2012 Rhône Valley Vintage

Wine Spectator's November 2012 France report called the Rhone a bright spot in a tough year for most French regions, with a growing season and harvest marked by dry, sunny weather and well-timed rains. The two halves of the valley had different seasons. In the Northern Rhone, the winter was tough, with a long period below freezing and very windy, and the spring was rainy, with very strong disease pressure on the vines and lots of vegetative growth early. Northern vignerons who worked hard to fight mildew were rewarded, though after the wet spring not everyone won that fight. From the beginning of July it was dry until the end of August. The Southern Rhone had a dry, sunny year, though some southern spots suffered from drought conditions. At Chateau de Nages in Costieres de Nimes, some spots were showing water deprivation by the end of August, until a little rain at the beginning of September let ripening finish and harvest start at a normal, or maybe slightly late, date. Across the valley there were a few complications at the start of summer, with no major difficulties after that. Picking started on 17 September in the north and 2 October in the south; at Domaine du Coulet in Cornas, the harvest ran to 5 October and was mostly dry and sunny. On volume, Philippe Guigal, who makes wine in both halves of the valley, said: "The south is heterogenous and the crop is small. In the north, the volume is closer to normal."

The classic northern varieties stayed true to their natural flavour profiles. On first tasting, Syrahs showed pepper, violets and liquorice with supple tannins. Yann Chave called the Syrah "highly expressive this year" and said 2012 promised to be even more delightful than 2011. Xavier Gomart, director of the Cave de Tain, summed it up as "Excellent grapes, almost complete harvest, good colour extraction". The white varieties (Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne) produced wines bursting with flavour, with a very pleasing touch of freshness. Philippe Guigal rated both halves very good, with Northern Rhone whites outstanding, and Matthieu Barret in Cornas said the vintage "seems to be elegant and juicy with intense aromas".

• Syrah: pepper, violets and liquorice with supple tannins
• Whites from Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne full of flavour with freshness
• Carole Devaux of Cave des Clairmont saw a fruit-driven vintage with good tannins from late ripening

In the south, Grenache with Cinsault gave excellent rose: the Cinsault vines were not overloaded, ripened well and made very flavourful wines. Grenache with Syrah gave good depth of colour and powerful flavours, while a good balance of acidity to alcohol gave a pleasing feeling of freshness. Whites kept a good level of acidity, retaining both freshness and breadth of flavour. In Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne, Grenache showed plenty of fruit and finesse, while Syrah and Mourvedre had excellent structure and good texture. In Rasteau, Andre Romero of Domaine de la Soumade said: "2012s are elegant and well-structured with good depth of colour, but without excessive levels of alcohol."

• Grenache and Cinsault rose: well-ripened, flavourful Cinsault
• Grenache and Syrah blends: good colour and power, freshness from the acid to alcohol balance
• Cairanne: fruit and finesse in Grenache, structure in Syrah and Mourvedre
• Rasteau: elegant and well-structured, without excessive alcohol

Inter Rhone's own oenologists defined the 2012 wines by elegance, balance and freshness. Francoise Dijon, head of quality analysis at Inter Rhone, said: "Tannins are very much in evidence, but they are supple and rounded", and drew comparisons with 2007, with both showing elegance, finesse and an excellent flavour profile. Philippe Pellaton, president of the Syndicat General des Cotes du Rhone, called the wines bright, fruity and well-balanced. The Rhone was mainly influenced by a Mediterranean climate, while the rest of France was subject to Oceanic influences. In Ventoux, Syrah was highly expressive with moderate alcohol levels. Wine Spectator listed Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Roussanne and Viognier as promising grapes.

• Elegance, balance and freshness; supple, rounded tannins
• 2012 compared with 2007 for elegance and finesse
• Ventoux: expressive Syrah with moderate alcohol
• Promising grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Roussanne, Viognier