2021 Northern Rhône

Alain Voge’s pithy sparkling wine, Les Bulles d’Alain, is unlike anything else we have on our list. It is lively, dry, refreshing, and refined. If you’re in the mood for bubbles, but don’t want the weight of a Champagne, this is the perfect option, and a smart price too. It’s a very good example of why Saint-Péray has built its renown for sparkling wines.

André Perret saw some of the heaviest losses from the spring frost of any grower we work with. As a result there is no village Condrieu this year, and a much smaller amount of the magnificent Coteaux de Chéry available. These vineyards are west facing, and therefore get the morning sun a little later than the south/east facing slopes, meaning they weren’t as badly exposed to the morning frost. The wine is truly wonderful - fresh and flowing, with excellent acidity giving it such a pleasing saline/bitter edge. It’s a highlight in any context, particularly this year in a cellar so depleted of its normal volumes. The epitome of tension and precision.

Sometimes there is a marked difference between this and the Grand Vallon and Deponcins cuvées from Villard. But in a vintage like 2021 where the quality is so high, it sits side by side with its cellar siblings: all three fabulous in their different characters. The grapes come from various parcels around Chavany and Vérin. It displays wonderful tropical citrus notes: yuzu and kumquat. Nice mineral length.

This 2021 shows great energy. Bursting with pineapple fruit and mineral depth. It comes from a single vineyard in the south of the appellation, in St Pierre de Boeuf. The east/north-east aspect makes this site cooler than many, and its granite and gneiss soils results in superb mineral tension in the wine.

This site is in Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône, just south of Château Grillet, where the quartzite mica-schist soils make wines of length and finesse. It is bright and vibrant with impressive tension derived from its freshness. The pinnacle of the Villard cellar.

The young vines planted by Graeme and Julie in l’Aleau have produced a miraculous wine in 2021. It’s only released in tiny quantities, but is well worth tracking down. There’s a step up in concentration and tension on the straight Condrieu. And the story behind the wine is one of the most charming we know. When winemakers talk about tending their vineyards like their gardens, we understand what they mean, but take it with a pinch of salt. In this case, these vines literally are Graeme and Julie’s garden, which sits between Coteau de Chéry and Château Grillet, below their house in Vérin. They bought the house a few years ago, and on discovering their garden was in fact prime AOC Condrieu, they not only decided to plant it with vines, but also to start their own domaine. So it’s where their story really begins.

Each year we see the Botts refine their style, and this Condrieu is a contender for most exciting wine of their 2021 vintage. They like to keep freshness in their Condrieu, rather than seeking richness and weight. And so 2021 plays right into their hands: the style is exactly that which they pursue. It is poised and energetic, vibrant and lively, with beautiful aromatic appeal. The granitic soils of Condrieu give the wine minerality and freshness alongside natural ripeness. It should be superb after a year in bottle.

This fresh, bright, early-picked Viognier encapsulates Graeme & Julie’s skill at handling this grape. Where their Condrieus are emerging as some of the most interesting in the appellation, this ‘First Flight’ is a great value window onto their style. The vines are grown in granite soils at 300m altitude. This zips across the palate with the natural freshness of the 2021 vintage, with an attractive almond bite on the finish.

2021 is the greatest vintage for northern Rhône whites since 2014, and this is the best Rocules we can remember tasting. Unlike recent warmer vintages that have lent into the honeyed, nutty, tropical richness of Marsanne, this is fresh, precise, and has its old vine concentration on full display not in high alcohol, but in profound length.

Guillaume Sorrel's whites are as interesting and profound as his reds. This wine from Crozes is a little more forward and floral than the Hermitage wines, making it delicious in its youth. 2021 is an outstanding vintage for northern Rhône whites, and this is a prime example. It is apple-scented, fresh, bright, and with wonderful energy.

2021 is a vintage of extremes in Condrieu: drastically small quantities (frost) yet soaring quality. This example from Ogier is bright, balanced, lithe and complex. At 12.5% ABV it is fine and refreshing.

Viognier in Condrieu was hit hard by the April frosts, and as a result, only a tiny amount of this popular, characterful Condrieu has been made in 2021. As usual, it was vinified and aged in stainless steel, rather than oak. It comes from a granitic south-west facing parcel, and in 2021 is floral, fine, and shows the minerality that Condrieu, in a cooler vintage, is capable of.

This wine is a blend of fruit from various parcels in the southern part of the appellation, but the majority is drawn from the vineyards lying right next to Sylvain’s new cellars, perched at 350m altitude. It is always so fresh and lively, with impressive weight.

This cuvée flies out the door, so much so that we have to be early to confirm our allocation or it all goes well before the en primeur campaign. Pithy, expressive, and with a supple freshness. It’s beautiful to drink in its youth, but will develop well with some time in bottle.

This comes from a single parcel of very old Marsanne vines in the heart of the village. It shows incredible focus, balance, and length. It’s worth ageing for a while to admire what it can do.

A nutty, waxy wine from one of the masters of white wine in the region. It comes from the vines planted above the winery (an old railway tunnel that burrows through the hillside). It has drive, volume, richness, and a long peach aromatic length. Stéphane is one of just three winemakers in the appellation to bottle a 100% Roussanne.

Ermitage De l'Orée comes from 60-70 year-old Marsanne vines from lieu-dit “Les Murets” at the top of the hill. Perfumed with white flowers, stone fruit and quince, the palate is wonderfully textured, with zippy acidity and a chalky, mineral finish. Expertly-judged.

From 50-year-old+ Marsanne vines, whole-bunch pressed and fermented half in 600l oak foudres, half in vats. The vineyards are south facing, and are always the first to be harvested. This is full-bodied, concentrated, powerful and intense on the palate with notes of fresh pear, honey and hazelnuts. Yet a lean, freshness prevails. Incredibly impressive.

The parcel is situated right at the top of the hill, just around the chapel, where the vines struggle in the poor, granitic soils, resulting in this quite astonishing wine. Full of intensity on the nose, there's mango, citrus peel and a lick of salinity. Precise and hugely energetic, with focused acidity and lots of salty minerality on the finish. Exquisite.

Made from a selection of their oldest Marsanne vines in St Joseph. Superb apricot, white flower and orange blossom aromas combine on the nose, while the palate is mineral and fresh, with a hint of spice on the finish. This shows the classic, focused style of the vintage.