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, 92 points: The 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape (70% Grenache and 15% each of Syrah and Mourvedre) is beautiful, with medium to full-bodied richness, lots of sweet black raspberry fruit, graphite, bouquet garni and licorice aromatics, and...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points: My favorite of the lineup, and one of the top Châteauneufs in the vintage, the 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Imperiale is 95% Grenache (5% other varieties) that comes from 100-year-old vines and the pure sand soils of the...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 98 points: The awesome 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Reserve is at the top of the heap in the vintage, and is world-class stuff. Sharing lots of similarities to the Les Trois Sources (they come from similar terroirs), it has another...
Wine Spectator, 93 points: Rather ripe, with alluring warmed raspberry coulis, plum sauce and blackberry paste flavors, threaded with a licorice snap note and backed by warm ganache and Turkish coffee accents. Not shy in style, but has the...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 99 points: We finished the tasting with the inky-purple 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape. A cellar selection by Manfred Krankl (of Sine Qua Non) of mostly Mourvedre, yet with a splash of Grenache and even some white varieties, it was aged...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points: I loved the 2012 Hermitage le Meal Estate last year on release, and I loved it this year as well. Its inky color is followed by terrific notes of black raspberries (which I almost always find in wines from le Meal)...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points: A true blockbuster, the Grenache-dominated 2012 IGP Vaucluse comes all from clay and limestone soils around Rasteau, and spent 24-36 months in a combination of foudres and demi-muids. Loaded with notions of black...
Wine Spectator, 97 points: This defines old school, with savory detail and notes of roasted chestnut, fresh tobacco leaf, cedar and brick dust leading off, backed by a core of currant, cherry and plum fruit flavors that is lightly dried yet...
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