France's Rhone Valley offers wine lovers countless unforgettable drinking options; After all, it is home to some of the world's greatest wine producers. Whether you prefer angular, mineral,or prefer white wines that are rich and sweet,or you're after fruity, vibrant, or even thick, warm, full-bodied wines.
Valley of the Rhone
Château Rayas, Chapoutier, Chave, Bonneau, Guillot, Jaboulet and Vernay are representatives of the Rhone Valley's contribution to history, viticulture, winemaking and commerce.
These are not only the seven best and most famous wineries in the Rhone Valley region!
I have selected a wine from each winery, through which I can really get a glimpse of the charm of this French appellation in the Rhône Valley. But the point is that every wine on this list is a fascinating good wine, not necessarily the so-called once-in-a-century "wine of the century."
Conversely, each wine fully demonstrates the outstanding and unmissable characteristics of the winery to which it belongs.
Henri Bonneau
Henri Bono is the 12th generation viticulturer of his family, and he first made wine in 1956! Henry died of complications from diabetes at the age of 77, but the wines behind him are an indelible legacy.
Bono seems to have a real grasp of Grenache grapes — and may even be an innate talent — he raises the alcohol content of the wine to levels that most others can't imagine, and Bono ferments in cement tanks and then preserves the wine in large old Burgundy barrels for up to a decade, and only bottles it when he thinks everything is ready.
The power and elegance of his wines are rare: only the world's greatest brewers can keep doing so. Depending on the vintage, Bono can produce up to 4 different Châteauneuf-Duc des Papes, and his entry-level wines are generally better than the top wines of most other wineries. It is safe to say that from a quality point of view, only Chateau Hayas and Beaucastel can match it.
Guillot
Founded in 1869 by Mr. Pierre Gillow, it has a 150-year heritage. Covering more than 350 hectares of vineyards, it is a representative of French hand-brewing.
Giraud wines at any price point are outstanding: early easy-to-drink, creamy Merlot reds and de tabu are apt examples. In such a short period of time, Château Giraud has achieved so much thanks to the efforts of Louis Cruise, who holds the title of "Independent Winemaker" in France.
French Giraud wineries are provided by the French Independent Winemakers Federation, the most well-known french wine professional authority. All franchised wineries, estates and castles must be small-scale independent producers, in this area only winemakers and experienced winemakers. Subject to the legal appellation and the Convention of the Federation, each winemaker can only manage grapes from his own land. From planting, harvesting, winemaking, bottling to tasting, it must be done independently by the estate, so the control is strict, the yield is limited, and the wine quality is outstanding.
Jaboulet
Founded in 1834, Paul Gabole became famous at the Hermitage winery for most of the second half of the 20th century, with a series of legendary vintages. Château Gabriel also owns as many as one-fifth of the most famous vineyards in Emmitage, as well as fine vineyards in Croze-Emmetage. For most of its history, the company has been able to produce many excellent wines, for example, their Steinberg Knight White Wine, which is solid and reliable from beginning to end, and is always well worth buying.
However, their chapel wines, whose necks are marked with cute chapel motifs, have made the winery truly famous and made Gabole a truly iconic wine estate in the world. The chapels of 1961 and 1978 are two of the most sought after wines by collectors at auctions around the world. Unfortunately, in the Rhône region, the in-house bottling boom of the 1980s meant that Gabriel lost some of its source of quality grapes, and the untimely death of Gerald Gabriel in 1997 also dealt a heavy blow to the winery. As a result, after a difficult period, many wines have fallen off the altar and the past legends are gone.
Georges Vernay
To this day, every label of the château george vernay is celebrated by his name, and is run by winemaker Christine Vernay and her husband, Paul Amsellem, who is responsible for sales and marketing.
In the 1950s, George realized that his beloved Viogni grapes had been reduced to only about 6 hectares worldwide and decided that this could not be done any longer, which is a blessing for all of us wine lovers. At that time, a kilogram of apricots sold more expensive than Vioni grapes, and the locals of Kondrio uprooted the vines and turned to the vacant land to build a second home with a swimming pool.
However, thanks to The Vioney grapes and the region, the Vioney grapes are grown all over the world today, and the Condé Rio appellation is well known. Christie Vennay took over the winery in 1996, taking wine quality to the next level, especially one of the wines called Condrieu Coteau de Vernon – which most people praise as the most outstanding Condrieu wine in the world.
In most cases, the Rhône Valley is a treasure trove of wines that are inexpensive, suitable for meals, absolutely delicious, and even more so, unique and recognizable.
Portal: Seven wineries in the Rhône Valley, France, seven wines that must be drunk in this life (Part 1)