Images of Brézème and Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban
Officially these are AOC Côtes-du-Rhône vineyard areas, but use of the names either Brézème or Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban are tolerated on labels.
Looking south-east over the gently sloping clay limestone vineyards of Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban on the west bank of the Rhône
Looking west along the foot of the limestone hill of Brézème on the east bank of the Rhône
Charles Helfenbein
There are two other sub-regions within Brézème after the hill of Brézème itself, both of which have pebbly sand soils: Le David and La Rolière (pictured, looking north towards Saint-Péray on the other side of the Rhône)
Mathieu Piedade, winemaker at Château la Rolière, with the mountain range of Les Trois Becs dimly visible in the background to the left
Yves Mengin of Domaine des Quatre Cerises, who started replanting the hill of Brézème after it had largely been abandoned. His project began in 1984, and his first vintage was 1998.
Domaine des Quatre Cerises rouge
Images of Saint-Péray
Standing in the southern part of the appellation on granite vineyards, looking north-east towards the Rhône
Looking east towards the Montagne de Crussol, a long ridge of limestone with the Rhône flowing behind it. An exceptional terroir, increasingly covered in housing rather than vineyards.
Sandy granitic soils on flatter vineyards of Saint-Péray
Fabrice Gripa of Domaine Bernard Gripa in front of his top vineyard 'Les Figuiers', planted by his grandfather
Tasting some older vintages with Fabrice, including this 1997 Les Figuiers which still held some interest and pleasure
Images of Château-Grillet
Château-Grillet is the name of the producer, a property with its own appellation to the south-west of Condrieu. It's surrounded here by its vineyards.
The oldest part of the building dates back to 1760
The property is comprised of several parts of different ages
The vineyards, all Viognier, rise up in a vertiginous amphitheatre behind the property
The upper triangular section in this photo was recently acquired by Château-Grillet and is used for their new Condrieu 'Carthery' (the buildings pictured don't belong to them)
Technical director Jaeok Cramette
They also own some of the east-facing vineyards visible along the road to the left
The new extension of 0.25 hectares (rootstocks planted in 2016) overlooking the Rhône
Some old bottles
Images of Saint-Joseph
The pin shows the centre of the appellation, which stretches from the south of Condrieu to beyond Saint-Péray
Looking north from lieu-dit Le Paradis in the south of the appellation... The pyramid-shaped hillside to the left is lieu-dit Saint Joseph (which gives its name to the appellation). In the foreground, pruned canes are burnt in lieu-dit Les Oliviers. In the background is the hill of Hermitage rising up beyond the town of Tain L'Hermitage; you can just make out the white rectangular sign at the top.
Domaine Marsanne, also in the south of the appellation
Jean Gonon of Domaine Gonon in the south of the appellation on the right; Pierre Clape of Domaine Clape in Cornas on the left (taken in 2016).
Paul Estève of Domaine des Miquettes (taken in 2014).
A rare outcrop of Saint-Joseph limestone - lieu-dit Les Royes, Domaine Courbis
South-facing vineyards of Limony, towards the northern end of the appellation
South-facing vineyards of Chavanay, the far northern part of the appellation
Lionel Faury of Domaine Faury in Chavanay
Past master: Jean-Louis Grippat's first vintage was 1956. He retired in 2001 after selling his Saint-Joseph and Hermitage vineyards to Guigal.
Images of Condrieu
Rémi Niero in lieu-dit La Roncharde
Lieu-dit La Roncharde looking south-west towards lieu-dit Côte Bonnette
Tasting older vintages with Christine Vernay of Domaine Georges Vernay
Lieu-dit Coteau de Vernon
François Villard
Once common, now rare - a sweet Condrieu, this one made by Xavier Gérard
Images of Seyssuel
Seyssuel is a little further north than Côte-Rôtie, on the other side of the river around the city of Vienne. It is currently within the IGP Collines Rhodaniennes growing area, but there are hopes to promote it quickly to a new Northern Rhône Cru.
South-facing schist slopes with Vienne in the background
Pierre Gaillard, part-owner of négociant Les Vins de Vienne
A selection of Seyssuel wines - prices are already similar to Côte-Rôtie
Images of Côte-Rôtie
Dark schist over pale gneiss in lieu-dit La Côte Brune
Looking north-east: lieu-dit Fongeant is the central slope, that becomes lieu-dit La Côte Brune further down
The east-facing slope of lieu-dit La Côte Brune
Jean-Paul Jamet in front of his parcel of lieu-dit La Côte Brune
Lieu-dit La Landonne faces the river on a very steep slope, Ampuis in the background
Plentiful dark red iron oxide colouring in the schist of lieu-dit La Landonne
Schist on the left, gneiss on the right
Decomposed granitic sands, found at the far south of Côte-Rôtie near Condrieu
Pierre-Jean Villa
Pierre Rostaing
Yves Gangloff
Agnès Levet
Various vintages of La Péroline, Domaine Levet
An impromptu still life in the Guigal cellar
Syrah and Viognier cofermenting at Domaine de Monteillet
Ampuis at dusk
Images of Gadagne
Classic galet roulé soils of Gadagne
Xavier Anglès of Domaine du Bois de Saint Jean with a stone borne papale once used by the Avignon Popes to claim ownership of a vineyard
The village's full name is Châteauneuf de Gadagne, but AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape (only 15km away) insisted only they should use the word 'Châteauneuf' on the label.
Terroir is similar to Chateauneuf-du-Pape; the bruyère à Balaï only grows in these two places
Céline and Sylvain Boussier of Domaine de la Chapelle
Images of Rochegude
The Château de Rochegude in the heart of the village
Sandy soils of Rochegude near the Massif d'Uchaux
Domaine du Gourget
Vincent Baumet with his old bushvines on Rochegude garrigues terroir, closer to Suze-la-Rousse
Inside the Château de Rochegude
Images of Signargues
The galets roulés of Signargues, the same deposits as those found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape
They go on for ever
Jean-Marie Granier of Les Vignerons d'Estézargues, one of the best cave co-operatives in the Rhône
Labels, old and new (two single estate bottlings from Les Vignerons d'Estézargues in the foreground)
Francis Fabre of Domaine des Romarins and president of the appellation. In the background, the village of Domazan is to your left, Estézargues to your right.
Bundle of grubbed up vines on the plateau of Signargues. Trunk diseases such as esca are a problem here, as they are throughout the region
Cave co-operative Les Vignerons du Castellas