2014 Rhône Valley Vintage

In the south the winter was relatively rainy and the summer coolish. In the north, spring was beautiful and then June and July were rainy, and a northerly wind and sunshine through August and September banished the memory of an unusually rainy July. By 2 September 2014 the vineyard had been relatively spared by the spring hailstorms outside localised zones, and berry weight was 15 to 20 percent higher than the year before. White picking had already begun in the south, with red grapes forecast around 10 September in the south and 20 September in the north. Harvest came at a more normal time than the very late 2013, concentrated around mid to late September in the north, while the south stretched from late September to mid-October. In Cote-Rotie the fruit fly Drosophila suzukii, which pierces intact skins, spread acid rot, and careful selection left some reported yields at just 50 percent. Red St.-Joseph was picked on 15 September at 14 percent potential alcohol, before the heavier rains, and Olivier Clape had finished in Cornas by 21 September, before a hailstorm that hit Crozes-Hermitage hard, particularly the Les Chassis area. In the south, September was not as dry and growers faced more persistent rains than in the north. Some grapes with botrytis had to be removed, as well as those that did not fully ripen, at Chateau de St.-Cosme in Gigondas. On volume the sources differ: Inter Rhone said the predicted high yields proved true, with full harvests in every appellation apart from one or two localised hail areas and a first forecast of some 3 million hl for the Rhone Valley, while Wine Spectator listed very low yields among the vintage's bad news.

• South: a relatively rainy winter and a coolish summer
• North: an unusually rainy July, then a northerly wind and sunshine through August and September
• Drosophila suzukii spread acid rot in Cote-Rotie; a hailstorm hit Crozes-Hermitage, notably Les Chassis
• Picking: north mostly mid to late September, south late September to mid-October

The two halves of the valley read differently in 2014, and the two main reports do not always agree. In the north, Inter Rhone found Syrah at perfect ripeness with a good level of acidity and Viognier particularly expressive with excellent yields. Wine Spectator agreed on the northern whites, calling Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne excellent, but said northern Syrah varied in quality. In the south, Inter Rhone described Grenache, the dominant variety, as an unequivocal comeback, with reds a touch less tannic than usual and, after the rainy winter and coolish summer, expected to be slightly less full-bodied than normal. Wine Spectator instead reported that Grenache struggled, while Syrah and Mourvedre performed very well. July was so wet that the grapes got bloated, and in September the vines on slopes could catch up but those on flat soils could not, because they could not drain.

• North, Inter Rhone: Syrah perfectly ripe with good acidity; Viognier particularly expressive, with excellent yields
• North, Wine Spectator: Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne excellent; Syrah varied in quality
• South, Inter Rhone: an unequivocal comeback for Grenache, with reds a touch less tannic than usual
• South, Wine Spectator: Syrah and Mourvedre performed very well, while Grenache struggled

Inter Rhone's early read praised the whites, saying their excellent balance suggested an outstanding vintage, and described the northern Syrah wines as well coloured, more supple than usual for their terroirs, silky and elegant. In the south it called the rose and white wines fresh, balanced and lively. Its president, Michel Chapoutier, said: "2014 is distinctive for a freshness, minerality and texture which simply aren't there in sunnier vintages." Wine Spectator's report put white quality as excellent and said reds can be outstanding, but that quality was inconsistent. Pierre-Jean Villa told the magazine: "We have purity and aromatics, but not the tannins or same structure. It's a softer vintage."

• Whites were the common thread: Inter Rhone expected an outstanding white vintage, and Wine Spectator rated white quality excellent
• Northern Syrah wines were more supple than usual for their terroirs, Inter Rhone said
• Wine Spectator called overall quality inconsistent, with some reds outstanding