Power and Energy: The 2018 and 2017 Northern Rhônes

BY JOSH RAYNOLDS | APRIL 30, 2020

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.