Interview with Jean-Paul Jamet, Domaine Jamet
February 1, 2021
To celebrate the publication of my new book, Wines of the Rhône, on 25th January, I'll be published a series of interviews with some of the most influential winemakers in the Rhône Valley, starting with this interview with Jean-Paul Jamet. Interview with Jean-Paul Jamet 2nd March 2020 at Domaine Jamet Edited for clarity and brevity What are the different styles of Côte-Rôtie? The soils…
2019 Rhône Report out now on Decanter Premium
December 2, 2020
With rolling travel restrictions and intermittent lockdowns this year, I was lucky to be one of the few Rhône specialists to taste the new vintage in situ this year. I spent two and a half weeks tasting over 1,300 wines from every cru in the Rhône Valley, both north and south. This is an extreme vintage, one marked by record temperatures and parched conditions, that has – where winegrowers have…
Images of Nyons
October 29, 2020
Nyons is the newest Named Village in the Rhône, since October 2020. I visited the area in 2019, but didn't take any photos as I didn't know it was going to be promoted at this stage! The following are images supplied by the Syndicat des Vignerons du Nyonsais. For the sake of completeness, I wanted to include some images on this site - it would be a shame to have photos of every appellation in…
Images of the Diois
September 4, 2020
There are four appellations in the Diois: Clairette de Die (which equates to around 95% of all AOC wine), Crémant de Die, Coteaux de Die and Châtillon-de-Diois. AOC Châtillon-en-Diois, in the far east of the region, makes still whites, reds and rosés from Burgundian varieties (and some Syrah). Olivier Rey, president of co-operative Jaillance, which makes over 70% of AOC Clairette…
Images of Châteauneuf-du-Pape
August 21, 2020
The village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape viewed from the east Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with the ruined château in the background The village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape - smaller and quieter than you might expect Morning in Châteauneuf-du-Pape The cellar of Château de Beaucastel Blending at Château de Beaucastel Emmanuel Reynaud of Château Rayas (taken 2015)…
Images of Cornas
August 7, 2020
The village of Cornas Largely east-facing slopes at the southern part of the appellation - lieu-dit Combe on the left, lieu-dit Patou on the right Olivier Clape, with lieu-dit Sabarotte in the background The slope in the background features the south-facing lieu-dit Reynard (left side, in shadow) and the west and south-facing lieu-dit La Geynale (spread around the…
Images of Hermitage
July 24, 2020
The south-facing hill of Hermitage; the lower part is lieu-dit Les Bessards, the upper part is lieu-dit l'Hermite with the 'chapel' on top. Standing in lieu-dit Les Greffieux, looking up at lieu-dit l'Hermite to the left, lieu-dit Le Méal to the right Never-ending wall building and upkeep The front of the chapel The wine named after it Caroline Frey,…
Images of Crozes-Hermitage
July 3, 2020
Standing in one vineyard, looking up at another - the southern part of Crozes-Hermitage is a series of alluvial terraces Classic pebbly alluvial soils of the southern part of Crozes-Hermitage David Reynaud (taken 2013) Gaylord Machon Emmanuel Darnaud (taken 2015) Alain Graillot (taken 2014) To the north of Hermitage, the terroir is very different,…
Images of Brézème and Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban
June 19, 2020
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 …
Images of Saint-Péray
June 5, 2020
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…