As part of the annual American Wine Society National Tasting Project, Dave Barber led a tasting of 9 Southern Rhône wines - ranging from basic Côtes du Rhône to ultra-premium Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas wines - at the September tasting of the NoVa Chapter of the American Wine Society.
Our new chapter president Graydon Vandament opened the meeting.
American Wine Society National Tasting Project
The annual American Wine Society National Tasting Project unites American Wine Society members across the country for a themed educational wine tasting. The NTP committee chooses a different theme each year and selects several wines that exemplify different styles within that theme. The committee provides educational materials via an in-depth PowerPoint presentation. It’s a ready-made tasting event!
Members, through a chapter or on their own, hold a blind tasting between January and October to sample and score the wines. They submit their results and then see how their scores compare to other American Wine Society chapters/members.
Annette Schiller: The Rhône Valley
The Rhône Valley is one of the oldest wine regions in France, and the second largest after Bordeaux. The Greeks introduced viticulture in the 4th century BC. Later the Romans came and brought viticulture to a different level. In the 14th century the Papacy moved to Avignon and the clergy had a tremendous influence on the development of the Rhône Valley wines.
Since then the world has discovered Rhône wines and some of the most famous and expensive wines come from the Rhône Valley. Just think Guigal’s La-La-La wines and the world famous Châteuaneuf-du-Pape.
The vineyards are located on both sides of the river. The Rhône Valley is divided into two distinctively different regions: the Northern Rhône and the Southern Rhône. The Northern Rhône stretches for 60 miles from Vienne – south of Lyon – to Valence, and produces just 5% of Rhône wines. The region has a continental climate with pronounced seasons. The soils are granitic and schistous and the vineyards are located on very steep terraced slopes. The red grape of the Northern Rhône is 100% Syrah.
Depending on the appellation the red wines are often blended with 5 – 20% of the white varietals Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne.
As the Rhône river flows southward and the valley widens the climate changes. It becomes more Mediterranean with long, warm summers and mild winters. Here we find the big brother of the Northern Rhône, the Southern Rhône wine region which accounts for 95% of the production and with Grenache being the principal variety in most red wine blends. There also is Syrah, Mourvèdre, ( “GSM” blends) and a variety of other red and white grapes. The landscape is much flatter than in the north and a variety of soils can be found: alluvial soils, limestone subsoils, sand, gravel, stones. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape region is famous for the “galets roulées”, those large, rounded stones that have been smoothed by both glacial and fluvial actions over time and deposited in the region dominating the character of the soil which gives the Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines its distinctive character.
Understanding the Wines of the Rhône Valley: The Classification - AOC/ Vin de Pay/ Vin de France
The Rhône Wine Region in Southern France and its Wines: History, Classification, Northern and Southern Rhône
The Wines we Tasted
We tasted 9 wines.
Annette and I have visited the producer of 4 of the 9 wines we tasted on ombiasy wine tour.
I am adding pictures from the tours.
Jean-Luc Colombo, 2020, Les Abeilles, Côtes-du-Rhône Blance
Tasting at Vins Jean-Luc Colombo with Anne Colombo in Cornas, Northern Rhône - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
Domaine de Beaurenard, 2021, Côtes-du-Rhône
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Beaurenard in Châteauneuf-du Pape - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
Domaine Lou Frejau, 2019, Chateauneuf-du-Pape
E. Guigal, Chateau de Nalys, 2016, Chateauneuf du Pape
Maison Guigal in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie, Northern Rhône: Cellar Tour, Tasting and Vineyard Tour - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
Pierre Amadieu, 2020 Gigondas, Romane Machotte
E. Guigal, 2019, Gigondas
Cellar Tour, Tasting and Vineyard Drive at E. Guigal in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie, Northern Rhône - Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours:
Wine, Culture and History, France
Chateau du Trignon, 2018, Rasteau
Domaine de Durban, 2020, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise
Impressions from the Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, Franc
Here are a few pictures from the Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours. See: Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
See also:
Understanding the Wines of the Rhône Valley: The Classification - AOC/ Vin de Pay/ Vin de France
The Rhône Wine Region in Southern France and its Wines: History, Classification, Northern and Southern Rhône
Pictures: The Rhône Valley seen through Christian Schiller's Camera - Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Announcement: Exciting ombiasy Wine Tours in 2023
ombiasy WineTours: Wine Tour Schedule 2023 - Austria, Germany/East, Burgundy/ Champagne, Germany/ North
Maison Guigal in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie, Northern Rhône: Cellar Tour, Tasting and Vineyard Tour - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
Tour and Tasting at
Château Haut-Bailly, Graves, Appellation Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru Classé, with Cellar Master Jean Christoph - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by
ombiasy WineTours, France
Tasting with Helmut Dönnhoff and Sascha Johannes Schömel at Weingut Dönnhoff (VDP) in Oberhausen, Nahe - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
2022 Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in McLean, Virginia, USA
Christian Schiller`s SCHILLER-WINE Blog on Corking Wines` Top 101 Wine Writers of 2020 List
The Wines of Germany: Presentation by Annette Schiller at the German Embassy in Washington DC/ Consular Conference December 2021
Massive Tasting of Bordeaux 1982 - the Vintage that made Robert Parker a Star, USA/ France
Carl Willner, Christian Schiller and Ken Bensley of the German Wine Society/ Washington DC Chapter (Re-)elected to the National Board, USA, Germany
The American Wine Society National Conference 2022 in Bellevue/ Seattle, Washington State - Seen through Christian Schiller`s Camera Lens
The End of the "Grosslage" in Germany - Seminar about the new German Wine Law of 2022 at the 2022 American Wine Society National Conference in Bellevue/ Seattle, Washington State, led by Annette Schiller
Christian Schiller: Re-elected to the Board of the "Weinfeder", the Association of German Wine Journalists
2022 Holiday Party of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) at the Cosmos Club in Washington DC Downtown, USA/ Germany
All Sorts of Sparklers: How do the Bubbles get into that Bottle? - Tasting at the American Wine Society (NoVa Chapter) led by Annette Schiller
Germany's Weingut Künstler #2 on James Suckling's List of the Top 100 Wines of the World (2022)
The New German Wine Law of 2021 - Tasting at the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter), presented by Annette Schiller
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