The Rhône river flows from Lac Léman and Geneva to Lyon, where it is joined by the Saône that flows through Burgundy, and the vineyards of the Rhône valley begin just south of this juncture. The northern Rhône produces red wine from Syrah and whites from Viognier in Condrieu and Château Grillet and from Marsanne and Roussanne.
The cliffs here are very steep, and the vineyards are terraced into their granite sides. Côte Rôtie is the northernmost appellation. It is usually separated into Côte Blonde (Guigal’s La Mouline) and Côte Brune (La Landonne and La Turque). The soil of the Côte Blonde is sandier, giving lighter wines, and those of the Côte Brune have more clay, which gives the wine greater structure. The best Côte Rôties, however, are all inky dark, scented of violets and blackberries, and show a characteristic smoky or smoked bacon aroma that is very typical of this grape. It is possible to blend in up to 20% of the white grape Viognier, although one seldom finds more than 5% in practice.
Condrieu is located just to the south, and it produces only whites from Viognier, as does Château Grillet, a tiny AOC just south of the village of Condrieu. These wines are very exotic on the nose, with floral and tropical fruit aromas and flavors, and soft acidity and full body on the palate.
South of Château Grillet is a comparatively long stretch of the left bank of the Rhône where St. Joseph is produced. Here the best vineyards are along the river, and those on the plateau to the west are not nearly as good. Reds are produced from Syrah and whites from Marsanne and Roussanne.
 On the other side of the river, Crozes-Hermitage is produced over a fairly wide area, with Hermitage coming exclusively from the south-facing slopes along a bend in the Rhône by the town of Tain l’Hermitage. This is a tiny area, nonetheless divided into several small climates, such as l’Hermite, which tends to be lighter, and le Méal and les Bessards, which are more tannic and full bodied. The white grapes (Marsanne and Roussanne) are usually vinified alone in both Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage, and also used for a vin de paille when dried.
Back on the west side of the river, Cornas is produced just to the south of St. Joseph. These wines are similar to Hermitage in their full-bodied, tannic character, but they are more rustic and less refined on the palate. It is considered closer to Côte Rôtie and Hermitage in quality than to St. Joseph and Crozes-Heritage. The final region in the northern Rhône is St. Péray, where a traditional method sparkling wine is made, based mainly on the Marsanne grape.
The northern Rhône and the southern Rhône, are geographically fairly close. They are separated by a 50 kilometer stretch where no wine is produced, and the two local industries are the nuclear power plant and a nougat factory in Montélimar. In spite of their proximity, however, there are important differences between the two regions. One quite visible difference is the terrain. While the northern Rhône is characterized by steep, terraced river banks, the southern Rhône is gently undulating hills spread out over a broader area.
The soils are also different. That of Châteauneuf in the heart of the southern Rhône is known for its galets, large round stones that cover the ground. These stones gather the heat during the day and reflect it back at night, helping the grapes to ripen. In addition, the climate is also a bit warmer – this is really the transition point from northern France to southern France.
 The main difference, however, is in the grape blend. The northern Rhône uses comparatively few grape varieties – Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, while the southern Rhône uses quite a variety. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the most famous region in the southern Rhône, and it is renowned for having “thirteen” varieties. Some, like Grenache, Syrah, Mouvèdre and Cinsault are discussed in Chapter three, while others are less familiar. Counoise is a grape planted in significant amounts chiefly at Beaucastel. Jancis Robinson refers to it in Vines, Grapes and Wines as a sort of sub-Carignan (identical to Aubun). Muscardin is a variety that gives light but perfumed wines. Vaccarèse is tannic and peppery, while Terret Noir is light in body with crisp acidity.
