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.
jamessuckling.com, 98 points: Impressive, complex array of wild cherries, raspberries, garrigue herbs, lightly spiced pastry and stony, chalky minerals. Super-fresh florals. The palate has superb texture, roundness, completeness, depth and detail...
TheWineCellarInsider.com, 97 points: With its distinctive, earthy, animalistic, herb de Provence, pepper and red berry nose, the wine is full bodied, fresh, intense, concentrated, deep and long. The fruit shows its character with little effort required. The...
Wine Spectator, 95 points: Enticing, with bright, engaging raspberry, cherry and red currant fruit infused with gently roasted sandalwood and apple wood, garrigue and licorice root notes. A swath of tobacco underscores the finish, giving this an...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 94 points: The 2015 Cotes du Rhone Villages Arcane XVIII Le Soleil is youthfully dark in color and fruit-forward, but it also shows softening, silky tannins. It's full bodied but not overblown, with a sensationally seductive...
100 points: Another best to date, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvée du Papet from Thierry Sabon is pure perfection in a glass. More powerful than the classic cuvée, with killer black raspberries, crushed rocks, garrigue, salty...
Wine Enthusiast, 90 points: Guigal's Côtes du Rhône rosé is a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Cinsault and 10% Syrah. It's a dark pink shade, rather full bodied and rich. Some earthy, savory notes help balance out the intense cherry-berry fruit...
TheWineCellarInsider.com, 99 points: Deeply colored, this is incredibly concentrated. The wine is fleshy, silky and palate staining. The fruit coats your palate, but it's never heavy, or overblown. Instead, everything is in balance. The richly textured wine...
jebdunnuck.com, 98 points: The 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Imperiale is undeniably one of the big successes in the vintage. A blend of 95% Grenache and 5% other permitted varieties, partially destemmed and aged all in concrete, its deep ruby color is...
jamessuckling.com, 96 points: A wine with playful, attractive character. An array of red, blue and purple fruits. Gently spicy, chalky and fragrant, it has a very supple, fleshy and layered palate with a web of fine, smooth and supple tannins...
Wine Spectator, 97 points: There's a velvety, caressing mouthfeel to the waves of Linzer torte, warm cassis and raspberry pâte de fruit flavors, laced with black tea, mulled spice, singed alder and melted licorice notes. The long finish has latent...
Decanter, 96 points: Lifted loganberry, leaf tea and tarragon. Beautifully mouthcoating, elegant and harmonious, long and svelte, with a tapered finish. Gently perfumed, beautifully balanced. It’s concentrated without over-extraction...
jebdunnuck.com, 95 points: Moving to the Châteauneuf-du-Pape from bottle, the 2016 vintage was described as having the power of 2010 and similar to yet fresher than 2007. The 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape offers a great bouquet of black raspberries...
Antonio Galloni's Vinous, 93 points: (91-93 points) Dark ruby. Aromas and flavors of ripe red and blue fruits pick up floral and peppery spice nuances as the wine opens up. Smooth and expansive on the palate, showing very good depth as well as energy and...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points: About as sexy as they come, 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape les Origines features dark, chocolaty notes layered over plums and black cherries. Deep, rich and intense yet sleek and plush, it's a blend of 50% Grenache, 30%...
jebdunnuck.com, 93 points: Moving to the reds and 85% Grenache and the rest Syrah and Mourvèdre, the base 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a beauty and boasts appealing notes of spiced red and black fruits, cedar, and garrigue. Full-bodied, ripe and...
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