Northern Rhône

The Northern Rhône extends from Vienne in the north to Valence in the south. It includes the important appellations of Côte Rôtie, Hermitage and Cornas.

Syrah is the only red grape permitted in the Northern Rhône. The white grapes permitted are Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne.

The Crus of the Northern Rhône are

• Côte-Rôtie
• Condrieu
• Château-Grillet
• Saint-Joseph
• Crozes Hermitage
• Hermitage
• Cornas
• Saint-Péray

The steep slopes of the Rhône valley make viticulture difficult but the sparse soil and the aspects give rise to wines of great intensity.

The wines of Côte-Rôtie are red and made from Syrah but growers are able to add up to 20% of the white grape Viognier.

The appellation of Condrieu produces only white wine made from Viognier. Château-Grillet is a single producer appellation within Condrieu that also produces only white wine from Viognier.

The appellations of Saint-Joseph, Crozes Hermitage, Hermitage and Cornas are all capable of producing outstanding red wines from Syrah as well as white wines from Roussanne and Marsanne.

The slopes of Côte-Rôtie Guy Farge's Winery in Saint-Joseph The River Rhône