2017 Rhône Valley Vintage

2017 was hot and dry: for several months temperatures ran above the norm while rainfall was exceptionally low, which pushed ripening forward and led to a very early harvest. In the north, a mild winter with warmer-than-usual February and March temperatures set the stage, the Rhone came through the April frost relatively unscathed, and May rains were quickly followed by rising temperatures. Northern flowering came two to three weeks earlier than usual. In the south, a mild winter and a postcard-perfect April gave way to a colder May, with heavy rain during flowering that caused a high level of coulure on Grenache. The rain petered out by early June, and from there the southern season was warm and dry, with no rain until mid-November. In the north, stormy weather at the start of August came during ripening, and in Cornas, Franck Balthazar put his small crop partly down to drought, with a water deficit of 50 percent since 1 January. September stayed completely stable with cooler nights, and picking could run into October. Southern appellations picked white grapes from 16 August and the first Syrah from 21 August, two weeks earlier than in 2016 and the earliest harvest on record for a good number of Rhone appellations. Initial forecasts put Cotes du Rhone regional and Villages volumes at 1.4 million hectolitres, about 25 percent below 2016.

The Syrah crop fell less in the north than in the south. Jean-Louis Chave described "very small clusters and very small berries" and "high alcohol potential, around 15 degrees for Hermitage." Viognier took the harder hit: Yves Cuilleron put his Viognier crop 20 percent short. In Condrieu, the only cold week in June came during flowering, and the resulting coulure on Viognier brought a 50 percent drop in yields compared to 2016. Some localised hail struck St-Joseph. Start dates for the northern harvest differ by source: Inter Rhone put it at the end of August, while Wine Spectator dated it to 4 September. Jean Gonon of Domaine Pierre Gonon recalled, "We were not so confident in early September," until a little rain and then cooler nights allowed growers to wait.

• Hermitage: potential alcohol around 15 degrees
• Condrieu: June coulure cut Viognier yields 50 percent against 2016
• Cornas: a 50 percent water deficit since 1 January
• St-Joseph: some localised hail

Coulure was severe on Grenache and to a lesser extent Syrah, while later-ripening Mourvedre and Carignan were unaffected, so the varietal mix of some cuvees was likely to change to make up for the lack of Grenache, as in 2013. Wine Spectator put yields down 30 to 65 percent or more depending on the sector, with Gigondas hit particularly hard; Laurent Brusset of Domaine Brusset put the drop at 30 to 50 percent depending on the appellation. Domaine des Bosquets in Gigondas finished 45 percent below 2016. At Chateau de Beaucastel in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Grenache was down 50 percent, Syrah down 20 percent and Mourvedre normal. Chateau la Nerthe in Chateauneuf-du-Pape had just 60mm of rain from May to the end of September, and vines on clay soils performed best thanks to their water retention. Most southern picking was done by the end of September.

• Gigondas hit particularly hard: Domaine des Bosquets finished 45 percent below 2016
• Beaucastel: Grenache down 50 percent, Syrah down 20 percent, Mourvedre normal
• Chateau la Nerthe: 60mm of rain from May to the end of September

Inter Rhone expected 2017 to prove similar to 2015 but with even better balance, and described small clusters and small berries with thick skins and well-ripened stems, moderate alcohol, good acidity, and reds with intense colour and rich tannins. Francoise Dijon of Inter Rhone said, "even though it's still a little early to tell, 2017 is likely to be one of our best vintages ever." In the north, Yves Cuilleron told Wine Spectator: "More concentrated than '16, more elegant than '15." Philippe Guigal found the reds ripe, sometimes with a lack of acidity, but with incredible phenolic ripeness. In Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Ralph Garcin of Chateau la Nerthe described the wines as "precise, straight, fleshy, with a very strong tannic imprint".

• Fermentations were quick and trouble-free
• South: sorting not really necessary, with great color and good acidity, in Marc Perrin's account of Beaucastel
• Decanter expected little of what looked like a very good, ageworthy vintage to meet demand; Jacky Bernard, president of AOC Vacqueyras, warned shortages could raise prices