FR_Rhône_North

Question 1

The Main Red and White Grapes of Northern Rhône

Answer 1

Red: Syrah

White: Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne

Question 2

7 Descriptors for Syrah

Answer 2

* Aroma: Smoke, Black fruit, Black Pepper
* Sweetness: Dry
* Palate: Blueberry, Boysenberry, BlackBerry, White and Black Pepper, Spice, Cured Meat (bacon), Smoke
* Tannin: High
* Acidity: Med+
* Alcohol: Med+
* Body: Full

Question 3

6 Descriptors for Viognier

Answer 3

Aroma: Tangerine, Honeysuckle, Peach (sweet aromatics)
Sweetness: Dry
Wood: Oak adds creaminess and notes of vanilla
Acid : Low
Alcohol: High
Body: Medium to Full (similar to Chardonnay)

Question 4

6 Descriptors for Roussanne
2 Facts

Answer 4

Color: Reddish Brown (like a roux)
Aroma: Herbal Tea (chamomile) and Floral
Palate: Peaches, Pears, Honey, Hay
Acid: High
Body: Full
Texture: Rich, Silky, sometimes Oily

• More elegant and difficult to grow than Marsanne, which it is often blended with

Question 5

4 Descriptors for Marsanne
2 Facts

Answer 5

Palate: Ripe Pear, Nutty
Sweertness: Dry (can be sweet or sparkling in Saint Péray)
Acid: Med–
Body: Med

* Ages well and best known as blending grape in Northern Rhône

Question 6

Two great vintages from Northern Rhône and their Wine Spectator scores

Answer 6

• 2017: 97 “Reds are ripe and seductive. Whites are juicy and well-detailed”
• 2019: 96 “Reds are very concentrated and defined. Whites are more inconsistent”

Question 7

8 Appellations of Northern Rhône

Answer 7

* Côte Rôtie “roasted slope”
* Condrieu
* Château-Grillet
* Saint-Joseph
* Crozes-Hermitage
* Hermitage
* Cornas “scorched earth”
* Saint- Péray (San per-ray)