2021 Northern Rhône Vintage

A mild winter brought early budburst in Syrah and Viognier, and in Saint-Joseph a summery week at the end of March, 25 to 27 C, pushed the buds out. Then the frost came. Several frost nights hit the Northern Rhone, worst on the night of 6 to 7 April, when temperatures fell to -6 to -7 C; Condrieu, Cote-Rotie, Saint-Joseph and the north of Crozes-Hermitage were hit hardest. The summer was cold and wet, and it and the hail episodes favored mildew and oidium. At Domaine Combier, May was dry, June and July brought too much rain, and August was a lull. Delas had storms with heavy rain notably on 15 August and 25 September, and Cave de Tain had several hail episodes, the last at the end of August. Spring frost, abundant rain and occasional hail marked the north, with some vines resisting well and other plots suffering, hence a heterogeneous vintage. Harvest came later than in recent years. Northern picking had crept earlier since 2015, to late August or early September, and 2021 returned to a more classic calendar in vendemiaire, the month from 22 September to 21 October in the French Republican calendar. Michel Chapoutier likened the conditions to the 1990s, with cooler temperatures and later ripening. At Delas, the grapes were ripe in mid-September and picking became a race against rain and storms from the end of September, with sorting that left up to one bunch in five on the ground. Cave de Tain started in early September, against a finish on 18 September the year before. Delas yields were 26 hl/ha in Hermitage, 30 hl/ha in Cote-Rotie, 45 hl/ha in Crozes-Hermitage and only 12 hl/ha in Condrieu. Harvested grapes were healthy, with excellent maturity.

Condrieu and Cote-Rotie took the frost worst. Pierre-Jean Villa put losses in early sectors where buds were out, notably Viognier, at 60 to 100 percent, and in April Vitisphere reported the ICV's estimate that more than 60 percent of production was lost there. In Saint-Joseph the lower slopes were hit at 90 to 100 percent and hillside buds burned at 30 to 70 percent, while above 280 to 300 m temperatures stayed positive. The Hermitage hill seemed to have limited the damage. Yann Chave estimated that Crozes-Hermitage was largely spared in its south, where 80 percent of volumes lie, but the north of the appellation (Crozes, Larnage, Erome) was severely hit. Crozes-Hermitage also had two hail episodes and a big mildew attack before summer. In Saint-Peray, some higher altitude vineyards made up for frost losses, sanitary status was more than satisfying and good late-season weather brought good ripeness. In Cote-Rotie, Philippe Guigal called the harvest truly qualitative, thanks to growers bringing it in on time and in good sanitary conditions.

Inter Rhone expected the northern 2021 to be characterized by the elegance and finesse of the wines. Oenologists noted a beautiful balance between potential alcohol and total acidity in the musts. Michel Chapoutier said Hermitage and Saint-Joseph were already showing their signature peppery and spicy character, with a more restrained fruit profile. For whites, Christophe Pichon of Condrieu described Viognier with a beautiful freshness, a lively aromatic character and good pH levels, and whites with more acidity than in previous years. Yann Chave called 2021 "an exceptional vintage for white wines" in Crozes-Hermitage. He expected charming, pleasant reds with moderate length and well-rounded tannins. Jacques Grange of Delas anticipated elegant, subtle wines with soft tannins and no greenness, and Nicolas Jaboulet said the reds would not be a great sunny vintage like 2018 and 2019.