Never a Dull Vintage in the Northern Rhône

BY JOSH RAYNOLDS |&nbsp;DECEMBER 22, 2022It’s an interesting time
for wineries in the Northern Rhône valley. On
the one hand, demand for their wines, especially for small-production, single-vineyard
bottlings, is higher than ever. On the other,
nature hasn’t been playing nice for the
last several vintages. Luckily, the best producers have handled the increasingly challenging conditions with aplomb.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1671580003114-The+village+of+Cornas%2C+as+viewed+from+the+steep%2C+winding+road+down+from+its+summit_copy.jpg">The village of Cornas, viewed from the steep, winding road down from its summit. 

2021: Reality Hits Hard

The 2021 growing season was extremely complicated and all
over the place weather-wise. March was beyond abnormally hot, with temperatures
as high as 90 degrees Fahrenheit, foreshadowing a likely early budding. In the
end, the growers’ worst fears across the region were realized; the budding
started quickly, and, unfortunately, the heat wave was followed by a severe
frost on April 8th, which caused a loss of over one-third of the crop for the Northern
Rhône. Some vineyards lost their entire harvest. Erratic temperatures with heat
spikes, cold dips and hail occurred throughout the rest of the season. An
overabundance of rain, often poorly timed, brought on mildew and rot issues throughout
many areas in July, which required careful, not to mention expensive, attention
in the vineyards and severe fruit-thinning from what was already a diminished
yield. That was especially difficult to accomplish considering the labor
shortages that plagued French wine regions during the peak of COVID-19 days,
with seemingly perpetual lockdowns, quarantines and travel restrictions taking
their toll. Wineries with locally based, full-time crews fared better than
those traditionally relying on outside, seasonal or temporary workers. Smaller
domaines, with less vineyard area to cover, could usually handle things better
than the big players, who require more hands on deck, but not always.

The southern sector of Crozes-Hermitage, especially around Mercurol,
suffered severe losses due to the April frost, up to 100% in several cases.
Many apricot and peach trees, which continue to be a relatively significant
part of the region’s agricultural landscape, literally and figuratively, lost
all their crop, which stung small family wineries here that still depend on
their fruit harvest for income. So, some estates suffered a double whammy. Up
north, however, there were no issues in the vineyards of Gervans, Larnage and
the actual village of Crozes-Hermitage. At Hermitage, things were far better as
the hill suffered no frost damage. Cornas was hit hard by the frost in its
upper vineyards, but it was even worse further down the slopes and into the
flatlands, where in some sites, there was total loss. Luckily, vineyards in the
southern sector of Saint-Joseph mostly dodged the killer frosts, although some
of the flatter areas near Châteaubourg, just a bit north of Cornas, were
slightly affected. Vineyards in the northern sector were not so fortunate, as
some around Condrieu lost up to 50% of their fruit. Côte-Rôtie’s high-elevation
vineyards were hit extremely hard, but according to a few growers, the sunniest
sites mitigated the frost to a certain degree and fared well. That’s a small
comfort because production here was off by around 50%, and some vineyards lost
all of their fruit. As a result, many regional producers did not or will not
bottle single-vineyard or special-selection wines, instead opting to blend what
wine they could produce into a single “basic” or “village” bottling. Needless
to say, this is a vintage to watch very closely.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1671580118648-Guigal%27s+impeccably+maintained+cellar%2C+from+which+almost+five+million+bottles+are+produced+annually%2C+including+some+of+the+best+wines+from+the+entirety+of+the+Rh%C3%B4ne+valley_copy.jpg">Guigal's impeccably maintained cellar, from which almost five million bottles are produced annually, including some of the best wines from the entirety of the Rhône valley. 

