We’ve spent the last few days tasting across the Southern Rhône Valley. In this era of hot, dry summers and abundant ripeness, a winemaker’s primary task is divining freshness. Across the dozens of Rhône reds we’ve tasted this week, it’s clear that some are more successful than others.
Except for Burgundy, most wine regions in France are better known for one wine color or another. But a region’s “non-dominant” wine color is often fascinating and delicious. One of our favorites is white wines from the Rhône Valley.
Vincent Boyer now works with his sister Sylvie, and together they share the viticulture (mostly her) and winemaking (mostly him). They’ve nearly completed their conversion to organic farming, and their always excellent wines have become even better in recent years. They raised prices after their catastrophic 2021 vintage where they lost 90% in some plots from frost, but actually lowered them this year given the healthier crop.
Cornas is a tiny gem of an appellation. It covers 350 acres and is home to just 50 vignerons. The name comes from the Celtic word for “burnt earth,” and it’s an appropriate moniker: Cornas is pure Syrah like the rest of the Northern Rhône, but the feel is of something sunnier from further South.
Having just added two iconic Grand Crus to their holdings (Echezeaux and Richebourg), the Domaine Michel Gros has what Neal Martin of Vinous calls “a portfolio to be reckoned with.” Indeed their vines stretch from Bourgogne to Grand Cru and from Nuits-St-Georges all the way to Gevrey-Chambertin. Michel’s son Pierre has taken over winemaking, bringing new energy and a lower-intervention farming style.
Gautier Desvignes has become well known among our readers (and in the wine press) for his gorgeous, affordable, beautifully crafted Burgundies from Givry. William Kelley of the Wine Advocate calls him “one of the leading lights in the Côte Chalonnaise.” Gautier has raised the bar of his family domaine perhaps more than any other winemaker we work with.
The Northern Rhône is a tiny region. With just ten thousand acres of vines, it’s one sixteenth the size of the Southern Rhône Valley. And yet it’s home to the world’s finest expressions of Syrah. Iconic and ageworthy wines from Hermitage, Côte Rôtie and Cornas get much of the attention, but the lesser-known appellation of Crozes-Hermitage provides tremendous value.
Arnaud Baillot is an exciting new producer in Burgundy. He started just 10 years ago as a micro-negociant, purchasing grapes and making tiny batches from small plots. In the last decade he has acquired 10 hectares of vines around the Côte d’Or, farming organically and crafting beautiful, understated modern Burgundy.
Chenin blanc has an enormous range of expression. It can be anywhere from very dry to very sweet depending on vintage, terroir, and winemaker. Our favorite expression is bone chenin blanc – at its best the grape delivers exquisite balance of orchard and stone fruit, fine minerality, and carefully channeled energy.
It’s hard to call any place in Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits “overlooked,” but Morey-Saint-Denis has always been a bit of an underdog. It’s a tiny place — about a mile from end to end, and home to fewer than 700 people — and sits between two larger and more famous neighbors. But it’s an impressive town in its own right, worthy of attention and respect.
More than anywhere else in Burgundy, winemakers in Chablis have felt the impact of recent warm vintages. Earlier harvests and more sun exposure have meant riper grapes and wines with fleshier, richer textures. This style of Chablis can support more oaking, and some winemakers have begun to increase the exposure to oak barrels.
Champagne has a reputation as refined, elegant, and delicate. While this reputation fits much of the wine from the heart of the Champagne region, today’s wine is another story. Domaine Jacques Robin is a small grower producer in the Côtes des Bar, a satellite sub-region of Champagne an hour to the south.
The “Michel” of Gros fame is now fully retired – or, at least, as fully retired as a winemaker can be with 45 vintages under his belt, a house nearby, and his name on the label. His son Pierre has taken the reins, representing, in Neal Martin’s words, “a change in tack rather than charting a totally different course.” Like many of his peer group Pierre has moved the domaine toward organics, and if his first few vintages at the helm are any indication, the future at Gros may be even brighter than the past.
The Maconnais has long been one of our favorite sources for white Burgundy. This southern sub-region produces wines with an often friendlier character than those of the famous Côte d’Or to the north. Maconnais whites typically have low or no oak, they’re more affordable, and require less cellaring.
Arnaud Baillot is a bit of an anomaly in Burgundy – he has no family connection to wine or the region, and has only been making wine for six years. His wife Laure is of a storied Burgundian family (Hudelot-Noëllat), but they have short winemaking experience and almost zero reviews. We met him in a […]