France's great north-south wine corridor, stretching from the granite Syrah terraces of Cote-Rotie and the fragrant Viognier of Condrieu to the sun-scorched Grenache galets of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the rosé vineyards of Tavel.

Drink your way through Rhone Valley

Map of Rhone Valley

Every vineyard, tasting room, wine bar and cellar we cover in Rhone Valley, pinned. Click a pin for the page.

Signature wines of Rhone Valley

The iconic bottles that define Rhone Valley.

Cote-Rotie La Mouline

Producer: e-guigal

The most seductive of Guigal's three single-vineyard Cote-Rotie cuvees. Cote Blonde Syrah co-fermented with 11% Viognier delivers a heady floral and red-fruit profile with silky tannins and extraordinary longevity.

Price: EUR 400-600 at retail

Cote-Rotie La Landonne

Producer: e-guigal

100% Syrah from the iron-rich Cote Brune. The most powerful and structured of Guigal's La La La trilogy, with granite-and-iron intensity demanding decades of cellaring.

Price: EUR 400-700 at retail

Hermitage Rouge

Producer: domaine-jean-louis-chave

The Chave family has farmed the Hermitage hill since 1481. The annual assemblage of multiple lieux-dits is built on iron mineral and old-vine concentration, and a 500-year viticultural lineage.

Price: EUR 200-350 at retail

Hermitage La Chapelle

Producer: paul-jaboulet-aine

Named for the Saint-Christophe chapel on the Hermitage hill, La Chapelle has been produced since the house was founded in 1834. A benchmark for long-aged Northern Rhone Syrah, the 1961 vintage is considered one of the greatest French reds ever made.

Price: EUR 100-180 at retail

Hermitage Blanc

Producer: domaine-jean-louis-chave

Marsanne and Roussanne assembled from multiple white parcels on the Hermitage hill. Among the world's most age-worthy white wines, produced by the Chave family across centuries of continuous ownership.

Price: EUR 200-350 at retail

Condrieu Coteau de Vernon

Producer: georges-vernay

From the oldest Viognier vines in Condrieu, this single-vineyard white is the appellation's benchmark. Georges Vernay saved the near-extinct Condrieu AOC in the 1970s; Christine Vernay continues his legacy with this extraordinary Viognier.

Price: EUR 100-160 at retail

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Vineyards to know in Rhone Valley

A handful of the estates we send friends to when they are in Rhone Valley.

E. Guigal

Cote-Rotie AOC, Condrieu AOC, Hermitage AOC, Cotes du Rhone AOCSyrah, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, GrenacheChateau d'Ampuis, 69420 Ampuis, France

Ampuis-based negociant and domaine celebrated for the single-vineyard Cote-Rotie La La La trilogy from old Syrah vines.

Signature: guigal-cote-rotie-la-mouline, guigal-cote-rotie-la-landonne, guigal-cote-rotie-la-turque

More about E. Guigal →

M. Chapoutier

Hermitage AOC, Crozes-Hermitage AOC, Cotes du Rhone AOCSyrah, Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache, Viognier18 Avenue du Docteur Paul Durand, 26600 Tain-l'Hermitage, France

Tain-l'Hermitage negociant under biodynamic conversion since the 1990s, producing benchmark Hermitage Syrah and rare Marsanne whites.

Signature: chapoutier-ermitage-le-pavillon, chapoutier-ermitage-de-lore

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Paul Jaboulet Aine

Hermitage AOC, Crozes-Hermitage AOC, Cotes du Rhone AOCSyrah, Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache25 Place du Taurobole, 26600 Tain-l'Hermitage, France

One of the Rhone's oldest negociants, producers of the iconic Hermitage La Chapelle Syrah from the hill's granite flanks in Tain.

Signature: jaboulet-hermitage-la-chapelle

More about Paul Jaboulet Aine →

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave

Hermitage AOC, Saint-Joseph AOCSyrah, Marsanne37 Avenue de Saint-Joseph, 07300 Mauves, France

Mauves family domaine with Hermitage holdings tracing to the 15th century, producing assemblage Hermitage Syrah and Marsanne from multiple lieux-dits.

Signature: chave-hermitage-rouge, chave-hermitage-blanc

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Auguste Clape

Cornas AOCSyrah146 Route Nationale, 07130 Cornas, France

The reference producer of Cornas AOC, farming old Syrah vines on granite terraces. Pierre-Marie Clape continues Auguste's work on the village's most celebrated terroir.

Signature: clape-cornas

More about Auguste Clape →

Thierry Allemand

Cornas AOCSyrahQuartier de l'Equerre, 07130 Cornas, France

Cornas artisan with cult status, producing old-vine Syrah from Chaillot (younger vines) and Reynard (centenarian-vine parcel) with zero intervention.

Signature: allemand-cornas-reynard, allemand-cornas-chaillot

More about Thierry Allemand →

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Sub-appellations of Rhone Valley

Cote-Rotie (Cote Rotie/Rotie)

Vertiginous terraced granite above the Rhone, where hand-harvested Syrah co-fermented with fragrant Viognier produces some of the world's most complex and aromatic red wines.

Saint-Joseph Corridor (Saint-Joseph/Saint Joseph)

A long north-south granite corridor where fresh, aromatic Syrah and floral Marsanne-Roussanne whites grow far from the hype and prices of Hermitage, offering some of the Northern Rhone's best value.

Hermitage Hill (Hermitage/Tain l'Hermitage)

A lone granite hill dominating a bend in the Rhone, visible for miles, where the most age-worthy Syrah and Marsanne whites in France grow on a tapestry of named lieux-dits.

Rhone Valley wine, FAQ

When is the best time to visit Rhone Valley for wine?

Peak wine-travel season in Rhone Valley is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.

Do I need an appointment to taste at Rhone Valley estates?

classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.

What hours do Rhone Valley cellars and tasting rooms keep?

most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.

How does tipping work at Rhone Valley tastings?

tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.

What is the one wine to try in Rhone Valley?

If you only open one bottle, open Cote-Rotie La Mouline by e-guigal. It is the wine most associated with Rhone Valley.