2020: Dodging Bullets

A hot and exceedingly dry growing season, especially mid-summer, marked the 2020 vintage, like the three years that
preceded it; however, 2020 had an earlier harvest, which helped the fruit
maintain acidity in many cases. The drought caused the vines in select areas,
notably Côte-Rôtie, to suffer. Some producers noted that their yields were off
by up to a third. However, in the southern sector at Hermitage, Saint-Joseph
and Cornas, yields were normal to a bit higher than average. It goes to show the
difference a few (maybe more than a few) kilometers make. These are livelier wines, broadly speaking, than the 2019s
and 2018s. Many are truly outstanding, showing a deft combination of ripeness
and vivacity with excellent balance and length. The tannins are generally on
the light side and more subdued than those in 2019 and 2018, meaning most wines
will be approachable young. The top-quality wines, and there are quite a few, should age gracefully on
their added depth and balance. In multiple cases, the 2020s could age for longer than many of
the wines from the previous two vintages, where I fear that there’s a
chance the ripe characteristics will take over while the tannins are still
strongly present. Balance and energy, even
elegance, are the keywords in this vintage. But it’s still a year where one
should tread at least a little carefully, if not to the extent required in 2019,
2018 and 2017.

2019: Ripe, but Often
Lively - It Is Possible

Two-thousand
nineteen was a hot growing season, much like 2018, but with
the advantage of well-timed rains in August, which enlivened the vines and helped
preserve acidity in the still-ripening fruit. Overall, the
wines show more brightness, higher energy and a bit less overt weight
and brawn than the 2018s. They are almost always livelier and more precise than
their 2018 siblings, if not generally as fresh as the 2020s in the same cellar.
There was more rain the further north you went, meaning that Côte-Rôtie received
the most and the southern sector of Saint-Joseph and Cornas the least.
Hermitage fared slightly better than its neighbors across the river, as did
Crozes-Hermitage, especially at Larnage and Gervans, on the north side of the
appellation. On June 15th, at Crozes (in the lower-lying southern
sector) and in the far south of Saint-Joseph, a brief, fast-moving and narrow
but damaging hailstorm, composed of large hailstones, caused anywhere from 25%
to 50% crop loss in particular vineyards. Generally speaking, this will be a
very satisfying vintage for most Northern Rhône wine lovers.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1671580217486-Matthieu+Barret+is+not+afraid+of+experimenting+in+the+cellar_copy.jpg">Matthieu Barret is not afraid of experimenting in the cellar. 

2018: Trust the Producer
Who Has a Track Record&nbsp;

Throughout 2018,
conditions were quite warm to blazingly hot and exceedingly dry, much to the
growers’ and their vines’ chagrin, especially in younger vineyards. The resulting
wines showcase excellent ripeness and heft, with distinct, dark fruit character
and solid tannins due to thick skins if the grapes weren’t canopy protected. Typically
cooler areas, like Côte-Rôtie and the high-altitude sites of Cornas and
Saint-Joseph, dealt with the heat issues better than low-lying areas, like the
plains of Crozes-Hermitage and the flatter sites of Saint-Joseph, from south to
north. Nonetheless, some excellent wines were produced, resulting from careful
selection during harvest, at the sorting table and afterward barrel-by-barrel
or tank-by-tank. It’s easy to over-generalize a vintage like 2018, and even
quite understandable, but various bottlings will confound the stereotype.

A Brief, Older Vintage
Overview

The 2017s, products
of a hot year, are marked by dark fruit, sometimes
warm character and noticeable weight, with often high alcohol levels
and low acidity. The best wines are rich but don’t show overt heat or roasted
character, at least not yet. That may change as they gain more bottle age. In
contrast, 2016 issued incredibly suave, fresh and balanced wines, many of which are
already delicious but with the energy to age gracefully. Then there is 2015,
a vintage that is developing at a glacial pace. Overall, the 2015s are marked
by serious structure as well as depth. They are built for a long time in the cellar, but the question arises: when
or will they ever soften up? More than a few producers are looking at 2015 with
some trepidation, wondering if they will always be on the strict and
unforgiving side. They note that this can be the case with a selection of wines
from 2010 and 2005, built along the same
structure and tannic lines as 2015. Time will tell, as always. We are talking
about wines made to last for decades, so it is still early days, at least for
the 2010s and especially the 2015s. I still have hope and reasonable confidence
that patience with the best 2015s will be rewarded and I look forward to
following the wines wherever they are heading.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1671580273472-Pierre+Gaillard+has+been+an+envelope-pusher+in+his+cellar+for+years%2C+Amphoras+have+been+making+themselves+at+home+here%2C+steadily+but+surely_copy.jpg">Pierre Gaillard has been an envelope-pusher in his cellar for years.&nbsp;Amphoras have steadily been making themselves at home here. 

