From Côte-Rôtie to Cornas: Discover the wines of the Northern Rhône

The Rhône Valley, in southeast France, is split into two major areas. They are the Northern Rhône, near Vienne (just south of Lyon), and the Southern Rhône Valley, which is near Avignon and close to the Mediterranean.  

Due to the significant difference in climate, topography and soil type between the two areas, the varieties grown in the Rhône are many and varied. But, in the north, the rock star red variety is syrah (shiraz).

Despite the cold Mistral wind, syrah can ripen in the Northern Rhône thanks to the moderating influence of the deep Rhône River. Vineyards are also largely planted on steeply sloped terraces to maximise sun exposure and therefore fruit ripeness.

Although the Northern Rhône produces less than five per cent of total Rhône Valley wine, it's home to some of its most prized appellations and vineyards, including Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie and Cornas. In Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage (more than half of all wine produced in the north comes from Crozes-Hermitage), where vines are planted on the flats as well as on more prized hill sites, quality can be inconsistent.

The hill of Hermitage.

Learn more about the top appellations in the Northern Rhône, listed from north to south.

Côte-Rôtie

What distinguishes Côte-Rôtie (which translates as "roasted slopes") from its neighbouring Northern Rhône appellations is that up to 20 per cent viognier is allowed to be co-fermented with syrah. As in Australia, a little viognier goes a long way, and so in reality the range is usually from zero up to about 10 per cent.

The most floral and elegant wines in the Northern Rhône come from Côte-Rôtie. 

Condrieu

The most important white wine appellation in the Northern Rhône is Condrieu, just south of Côte-Rôtie. There is now just over 100ha of viognier planted here – a far cry from the 10ha planted in the 1960s, although at that stage there was less than 15ha of viognier planted in the world.

In Condrieu, viognier creates wines that are honeyed and unctuous and with relatively low acidity. They tend not to last as long as the Rhône whites made from marsanne and/or roussanne. 

Hermitage

Hermitage is, by far, the most famous Northern Rhône appellation. So famous that Penfolds Grange – Australia’s most historically important wine – was once called Penfolds Grange Hermitage. Here, there are 138ha of vines planted on a very steep and spectacular hillside that rises to around 240m. A small chapel devoted to Saint Christopher, built in the 12th century, sits at the top of the hill. 

The hillside is planted mainly to syrah, along with the white varieties marsanne and roussanne, which usually go into white Hermitage as a single varietal or a blend. Up to 15 per cent of these white grapes can be added to the red wine but, unlike in Côte-Rôtie (with viognier) in practice, rarely anyone does this.

Cornas

The most southerly, and therefore warmest, of the Northern Rhône appellations, Cornas' steeply terraced vineyards rise to an elevation of 400m, and are mainly planted on granite. The resulting wines are robust, mineral and firmly structured.

This is an edited extract from Halliday Wine Academy's Wines of the World: Europe online course. To learn more about the Northern Rhône (including illustrated maps and a selection of wines from the region to try), or other European appellations, enrol now.

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