The Latest / Guide to the Northern Rhone

Even putting aside those special wines, St. Joseph is able to offer something unique: a Northern Rhone Syrah that typically offers more drinkability, more vibrancy and more liveliness than its famous cousins.

How to use this guide: 

1. Read the previews of each blog post.

2. Click the title links to read the entire post. 

3. Become an expert in the Northern Rhone. 

4. Follow the links in each post to purchase some NR wines. 

5. Become a lover of the Northern Rhone.

(It's that easy!)

For years, Cornas was just another “value” village of the Northern Rhone, with a reputation more like St. Joseph, say, than Cote Rotie or Hermitage. It was deemed “rustic” and a source for “country” wine. Things have changed!

This is a story of a vicious cycle finally flipping a switch to become virtuous.

Allen Meadows, more familiarly known as Burghound, was once asked what wines he likes to drink most from outside of Burgundy. His answer was Cote Rotie. No other region can produce wines that are closer to Burgundy in terms of weight, texture and elegance. If you like Burgundy, you almost certainly like Cote Rotie. 

This is our simple and definitive guide to Cote Rotie.

Hermitage may be the greatest wine made from Syrah anywhere in the world. In this post, Jeff takes a close look at Hermitage, focusing on everything from its history and terroir, to its vineyard sites, top producers and more.