Northern Rhône Icons

We have (enjoyably) hand selected a world-class line up of iconic producers from the much-lauded Northern Rhône to represent the very best of what this famous region has to offer. With important vignerons such as Etienne Guigal, Yves Cuilleron, Pierre Gonon, Jean-Louis Chave, Michel Chapoutier, Paul Jaboulet, Jean-Luc Colombo and Bernard Gripa this is really a tasting that should not be missed. Every exceptional cru appellation will be covered including Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas, St-Péray and two wonderful expressions of Hermitage.

The Northern Rhône

It's not difficult to see why vine-growing is relatively uncommon on the steep, wooded banks of the Rhône south of Lyon. These vineyards, probably the oldest in France, have had to be etched into the mountainside on narrow at dizzying gradients. The great majority of wine made here is made from the Syrah grape, and the region's most famous wines are the deep-flavoured, long-lived reds Hermitage and the theoretically more fragrant and delicate Côte Rôtie. In addition there are some beautiful complex and powerful white wines crafted from Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier.

The most famous producers of the northern Rhône are family enterprises which vinify their own grapes but also buy in grapes and wine the length of the entire Rhône valley. The three biggest are Marcel Guigal of Côte Rôtie, whose single vineyard wines are sought after worldwide; Michel Chapoutier who practises biodynamic viticulture; and, another Hermitage specialist, Paul Jaboulet Aîné, sold by the Jaboulet family to the Frey family of Ch La Lagune in Bordeaux in 2005. They each have their own vineyards but buy in extensively from the hundreds of smallholders who still cultivate these physically demanding vineyards. As elsewhere, an increasing number of these smallholders are now bottling their own wine and their challenge, along with that of an increasing number of ambitious newcomers to the region, has done nothing but good for the overall quality of Rhône wine.

Wines on Tasting:

• E. Guigal, Château d’Ampius, Côte-Rôtie, 2012

• Yves Cuilleron, Condrieu, 2018

• Pierre Gonon, Saint-Joseph, 2019

• Jean-Louis Chave, Falconnets, Hermitage, 2015

• M. Chapoutier, La Sizeranne, Hermitage

• Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Domaine de Thalabert, Crozes-Hermitage 2014

• Jean-Luc Colombo, Terres Brulées, Cornas, 2017

• Bernard Gripa, Les Pins, St-Péray, 2019

RATHER ATTEND THIS TASTING ONLINE? We are hosting this same tasting earlier in the year online on Thursday 10th February 2022 at 7:30pm with Wine School Founder Jimmy Smith.