Northern Rhone

Question 1

Where are the prime vineyards of the Northern Rhône situated:
Location
Direction

Answer 1

・Close to the river
・Steep slope with a south-facing aspect

Question 2

What is the name of the howling, cold northerly wind in the Rhône Valley?

Answer 2

The Mistral

Question 3

What are the advantages of the Mistral in the Northern Rhône?

Answer 3

The strong wind keeps vineyards dry and prevents mold and mildew, keeping grapes disease- and rot-free;
Helps grapes maintain bright acidity;
Cools down the temperature at night.

Question 4

What is the climate of the Northern Rhône?

Answer 4

Moderate continental (Similar to Beaujolais)
Cooler than Southern Rhone

Question 5

What is the only red grape allowed in the Northern Rhône?

Answer 5

Syrah

Question 6

Name the white grapes grown in the Northern Rhône and in which white wine appellations you’ll find them.

Answer 6

Viognier
・Condrieu

Roussanne
・Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph

Marsanne
・Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph

Question 7

Syrah in the Northern Rhone
1,5,7,9,10

Answer 7

1 Deeply coloured
5 Medium to high tannin
7 Black fruit and sometimes black pepper or floral aromas
9 Depend. Some use new oak, others use older oak, large barrels.
10 Most of the time, 100% Syrah. Some blended with white such as Viognier.

Question 8

Viognier in Northern Rhone
2,3,4,6,7,9,12

Answer 8

2 Small number of wines are made in an off-dry style from late-harvest
3 Full bodied
4 Low acidity
6 High alcohol
7 Perfumed aromas, blossom and apricots, Stone fruits.
9 New oak is increasingly used
12 Need carefully handling so the wines do not overly oily character / oak flavour which both can overwhelm the aromas.

Question 9

Marsanne and Roussanne
Characteristics
Compare to Viognier

Answer 9

Roussanne
・Offers acidity more than Mersanne
・Perfumed fruits

Marsanne
・Rich, weighted texture

Neither is as aromatic as Viognier but they can age well and develop complex hazelnut notes as they age.

Question 10

Name the AOPs of the Northern Rhône Valley.

Answer 10

From north to south:

Côte-Rôtie
Condrieu
Saint-Joseph
Crozes-Hermitage
Hermitage
Cornas

Question 11

What is the northernmost appellation in the Rhône Valley?
It’s situated around the town of ___?

Answer 11

Côte-Rôtie
Ampuis

Question 12

What does Côte-Rôtie translate to in English?

Answer 12

Roasted slope

Question 13

In Côte-Rôtie, which white grape may be blended with Syrah?

What is the maximum amount?

1,3,7

Answer 13

・Viognier
・Up to 20% of the final blend; often co-fermented with Syrah grapes.

Viognier adds aromatic complexity to the power of the Syrah.

1 Deeply coloured
3 Full bodied
7 Spicy and the best has an aromatic, floral freshness

Question 14

In the Northern Rhône, red wines from (1) tend to have more elegance while in (2) they are bolder and more powerful; in (3) they are fullest body of Southern Rhone and earthy.

Answer 14

1 Côte-Rôtie
2 Cornas
3 Hermitage

Question 15

Name a white wine-only appellation in the Northern Rhône.

Answer 15

Condrieu AOP: 100% Viognier​

Question 16

What is the single vineyard appellation within Condrieu that makes a wine similar in style to Condrieu?

Answer 16

Château-Grillet

Question 17

St-Joseph lies on the left or right bank of which river?

What city marks the southern or northern? end of St-Joseph?

Answer 17

Right bank of Rhone river
Southern. Tourton

Question 18

Name the grape varieties used in the production of Saint-Joseph AOP.

Answer 18

Red
・Syrah

White
・Marsanne
・Roussanne

Question 19

Is St-Joseph a homogeneous appellation in terms of quality and style of wine?

Answer 19

No, St-Joseph is not homogeneous. The vineyards stretch over a long distance, covering wide variations in climate and soil.

Think of it like a sandwich:
The northern & southern portions of St-Joseph make = the best wines

The middle part of St-Joseph (flat, fertile sites on the valley floor and the plateau above the slopes) makes large volumes of lighter-bodied, inexpensive wine with pepper-perfumed aspects of the Syrah grape, created by using carbonic maceration.

Question 19

Where are the prime vineyards of the Northern Rhône situated: on the valley floor or on steep slopes?

Answer 19

Steep slopes

Question 20

What styles of wine can be made in Hermitage AOP?

Answer 20

Still white and red only from Syrah, Roussanne and Marsanne.

While white grapes are allowed to be blended in red Hermitage, today most of the white grapes are vinified into white wines.

Question 20

In terms of volume, what is the largest appellation of the Northern Rhône?

Answer 20

Crozes-Hermitage AOP

Question 21

Name the grape varieties used in the production of Crozes-Hermitage AOP.

Answer 21

Red:
・Syrah
・Can be blended with a max 15% combined Marsanne and Roussanne.

Question 22

What is the difference between Crozes-Hermitage AOP and Hermitage AOP?

Answer 22

​Crozes-Hermitage AOP
・Vineyards are located mostly on flat land with varied soils, where mechanical harvesting is common.
・High volume, most of them are inexpensive wines.
・Generally unoaked but some expensive wines can be aged in oak.

Hermitage AOP
・Hermitage is a steep south facing slope, behind the town of Train-I’Hermitage.
・Produces some best wines, the majority of them reds. All vineyard work is done by hand.

Both AOPs allow for up to 15% combined Marsanne and Roussanne to be blended into the reds.

Question 22

What is the warmest appellation in the Northern Rhône?

Answer 22

Cornas AOP

Question 23

Grape variety in Cornas

Answer 23

100% Syrah

1 Deeply coloured
3 Full bodied

In a style and quality similar to Hermitage.

Question 23

What are some of the factors that contribute to wines from Cornas being so full and powerful?

Answer 23

Some of the factors that contribute to Cornas’s full and powerful wines are its location and the terroir:

・Situated in the southern part of the Northern Rhône, this tiny AOP is south-facing, so it has long ripening days;

・Vineyards are on very steep, sheltered, sun-baked slopes, enhancing the amount of sunshine the grapes receive.