2017 Northern Rhône Vintage

February and March were warmer than usual. The Rhône came through the April frost relatively unscathed, and May rains were quickly followed by rising temperatures; from there the season ran ahead of schedule through harvest. Flowering came two to three weeks earlier than usual, and that advance held for the whole of a relatively hot but very dry season. Springtime rains still hampered flowering, particularly for Viognier, and in Condrieu the only cold week in June fell during flowering. Across the Rhône Valley, temperatures ran above normal for several months while rainfall was exceptionally low. In the north, storms at the start of August came during ripening. Jean-Louis Chave called it "a very dry season", but with just the right amount of water at veraison and again two weeks before harvest. In Cornas, Franck Balthazar recorded a water deficit of 50 percent since 1 January. St-Joseph saw some localised hail. Harvest dates differ by source: Inter-Rhône put the northern start at the end of August, around 20 August for Saint-Péray sparkling, while Wine Spectator had northern vintners picking from 4 September. Either way, the north picked two weeks ahead of 2016. Vineyards were flagging in early September, and the key was to wait for phenolic ripeness rather than pick on early-rising sugars; at Domaine Pierre Gonon, Jean Gonon said a little rain and then cooler nights let them wait. Valley-wide, September stayed completely stable and picking could run into October. Yields were lower than average, though the drop in Syrah was less marked in the north than in the south.

• Picking from the end of August per Inter-Rhône, or from 4 September per Wine Spectator, two weeks ahead of 2016

Condrieu was less lucky: the cold week in June during flowering caused serious coulure on Viognier and a 50 percent drop in yields compared to 2016. Yves Cuilleron, a Condrieu-based vigneron, was 20 percent short in Viognier but had "not too bad a yield" in Syrah, Marsanne and Roussanne. Jean-Louis Chave, a Hermitage and St-Joseph producer, described "very small clusters and very small berries", with huge concentration and potential alcohol around 15 degrees for Hermitage. In Cornas, Franck Balthazar put his small harvest down to two factors: flowering was hurt on old hillside vines, less so on young vines that flowered earlier and avoided the May rains, and drought. Inter-Rhône, speaking chiefly of Cornas, described Syrahs with violet and liquorice notes and alcohol levels that are not excessive. Apart from some localised hail in St-Joseph, Claire Darnaud of Delas called it "the perfect vintage with amazing weather conditions", with basically no disease pressure.

• Condrieu: Viognier yields down 50 percent against 2016 after June coulure
• Hermitage: potential alcohol around 15 degrees
• Cornas: old hillside vines hurt at flowering, plus drought
• St-Joseph: some localised hail

Inter-Rhône called the northern 2017 very encouraging and expected it to prove similar to 2015 but with even better balance. Yves Cuilleron placed the style between the two: "More concentrated than '16, more elegant than '15." Philippe Guigal of E. Guigal found the whites balanced with correct acidities, and the reds ripe, sometimes lacking acidity, but with a phenolic ripeness that should allow for good aging potential.