Thursday Virtual Happy Hour: Wines of the Northern Rhone

This week, we'll be exploring the various wines the northern Rhone Valley, concentrating on Syrah and Viognier from Condrieu. The global touchstone for Viognier, Condrieu is the bold and perfumed white wine grape's heartland with stellar producers, stellar wines and sometimes stellar prices. The northern Rhone is best-known as the Syrah heartland of the Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, along with the associated appellations of Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas, Saint-Péray and Saint-Joseph.

Condrieu's whites strike an unusual balance between delicate perfume and substantial body. They are produced only in tiny quantities, and only in seven parishes. These are Limony, Chavanay, Malleval, Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône, Saint-Pierre-de-Bœuf, Verin and Condrieu itself. Condrieu vineyards lie within in a nine-mile stretch of the Rhône Valley on a winding section of the Rhône River. The appellation name derives from a French phrase meaning 'corner of the stream'. They are typically placed on south- and south-east-facing granite slopes rising steeply from the riverbanks.

Condrieu vineyards lie within in a nine-mile stretch of the Rhône Valley on a winding section of the Rhône River. The appellation name derives from a French phrase meaning 'corner of the stream'. They are typically placed on south- and south-east-facing granite slopes rising steeply from the riverbanks. Viognier is primarily known for its heady aroma, often compared to apricots and similar stone fruits, including peaches and honeysuckle. Its wines can also be very herbal, with aromas of chamomile, lavender, thyme and even a hint of pine. Nonetheless, notions of balance are not confined to acidity and its countervailing force. Viognier wines' texture, often supplemented by interactions with oak of varying formats and toasts, can sustain palate length where other varieties might solely rely on the backbone of acidity. As such, careful and considered winemaking can produce wonderfully aromatic, complex wines with exceptional length on the palate and further interest on the palate without high levels of acidity. Such wines can age and give pleasure for many years.

Syrah has proved successful in multiple viticultural areas around the world; wines are produced in many styles and display myriad of dark-fruit flavors. Varietal Syrah can be quite floral in its youth, developing white and black pepper aromas and herbaceous notes as it ages. Some examples show tanned leather and smoky scents, while the fruit in these wines tends towards the very dark flavors of blackcurrant and licorice. Old World styles of Syrah are generally produced in a more earthy and savory style in comparison to the New World where fruit-forward notes are more common.

Some of the world's most famous Syrah wines are the peppery, earthy reds of the northern Rhône, specifically of the Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Cornas and Saint-Joseph appellations. While Hermitage has been held in high regard for many centuries, the "roasted slopes" of Côte-Rôtie have emerged as a leading source of Syrah only towards the end of the 20th Century.

## We have a choice of videos to watch including:

1. https://youtu.be/5BSj3hTknbA?si=ddeDksRgfqi6SAdE - Essential Guide to Condrieu (100% Viognier) - Alti Wine Evchange (9:44)
2. https://youtu.be/vgsTBXzwgqE?si=1GvSmAONbbounC0O - HERMITAGE: JL CHAVE & LEGENDARY SYRAH - Our Pour Decisions (19:43)
3. https://youtu.be/UDyc2IotUAc?si=tq2HSFScbJsomvRb - M. Chapoutier Hermitage Monier de la Suzeranne - Julien Miquel (5:14)
4. https://youtu.be/QcOE2jMe_20?si=RLLBxmqsXNVWfaqg - E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage Red: Perfect Intro to Northern-Rhône Syrah Wines - Julien Miquel (2:21)

So, pick up a bottle and watch a couple of videos. Let us know what you’re drinking and eating, and, if possible, the region from which your wine comes. Do you have any comments (positive or negative) about the videos? And, as always, tell us what’s going on in your life - what's happening with you, how you're feeling about things, updates, successes, challenges - as much or as little as you’re willing to disclose. We are in this together. And - thank goodness - we have wine!

Cheers!!