Power and Energy: The 2018 and 2017 Northern Rhônes
BY JOSH RAYNOLDS |
Northern Rhône wine lovers whose tastes run to richness and power are going to have a field day with the 2018 and 2017 vintages. While most of the wines tend toward dark fruit character, the best examples also have quite a bit of freshness and energy. That is especially true of the 2018s, which will appeal to readers who prefer a more classic style.
For centuries, the granitic soils of the famed Hermitage hill have produced some of the most complex, ageworthy wines in the world.
Two thousand eighteen was an up-and-down vintage for growers in the northern Rhône. The year got off to good start, with a wet winter that replenished groundwater reserves, on-time flowering and cool weather that allowed for slow, steady maturation. Unfortunately, heavy June rains in the southern sector, particularly at Cornas, brought on mildew, which resulted in crop loss in some sites. At the end of June, the weather took a sharp turn to sunny, dry and hot conditions, which accelerated ripening.
Because of the kick-started ripening in July and the hot weather that followed, many producers opted, or were forced, to pick their fruit on the early side, at the beginning of September and in hot weather. A few of the producers I visited mentioned that in 2018 phenological ripeness in many cases wasn’t fully attained until the fruit reached about 14.5% potential alcohol, while in the past, it was generally achieved when the grapes hit anywhere from 12.5% to 13% potential alcohol.
Tasting in the cellar with Alexis and Michael Gerin of Domaine Jean-Michel Gerin.
There was the obvious danger of dropping acidity levels and rising pHs, and, as many vignerons pointed out, the fruit components of the wines’ aromatic and flavor profiles, while energetic in character, do lean toward more dark character than red, even in Côte-Rôtie. Yields were generally healthy across the region, especially in Côte-Rôtie and in the northern sector of Saint-Joseph, where quantities were robust and sometimes even on the high side, which also likely contributes to the wines’ energy. Still, based on what I saw during my extensive cellar visits during the first two weeks of March, roasted qualities and flabby textures were rarely to be found, which was a pleasant surprise.
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Northern Rhône wine lovers whose tastes run to richness and power are going to have a field day with the 2018 and 2017 vintages. While most of the wines tend toward dark fruit character, the best examples also have quite a bit of freshness and energy. That is especially true of the 2018s, which will appeal to readers who prefer a more classic style.
Show all the wines (sorted by score)
Producers in this Article
- Alain Jaume & Fils
- Alain Verset
- Anne-Sophie Pic & Michel Chapoutier
- Aurélien Chatagnier
- Aurélien Pinheiro
- Cave de Tain
- Cédric Parpette
- Christelle Betton
- Christiane Chambeyron-Manin
- Christophe Curtat
- Christophe Pichon
- Clos de la Bonnette
- Dard & Ribo
- Delas Frères
- Domaine A. Clape
- Domaine Alain Graillot
- Domaine Alain Voge
- Domaine André Perret
- Domaine Barou
- Domaine Belle
- Domaine Bernard Burgaud
- Domaine Bernard Faurie
- Domaine Bernard Gripa
- Domaine Blachon
- Domaine Breyton
- Domaine Chambeyron
- Domaine Champet
- Domaine Christophe Semaska
- Domaine Clusel-Roch
- Domaine Combier
- Domaine Courbis
- Domaine Coursodon
- Domaine de Bonserine
- Domaine de Bréseyme
- Domaine Degache Frères
- Domaine de Gouye
- Domaine de Lorient
- Domaine des Amphores
- Domaine des Combat
- Domaine des Entrefaux
- Domaine des Lises
- Domaine des Miquettes
- Domaine des Pierres Seches/Sylvain Gauthier
- Domaine des Remizières
- Domaine Duclaux
- Domaine du Colombier
- Domaine du Coulet/Matthieu Barret
- Domaine du Monteillet/Stéphane Montez
- Domaine Durand
- Domaine du Tunnel/Stéphane Robert
- Domaine François et Fils
- Domaine François Villard
- Domaine Garon
- Domaine Gaylord Machon
- Domaine Gilles Robin
- Domaine Guillaume Clusel
- Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne
- Domaine Jean-Michel Gerin
- Domaine Jean-Paul, Corinne & Loïc Jamet
- Domaine J.L. Chave
- Domaine Les 4 Vents
- Domaine Les Bruyères/David Reynaud
- Domaine Lionnet
- Domaine Lombard
- Domaine Mathilde et Yves Gangloff
- Domaine Melody
- Domaine Monier Perréol
- Domaine Mouton
- Domaine Mucyn
- Domaine Patrick Jasmin
- Domaine Pichat
- Domaine Pierre Finon
- Domaine Pierre Gonon
- Domaine Pradelle
- Domaine Vallet
- Domaine Vernay
- Domaine Vincent Paris
- Dumien Serrette
- E. Guigal
- Emmanuel Darnaud
- Equis
- Éric Texier
- Etienne Pochon
- Famille de Boel France
- Famille Levet
- Fayolle Fils & Fille
- Ferraton Père & Fils
- Franck Balthazar
- Guillaume Gilles
- Guy Farge
- Hervé Souhaut/Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet
- Jacques Leménicier
- J. Boutin
- Jean-Claude & Nicolas Fayolle
- Jean-François Malsert/Domaine de l'Iserand
- Jean-Luc Colombo
- Jean-Luc Jamet
- Jean-Michel Stéphan
- Jeanne Gaillard
- J.L. Chave Sélection
- J.M.B. Sorrel
- Jocelyn & Yves Lafoy
- Johann Michel
- Julien Barge
- Julien Cécillon
- Julien Pilon
- La Ferme des Sept Lunes
- Laurent Habrard
- Les Vins de Vienne
- Lionel Faury
- Louis Chèze
- Ludovic Courbis
- Maison Chapoutier
- Maison Les Alexandrins
- Martin Clerc
- Maryline et Christophe Billon
- Michele Luyton
- Mickaël Bourg
- M & S Ogier d'Ampuis
- M. Sorrel
- Natacha Chave
- Patrick et Christophe Bonnefond
- Paul Jaboulet Aîné
- Pierre Gaillard
- Pierre-Jean Villa
- Rémi Niero
- Rémy Nodin
- René Rostaing
- Saint-Cosme
- Stéphane Rousset
- Sylvain Badel
- Thierry Allemand
- Thomas Finot
- Vignobles Chirat
- Vignobles Verzier
- Vincent Cluzel
- Vincent Paris Sélection
- Xavier Gérard
- Yann Chave
- Yannick Alléno & Michel Chapoutier
- Yves Cuilleron
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