These are joined in the red wine by several white grapes. Roussanne is the one with the most character, that was introduced in Chapter three. Clairette provides high levels of alcohol, but rather soft acidity. Bourbelenc and Picardan are grapes with a fairly neutral character. The final grape is Picpoul. It is allowed by the AC regulations, but they do not say which type – Picpoul Gris or Picpoul Noir. This confusion extends to Terret Blanc and Grenache Blanc as well that are planted alongside the Terret Noir and Grenache Noir, although these are not considered separate varieties.
If you would like an acrostic sentence to help you remember the grapes of Châteauneuf du Pape, Here it is: “Grimacing, stealthy men can cleverly manipulate virginal Theodore Roosevelt, clearly benefiting ponderous plutocrats.” Easier, however, is to remember 4 major black grapes, 4 minor black grapes, and 5 white grapes.
Château La Nerthe describes their grape blend as follows: “…Grenache and Cinsault giving alcohol and strength and making up 20% of the blend; Mouvedre, Syrah, Muscardin and Camarese (Vaccarese) giving ageability and flavor, and constituting 40% of the blend; Counoise and Picpoul giving freshness and aroma and constituting 30%, and the white grapes Clairette and Bourboulenc giving finesse and brilliance, and comprising 10% of the blend.”
Among other producers, Rayas and Chapoutier are known for their Châteauneufs from 100% Grenache. It is M. Chapoutier’s contention that this was the original wine of the better properties, and that the other additions are deviations from this tradition. Beaucastel, however, has all thirteen varieties planted, and Vieux Télégraphe produces wine from Grenache, Syrah, Mouvèdre with a bit of Cinsault.
White Châteauneuf in general is made of Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul, and Roussanne. The white from La Nerthe is principally a blend of Roussanne and Clairette, while that of Beaucastel is nearly all Roussanne, and that of Rayas is a blend of Grenache Blanc and Clairette.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is surrounded by Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages and several crus with their own appellation.
Basic Côtes du Rhône is similar in general character, but has little of the concentration and depth of flavor of Châteauneuf. The wines are lighter, in part because the terroir is not as fine, but also because the yields are higher. They are sometimes made by carbonic maceration, a technique that gives deeply colored wines with lots of fruit, but little tannin or structure.
Côtes du Rhône Villages wines have a bit more concentration and character because of lower mandatory yields. Names of the more well-known Côtes du Rhône Villages include Cairanne, Rasteau, and Beaumes de Venise.
Another difference is the grape blend. One addition to the grapes of Châteauneuf, is Carignan, which is a black grape that yields well and gives deeply colored wine with high alcohol but with a fairly neutral aroma. Clairette Rosé and Ugni Blanc are two other additions, with a maximum of 5% of white grapes in the red wine and 20% in the rosé.
The other table wine crus of the southern Rhône with appellations of their own are Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Lirac. Here the grape blend is limited to Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Clairette and the quality of the top wines can approach that of Châteauneuf. Tavel is an appellation for rosé only, usually made from Grenache and Cinsault.
Other regional appellations in this area include Coteaux du Tricastin, Côtes du Ventoux, Côtes du Luberon, and Coteaux de Pierrevert. These areas are all relatively similar to Côtes du Rhone, and use similar grape blends, as do the main vin de pays appellations: Ardèche, Drôme, Gard, Loire, Rhône and Vaucluse. Northern Rhône producers can use Collines Rhodaniennes, and those around Châteauneuf can use la Principauté d’Orange.
Another type of appellation is that for Vin Doux Naturel or fortified wine. Undoubtedly, the finest and most well-known of these is Muscat Beaumes de Venise. This is Muscat that is cold fermented and fortified with grain neutral alcohol (like Port) when it has about 125 g/lit of residual sugar remaining. This type of wine is made from Muscat grown throughout southern France, and other appellations include Frontignan, Rivesaltes, Lunel, and St. Jean de Minervois. This same process is done with Grenache for the red Rasteau in the Rhône and Maury and Banyuls in the southwest. These wines are sometimes aged on the ullage to provoke a certain oxidation and give a “rancio” effect to the wine.
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Wine Regions of the World
