Northern Rhône’s Finest Mixed Half Dozen

Crozes-Hermitage hasn’t always been the behemoth it is today. When the appellation was first created it consisted of the slopes around just one village, that of Crozes. Over the years as its pedigree has grown, so has the area under vine; always 100% Syrah for the reds.

The historic, steeply-sloped terraces of the Northern Rhône have little room for expansion, so the focus is on careful land selection.

Cornas is one of the smallest appellations of the Northern Rhône and in recent times has gone from being thought of as producing hardy, rustic expressions to refined, ageworthy and comparable to Hermitage in quality.

Condrieu has been cultivated since Roman times, albeit the Condrieu AOC (the largest white wine appellation in the Northern Rhône) was only created relatively recently in 1940. The only wine that can be labelled as Condrieu AOC is still, white and made entirely from the Viognier grape. Often rather hard to source due to low-yielding vines, the latter is also largely responsible for the higher price tag. Nonetheless, you’re in for a treat when you do find one! It’s worth noting that unlike many other fine white wines, due to their lower acidity, Condrieus are not considered to be particularly ageworthy and are best enjoyed within 1.5–4 years of release