Prices Are Going Up, Sometimes Way, Way Up

The costs of
the most sought-after wines from the top Northern Rhône producers have risen
exponentially in recent years. I will emphatically state that this is not their
fault. Of course, producers raise their prices as demand increases and
production decreases, but winery increases tend to be minimal compared to what
happens once the wines are in the market. Some of the prices that cult-y wines
are commanding are, at least to my mind, out of control. I am talking about
bottles trading for the price of a not-so-bad used car, a month’s rent for a New
York City studio, a round trip for two or dinner for two (with wine) at a
Michelin, three-star restaurant. Create your own analogy. All the producers I
visit are flattered by the attention, assumed respect and high prices paid for
their work. But almost all of them are shell-shocked, often embarrassed and
flat-out angered by how the market for their wines has rapidly evolved in a
direction that they never intended, something that is out of their control.

Winemaking
and Drinking Outside the Box or Appellation

It is no surprise
that land prices in established Northern Rhône appellations have gone straight
through the roof, as has been the case with every prime wine-growing region
worldwide. Even if they wish to expand, it has become prohibitively expensive
for most small, family-run domaines to acquire even a few rows of vines in the
village where they reside. Looking
for land or vines near the home base is the ideal solution, but sometimes searching
afar is the only option. That’s
why there is an ever-growing number of outlier bottlings in many, if not most,
of the wineries Vinous has covered over the years. Lately, I expect to be shown
at least one “simple” Vin de France in almost every cellar I visit. In certain
instances, they are wines made by a given producer’s friend or friends, where
an exchange of crop was made. The point is that with the economic reality being
what it is unless a producer has bottomless pockets, expansion in the old way (buying
land in a fancy appellation) is becoming or is already a distant memory.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1671580422286-C%C3%B4te-R%C3%B4tie+in+late+winter%2C+just+before+their+wines+come+out+of+hibernation%2C+and%2C+unfortunately%2C+often+get+hit+by+frost%2C+as+in+2021%2C+brutally_copy.jpg">Côte-Rôtie in late winter just before the vines come out of hibernation. Unfortunately, they often get hit&nbsp;by frost, as they brutally did in 2021. 

Time Marches On

Generational
and name changes for some producers are
happening, which is usually a subtle move. To wit, Jean-Luc
Colombo’s estate wines are now labeled as “Domaine
Colombo”, and René Rostaing is now “Domaine Rostaing”. Gilles
Barge is now “Julien Barge” (I was not able to taste recent vintages from
them), and Domaine Georges Vernay now has the
founder’s daughter’s name, Christine Vernay, attached
as well. There’s some irony because Christine is now semi-retired, and
her daughter, Emma Ansellem, now runs the show at that historic estate. After
33 years visiting the region, I have become used to sons and daughters, or
nieces and nephews, assuming control of their family's domaines, but it is
always with a bit of melancholy. The good news is that each successive
generation usually brings expanded experience and even more education, which
can only benefit their wineries and, indeed, their region.

Since our last coverage for the Northern Rhône was in May 2020, I was not able to get back to the region until April of this year, for obvious
reasons. During that extended lockdown, I continued to taste wines here in New
York and followed that up with two, separate three-week trips to the Rhône this
spring and summer. I tasted extensively during those visits and followed that
up with more wines back home through the fall.© 2022, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<div><hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/northern-rhone-a-first-look-at-the-2019s-may-2020">Northern Rhône: A First Look at the 2019s</a>, Josh Raynolds, May 2020 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/power-and-energy-the-2018-and-2017-northern-rhones-apr-2020">Power and Energy: The 2018 and 2017 Northern Rhônes</a>, Josh Raynolds, April 2020 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/northern-rhone-2016-and-2017-reds-sep-2019">Northern Rhône 2016 and 2017 Reds: From a Whisper to a Scream</a>, Josh Raynolds, September 2019 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vinous.com/articles/2017-and-2018-northern-rhone-barrels-jul-2019">2017 and 2018 Northern Rhône: Birds of a Feather...with a Difference</a>, Josh Raynolds, July 2019</div>

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