranks 4th in exports (9%) - Belgium 18% / UK 15% / USA 14%
- Interesting to learn: 1 million bottles of Rhone Valley wine is sold every day - 1/3 are in export markets
- Production in the Rhone is a majority down in the south: 5% in the north / 95% in the south
- There are 17 Crus / 22 Cotes du Rhone Villages (geographical names) / Cotes du Rhone Villages (95 communes) / Cotes du Rhone (171 communes)
- For those interested in climate effect: in the last 28 years, the average harvest is now 15 days earlier
- Looking for mitigate heat rises, one must plant vines higher up: for each 100m up you lose .65 degrees of temperature
- Grenache most planted red grape - Grenache 49% - Syrah 29% - top two grape varieties - Carignan / Counoise are secondary grapes that are working well with climate change
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The Grapes of the Rhone Valley
(abbreviated from Rhone Valley handout) 
GRENACHE NOIR
“Grenache, the most widely grown grape variety in the Rhône Valley, is a charmer, offering both warmth and roundness of character.”
SYRAH
“This grape was for a long time believed to have originated in Persia, Syria, or perhaps Syracuse. However, recent analyses have shown its roots to be in Savoy and the Ardèche.”
CARIGNAN
“The Carignan vine requires plenty of warmth and is not sensitive to drought or strong winds. Hot, dry hillsides are ideal. On low-fertility soils and hillsides, it yields a beautifully coloured wine, well-structured with plenty of tannins.”
MOURVÈDRE
“Mourvèdre is now widely cultivated in the southern Rhône Valley on sun-drenched south-facing slopes. Robust, of unequalled warmth and generosity, it yields wines that are powerful, full-bodied, strong in tannins, yet very stylish - since 2002 has had its own fan club, the ‘Conservatoire du cépage Mourvèdre’”.
CINSAULT
“Requires plenty of warmth and is resistant to drought and strong winds. With its average depth of colour, stylish fruity flavours, low acidity and supple tannins, Cinsault is well suited for making rosé wines by the “saignée” method and early drinking wines.”
GRENACHE BLANC
“Grenache Blanc produces white wines that are full-bodied, low in acidity, mellow, with a lingering finish.”
MUSCAT BLANC
“The small-berried Muscat Blanc grape is of Greek origin. It is the only permitted grape variety in the composition of Muscat Beaumes De Venise wines.”
VIOGNIER
“Originally, it was grown exclusively in the northern Côtes du Rhône (from Vienne to Valence). Today, this white grape variety stands out as much for its rarity as for the complexity of some of its aromas.”
LA CLAIRETTE
“Clairette is one of southern France’s oldest grape varieties, typical of the Mediterranean region. The vine is well adapted to dry, infertile limestone soils. Clairette can be vinified on its own or blended with other grape varieties. The grapes produce a fruity wine, high in alcohol content and low in acidity.”
LA ROUSSANNE
“It does well on soils that are warm, stony and well drained, on thin, arid hillside soils, and on stony soils consisting of alluvial deposits and limestone. It is a delicate and very stylish grape. Roussanne produces wines of great elegance, stylish and complex.”
The Wines Tasted …
Halos de Jupiter 2020 Red - Cotes du Rhone 
(Grenache 75% - Mourvedre 15% - Syrah 10%)
Smoky-cherry, strawberry and other dense dark fruits - good oak integrations with sweet herbs and spices. (****+)
Cave de Tain 2018 Hermitage Heritiers Gambert
(Syrah 100%)
Plum and cherry - licorice and spice – with subtle herbal notes. (****)
Chateau Beaubois 2022 Cuvee Confidence - Costieres de Nimes
(Grenache Blanc 95% - Viognier 3% - Roussanne 2%)
Touches of minerality and freshness, with decent acidity. There are hints of pineapple and fresh lime on the mid-palate through to the finish. (****)
Chateau du Trignon (Famille Quiot) 2017 Red - Gigondas
(Grenache - Mourvedre – Syrah)
Lots of spicy dark fruit: plum, blackberry, black cherry, licorice, with a pleasant herbal component. (****)
Domaine Autrand 2020 Cotes du Rhone Villages
(Grenache Noir 70%, Syrah 30%)
Nice spicy nature with darker fruit and smoke. Notes of blueberry, cassis and smoked-cherry. (****)
Domaine de la Citadelle 2022 Le Chataignier - Luberon
(60% Syrah, 30% Grenache et 10% Cinsault)
Gentle acidity, fresh and lively with pretty floral character, along with some apricot and peach. (*** ½+)
Domaine des Garances 2022 Alazard - Beaumes de Venise
(Grenache noir 65%, Syrah 35%)
Spicy dark fruit. (*** ½+)
Lavau 2022 White - Cotes du Rhone
(Grenache Blanc 60% - Clairette 40%)
Decent and soft of acidity; there is pineapple and peach, richer mouthfeel. (*** ½+)
Mas Carlot 2020 Generations - Costieres de Nimes
(Grenache noir 55%, Syrah 40%, Mourvèdre 5%)
Dark fruited: blackberry and smoke with cocoa character on the finish. (*** ½+)
Cave de Bonnieux 2020 Cuvee Revelation - Luberon
(Syrah 85% - Grenache 15%)
Juicy blackberry, fresh plum, and subtle spicy notes on the finish. (*** ½)
Chateau d'Aqueria 2022 Rose - Tavel
(Grenache 50% - Syrah 20% - Clairette 10% - Mourvedre 10% - Bourboulenc 5% - Cinsault 5%)
Strawberry-sour cherry dominant, subtle white pepper, with some lime pith on the finish. (*** ½)
Chateau D'Orsan 2022 Cotes du Rhone Villages Chusclan
(Grenache noir 50%, Syrah 40%, Carignan 10%)
Dark fruited and earthy (*** ½)
Les Vignes de L'Arque 2022 Cuvee Les Chemins de Rome - Duche d'Uzes
(Grenache Blanc 40% - Viognier 40% - Roussanne 20%)
Tropical, yet soft with a subtle bitterness that helps balance the wine. (*** ½)
Maison Sinnae 2021 Villa Voltinia - Cotes du Rhone Villages, Chusclan
(Grenache Noir, Syrah)
Smoky, dark fruited and earthy- good acidity with some oak influence on the finish. (*** ½)
Cave de Cairanne 2021 Cuvee Insouciante - Cotes du Rhone
(Grenache)
Juicy and easy drinking – quite gulpable. (***+)
2018 Cuvée Domaines Des Ormes
2019 Trezellieres
2021 Cuvée Domaine
