The defining red grape of the Northern Rhone, where it produces its most crystalline and complex expression on the granite terraces of Cote-Rotie, Hermitage and Cornas. In Cote-Rotie it is co-fermented with up to 20 percent Viognier, gaining floral lift and aromatic complexity. On Hermitage it reaches its most concentrated and age-worthy form, capable of 40-plus years in bottle. In Cornas it stands alone on a granite amphitheatre, dark and mineral. In the Southern Rhone, Syrah is a blending partner (typically 10-15 percent) in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Vacqueyras, adding structure and pepper.
One of the world's most aromatic white grapes, native to the Rhone Valley and at the absolute peak of its expression in the Condrieu appellation and the monopole Chateau-Grillet, on schist and granite soils above the Rhone. Condrieu Viognier at its best offers peach blossom, apricot, white flowers, ginger and lanolin; a wine that is rich, sometimes low-acid, deeply textured, and best drunk young to mid-term. In Cote-Rotie it is co-fermented with Syrah (up to 20 percent) to add aromatic complexity and soften tannin. By the 1970s Condrieu had contracted to fewer than 10 hectares; Georges Vernay's preservation efforts are credited with its survival and revival.
The principal white grape of Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Saint-Peray. Marsanne is a thick-skinned, low-acid, full-bodied white that goes through a notoriously closed adolescent phase (around 5-10 years) before opening into a honeyed, almond-paste and beeswax richness that can last 30 or more years in the best Hermitage bottlings. Blended with Roussanne in most appellation whites; in Saint-Peray it is made into both still and traditional-method sparkling wine.
Hermitage and Chateauneuf-du-Pape's second white grape, blended with Marsanne in the north and used in much larger proportions in Southern Rhone whites. Roussanne has higher acidity and more aromatic complexity than Marsanne, lending herbal, white tea and floral notes; it is also susceptible to disease and lower-yielding. Chateau de Beaucastel's Roussanne Vieilles Vignes (over 80 percent Roussanne from very old vines) shows extraordinary hazelnut, beeswax and truffle complexity, demonstrating the grape's capacity for extreme depth and longevity in the right terroir.
The backbone of every great Southern Rhone red and the defining variety of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Grenache is thin-skinned, high in alcohol and sugar, with a naturally generous red-fruit character, white pepper and dried herb quality. On the galets roulees plateau it reaches great richness and complexity; on sandy soils (as at Rayas) it produces wines of almost transparent delicacy and extraordinary longevity. The Southern Rhone is the world's benchmark for old-vine Grenache; vines over 80-100 years old produce wines of exceptional concentration and complexity at minimal yields.
The dark, tannic, late-ripening component of the Southern Rhone GSM blend, contributing backbone, game and iron-earth complexity to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Vacqueyras. Chateau de Beaucastel uses a higher proportion than most CdP estates (often 30 percent or more), producing wines of exceptional longevity with a garrigue and truffle character. Clos des Papes also uses more Mourvedre than the appellation average. In Tavel and Lirac, Mourvedre adds structure to rose blends.
A Southern Rhone blending variety providing freshness, aromatic lift and lower alcohol in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Tavel and general Cotes du Rhone. Cinsault has experienced a renaissance as natural and low-intervention winemakers have found value in its light, floral, berry-forward character; in Provence and Languedoc it underpins many rose blends. In the Southern Rhone it is used in small proportions to soften and brighten Grenache-dominant blends.
The white-berry mutation of Grenache and one of the principal varieties in white Chateauneuf-du-Pape blends. Grenache Blanc contributes body, alcohol and a waxy, melon-and-pear fruit character; it is often blended with Roussanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Picpoul for the CdP blanc. Chateau de Beaucastel's white blends often include Grenache Blanc alongside the estate's celebrated old-vine Roussanne. At its best it produces whites of considerable richness, best drunk young or after long ageing.
The grape behind Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise AOC, one of France's great vins doux naturels. Muscat a Petits Grains Blancs (small white berries) grown on the volcanic-influenced soils of Beaumes-de-Venise, at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail, produces the most aromatic and complex of the Muscat VDN family: intensely floral, apricot, lychee and orange blossom, with a fortification that preserves the varietal freshness. Best served slightly chilled as an aperitif or with foie gras and light fruit tarts. A classic and underappreciated style.
An ancient Provencal white grape and one of the oldest-cultivated varieties in the Southern Rhone, widely planted in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Tavel, Lirac and general Cotes du Rhone. Clairette contributes freshness, citrus and floral notes to white Chateauneuf-du-Pape blends alongside Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Bourboulenc. In Tavel it is a key component of the distinctive rose blend. The Clairette de Die appellation in the Drome, east of the Rhone corridor, produces a traditional-method sparkling Muscat-Clairette blend.