Will Rhone 09 be a year for the north?

The 2009 vintage from the Rhône has "broad appeal" and should sell strongly due to its good value, particularly wines from the northern Rhône.

Tim Marson MW, buyer for Bibendum, told the drinks business that with such a strong vintage under its belt, the communes of the northern Rhône may very well have a chance to attract buyers back to its wines.

“The 2009 vintage is clearly excellent in the north and very good in the south,” he said.

“Châteauneuf has seen all the action in recent years with a string of good vintages but the north – which is invariably more susceptible to vintage variation – has produced some terrific wines in 2009, which should have broad appeal.”

At a recent tasting of the 2009 vintage hosted by Bibendum, Willie Lebus, director at the company, said that one of the reasons the likes of Hermitage and Cornas had not attracted as much attention as their southern neighbours was that they were too “cerebral”.

“Because they’re 100% Syrah they need time in bottle,” he added. “But you open an ’85 Jamet and you’ll know it was worth it.”

He did add that perhaps 2009 was not as classic as 2008, certainly for the northern part of the region, and perhaps the whites were a little too fat but nonetheless he predicted that the consumers would love them.

“We will have no problem selling these wines,” he declared.

Marson agreed that the strong 2009 Bordeaux “feel-good factor” should make the region very appealing to buyers.

He continued: “We expect sales to be strong. There is still some outstanding value to be had which should appeal to drinkers in these straitened times – and those feeling impecunious after the crazy pricing in Bordeaux this year!”

Pricing is one arena in which the Rhône can comfortably hold its own when judged alongside the quality and variety of its wines.

“The style of the wines (especially in a very ripe but well-balanced vintage like 2009) is easier to get to grips with than Bordeaux or Burgundy, especially for drinkers more familiar with New World wines,” added Marson.

“And the southern Rhône in particular can often give great drinking pleasure from an earlier age. Having said that, the better Rhône wines boast both ageability and a wonderful ‘sense of place’, which can sometimes be obscured in the more ambitious, modern wines from the Gironde,” he concluded.

Rupert Millar, 25.11.2010