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The Rhone Dichotomy
It seems to me there is a dichotomy in the wines of the Rhone Valley. Maybe you think I am thinking of the rather obvious division between north and south, but it is not that which I am referring to here. Rather, over the past few years I have become increasingly aware of the difference between wines produced by négociants, made using raw materials sourced from a variety of local growers, and those produced by individuals farming the same plot of land every year. Looking through the wines in my own cellar, I see a strong dominance of individual producers, such as Ogier and Burgaud (Cote Rotie), Sorrel (Hermitage), Verset and Allemand (Cornas), Perret (Condrieu), as well as numerous wines from the great estates of Châteauneuf du Pape and Gigondas, many of which are owned by wine-making individuals or families. When I look back at many of the Rhone tastings I have attended over the past few years, however, I see many négociant bottlings which rarely enter my cellar, but which my drinking companions have purchased in numerous vintages - which is how they come to feature in the tastings. Such bottles include Gigondas and Châteauneuf du Pape from Chapoutier, Hermitage and Cote Rotie from Delas, St Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage from Jaboulet, and so on. This poses the question; why is it that my buying pattern differs from those in my tasting group (and, more importantly, who is getting the best quality for their money)?
I think this difference may well reflect a gradual shift in the image wine drinkers have of the Rhone Valley. Wine is an ever changing subject. Those new to wine today won't be aware that whilst Burgundy has been widely regarded as a source of fine wines for over a millennium, and Bordeaux for centuries, the Rhone Valley has only developed a reputation as a great wine region in more recent times. For instance, in his Notes on a Cellar Book (Macmillan Press, 1920), Oxford Don George Saintsbury has barely a mention for the Rhone, awarding it only a paragraph in a chapter entitled "Hock, Moselle and the rest". The Rhone was regarded by many as little more than a source of rustic, country wines. Move on a few decades, however, and the region begins to receive more coverage. By 1983, publisher and wine-writer George Rainbird dedicated six pages of his Illustrated Guide to Wine (Octopus Books, 1983) to the Rhone. Pretty much what you would expect for a general wine guide, except that this is a coffee-table format, and much of the six pages is taken up by glossy photographs. In fact, what information Rainbird does offer could also be considered lacking. Of Rhone vintages he writes:
"Vintage years do not much matter...[it is] reasonably
hot
every year."
He then gives advice on serving the wines of the Rhone Valley:
"Almost all of the wines of the lower Rhone are best drunk
cold."
Such comments suggest that even then, these were not regarded as "fine" wines to rival those of Burgundy and Bordeaux by the author. Nowadays, of course, we know that the Rhone is indeed a source of world-class wines. And some have price tags to match those of Bordeaux and Burgundy.
So how does this shift in attitude offer a possible explanation for the difference in buying patterns described above? Many of the tastings I attend are organised by those who cut their teeth in the 70s and 80s, when the Rhone was emerging from its reputation as little more than a source of 'country wines'. At that time the négociants were among the most reliable names, and Jaboulet, Delas and Chapoutier were obvious choices for stocking the cellar. So I meet these wines at tastings, but only occasionally do I put them into my own cellar. My own purchases focus on the small producers which I mentioned in the second paragraph.
To be specific though, my Rhone Dichotomy concerns the inherent quality of the wines rather than my own buying pattern. I genuinely believe (hence the wines in my cellar) that there is much more pleasure to be found from the many striving individuals of the Rhone than from the négociants. But is my admitted bias correct? Should I still be stocking up with the wines of the négociant? Indeed, should they remain the favoured source, for some appellations at least? Or should I have a different plan altogether? These are important questions, which I will examine in more detail over the coming weeks. (13/1/04)
The Rhône Dichotomy
This series explores the differences in quality offered by the négociants and the individual producers of the Rhone Valley. Articles in this series are as follows:
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