Along with Bordeaux and Burgundy, Rhône Valley wines are acknowledged to be among the best in the world. Situated in the Rhône River Valley in the south of France, the Rhône is comprised of two distinct regions—the north and south—each with its own viniculture and featuring wines of very different character.
The Northern Rhône (referred to in French as Rhône septentrional) produces powerful, aromatically complex and age worthy red wines, often in very limited numbers, from the dignified Syrah grape. Typically, most red wines in the northern zone have had an alcohol content in the common 12% to 13% range, but warmer-than-normal growing seasons (like in 1997, 1999, and 2003 in particular), have brought significantly richer, more powerful, and higher alcoholic content varieties.
The Southern Rhône (or Rhône méridional) yields more than 90% of the valley’s total production. A multitude of markedly more rustic and often richer blends coming from the high-alcohol Grenache grape can be identified by a more “southern” flavor. The wines offer a rich mouth feel, and more of a roasted and somewhat liqueur-ish fruit personality with spice and wild herb accents.
In the Northern Rhône Valley the apotheosis of Viognier, an exotically scented white wine, is also grown. Viognier is a variety that has been recently planted on several continents by growers hoping to capitalize on a strong worldwide demand. There are other white wines from the Rhône Valley (albeit less exciting than Viognier). The majority of these are blends based on Marsanne and Roussanne in the North, and Grenache Blanc and less interesting native varieties in the South.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points: Just a small step back from the Les Bessards, the 2012 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes is a stunning effort that exhibits blockbuster notes of toasted spice, leather, peppery herbs and sweet black and blue fruit. Seeing...
Wine Spectator, 92 points: Dark but perfumy, with black tea and warm ganache notes followed by silky plum, fig and blackberry fruit flavors. A long echo of licorice snap lines the finish. Best from 2015 through 2025. – JM
Wine Spectator, 95 points: A core of pure kirsch and raspberry coulis flavors streams throughout, picking up hints of blood orange, incense, rooibos tea and shiso leaf along the way. Layered and long but remarkably silky, with the fruit glistening...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points: Paris’s entry-level cuvee that comes from some of the lower slopes, the inky colored 2012 Cornas Granite 30 is a great bottle of wine that’s been an incredible value in the past couple of vintages. Classic Cornas, yet...
Vinous, 92 points: Brilliant ruby. Flamboyant aromas of ripe red berries, incense, potpourri and minerals. Supple, fleshy and alluringly sweet, with intense red fruit flavors coating the palate. Smooth, seamless and concentrated but also...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: (WA94-96 points) Showing much more open and expressive than when I tasted it last year (or said another way, I under-rated it), the 2012 Côtes du Rhône Villages Vinsobres les Hauts de Julien comes from close to...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points: Looking at the 2012 Cornas releases, the 2012 Cornas les Chailles (100% Syrah from the Les Chailles lieu-dit, aged in 2- to 5-year-old white-wine barrels) is stunning stuff that could rival the 2010 and 2011 in another...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 94 points: One of my favorite wines, the 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvee Réservée is a classic. Beautiful on the nose, with notions of ground pepper, wild herbs, minerality and smoked plum and dark fruit, it’s medium to full-bodied...
Wine Spectator, 95 points: This is lavishly toasted, with a frame of mocha, ganache and black tea notes, matched to a gorgeous core of raspberry pâte de fruit, blackberry puree and plum sauce flavors. Exhibits a long, alluring, polished feel...
Wine Spectator, 95 points: This is dreamy, with stunning raspberry pâte de fruit and boysenberry confiture notes that glide effortlessly, while very silky tannins ride underneath. Shiso leaf, pastis, lavender and warm stone accents fill in on the...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points: Just a step behind the Sainte Epine, the 2012 St Joseph Cuvee Francois de Tournon exhibits classic black raspberry, cassis, spiced meats and hints of licorice in its ripe, supple and beautifully pure profile. Aged 16...
Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages, 90 points: Dark and ripe with some savoury character. A cool finish and both very round and mineral. Interesting wine! Though more salon than peasant kitchen. Hot finish. Vineyard soil: galets, sand, clay-limestone. Lieu-dit:...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points: One of my favorite wines from this estate, the 2012 Rasteau offers tons of ripe dark fruit, crushed rock, licorice and minerality in its full-bodied, concentrated profile. Made from 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 10%...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 99 points: The wine of the vintage is the Perrin’s 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin, and it will most likely merit a perfect rating in another couple of years. Full-bodied, massive and layered on the palate, with...
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