Northern Rhône 2015 - buoyed by a phenomenal vintage

Having had a glimpse of the 2015 Northern Rhône reds a year ago while in the region last summer, I’ve been counting the nights to get back to taste the wines in bottle. They did not disappoint during our quick trip in early July  to the region to taste about 170 wines and visit a handful of producers. The take on the vintage is universally great and, while the good are elevated, the best just get better. It is a vintage in which the whole region has moved up the curve. 

 In Condrieu  a clear contrast between the ripe and unctuous 2015 vintage wines and the more composed and even-handed 2016 wines is more than evident.  Both have their place. For white wines in particular, if there’s one appellation that can celebrate richness and density, it is Condrieu. Winemakers Villard, Cuilleron and Vernay have excelled in both harvests and crafted wines that take different stances equally well, while the swagger of Guigal’s 2015 La Doriane is undeniable and seems slight more tame and less woody. 

Verney’s famous Coteaux du Vernon Vineyard in Condrieu

In Côte Rôtie there are plenty of highlights coming from 2015. The best red wines are sleek, full of peppery interest and built on refined silky tannins. The finest embrace the ripeness of the vintage yet remain articulate and detailed, wrapped in those all-important fresh tannins. Experienced hands such as Villard, Guaillard, Saint Cosme and Vernay have laced their wines up nicely, ensuring this is a vintage with longevity as much as immediate pleasure. Guigal’s trio of 2013 La La’s are as impressive as ever and fly in established formation. 

Hermitage has seriously delivered on the promise of this phenomenal vintage. The ability of this hill to harness power and refinement is on display to full effect: Jaboulet’s renaissance takes the 2015 La Chapelle to heights not seen for some time; while Jean-Louis Chave’s components were so good he was almost dismissive of the embarrassment of riches assembled in bottle.

Jean-Louis Chave talking Hermitage

The powerful and majestic quality of the 2015 vintage combined with the potential for vines planted on granite soils to produce wines that make the most of the immense structure and depth means that the best parcels of syrah in 2015 have the ability to deliver decades of revelation and interest. 

The whites of Hermitage are excellent, too. Tasted from tank in the cellar of Jean-Louis Chave, the winemaker was nevertheless determined to play a long game and, as much as his 2015 components and bottled 2014 impressed, the 2001 and 1998 he opened really carved out the narrative for the genre. Great white Hermitage wines are ideal for delayed gratification. “These are slow wines and you must be at the table with food,” Chave insists.  

Similarly, Guigal’s Ex Voto 2013 and Chapoutier’s 2014 De L’Orée both make a strong case for the experienced producers to thread attractive greatness in very different vintages. Guigal, in particular, is adept at delivering early charm, even here, yet it is still just a hint of what lies ahead. Patience is key – the same old story. 

The highlight of Cornas was a multi-vintage tasting with Thierry Allemand where he opened a string of Reynard, Chaillot and Sans Soufre bottlings from 2014, 2011 and 2004. His wines are always so full of life and information; old vines, great sites painstakingly farmed and wines meticulously vinified. Allemand’s inexhaustible curiosity and critical examination of his own wines are perhaps his greatest assets. Dedication and humility deliver greatness here – if only there were more like him in Cornas. 

St Joseph is, by design, a menagerie of style and quality. While the improved caliber within this appellation is set on a steady trajectory, much like Burgundy the form of an individual producer can trump terroir. The commitment of Chave to acquire prime but forgotten land and re-establish vineyards is an exciting development for the region. “Before phylloxera these were special sites,” Chave explains as he surveys steep terraces above and below a narrow road cut through a newly planted south-facing hillside. “The difficulty today is finding the people willing to do the work.” Chave, Coursodon’s L’Olivaie, Guigal’s Vignes de l’Hospice, François Villard and Pierre Gaillard are among those carrying out such work and elevating this appellation to ever-greater heights. There’s relative value here, too. 

Thierry Allemand

Looking across Crozes-Hermitage, often the rough diamond of the Northern Rhône, the 2015 vintage has polished it to a handy luster. The wines are filled out, fleshy and have an almost seductive edge that is rarely seen in this appellation. This translates to attractive value in wines from Alain Graillot, Domaine Combier, Jaboulet’s Thalabert and Domaine de Roure, as well as Domaine des Lises, Delas and Saint Cosme. 

While the headline of a great vintage like 2015 may drag your attention to the Northern Rhône, the bigger story is the region’s swing towards wines of greater depth, definition and interest across the board. Much like the Southern Rhône, refined ideals and methods elucidate this region’s fascinating and expressive terroirs. It’s something we feel very positive about.

Nick Stock – Contributing Editor