I was very excited to show Guy the Northern Rhône, although unfortunately our time here was going to be very short.
As we headed into Lyon, I gave Graeme Bott a call. Graeme and I have stayed connected over the years. I visit him every time I am in the Northern Rhône, and what started out as a connection between two Southern Hemisphere guys working in wine has developed into a friendship of sorts.
Graeme and Julie were having lunch with their daughter in Ampuis and had just finished when we arrived. They waited for us so that we could pop in and say hello, which was really kind of them.
We just spent more than six hours on the road and naturally lunch was on the cards. We had some good food, a good bottle of wine and a great catch-up. Thanks for the lunch, Graeme!
Right, we were ready to get to Gervans. Instead of taking the quickest route, I took the scenic route so I could show Guy some of the vineyards of Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Saint-Joseph.
The vineyards here are such a stark contrast to the flatter vineyards we had been driving through in Burgundy and Champagne. The steep slopes, terraces and sheer drops make you realise very quickly that viticulture in the Northern Rhône is a completely different game.
We eventually rolled into Gervans and arrived at Thomas and Karin’s place, where I immediately felt at home. Like I always do here. Thomas and I are good friends, and I have been visiting him every year since 2022. I first met him in Gervans in 2021, when I came here with my client André Bezuidenhout, who owns Weltevreden Estate in Stellenbosch.
That evening we had some pizza, opened a few great wines and caught up. For the first time in a week, we actually got to bed before midnight.
The next day was a Sunday. A boiling-hot Sunday, I might add.
I took Guy to one of the most remarkable vineyards in the Northern Rhône, the E. Guigal Saint-Joseph Vignes de l’Hospice in Tournon.
This vineyard is absolutely insane. It sits on the steep slopes above Tournon, looking across the Rhône towards Tain-l’Hermitage. Standing there, you really appreciate what it takes to farm a vineyard like this. The slopes are so steep that everything has to be done with incredible precision. There is very little room for error. I don’t think I would survive working this vineyard…
The vineyard is well maintained and the vines looking incredibly neat despite the conditions they are growing in. You can see the amount of work that goes into keeping a vineyard like this under control.
And then there is the view.
Looking down over Tournon and across the Rhône towards Tain, with the Hermitage vineyards rising on the opposite side, you realise just how special this part of the Northern Rhône is. It is one of those vineyard views where you can stand there for a while and simply take it all in.
For a viticulturist, though, the impressive part isn’t just the scenery. It is the practical reality of farming such a steep site and seeing the level of detail that goes into producing grapes here. This is not an easy vineyard. It demands precision, hard work and a very good understanding of the site.
And I promise you this — Guigal does it best.
After that we headed across the river to a market in Tain-l’Hermitage. We had a look around and then spent the rest of the afternoon at Thomas’ dad’s house in Mercurol.
It was properly hot, so we spent the afternoon next to the swimming pool, with plenty of wine, cooling down in the water and the French braai master at work.
Later we all headed up to the hill of Hermitage for a beer at La Chapelle. Guy had never been there before, so it was a good opportunity to take in the views over the Rhône valley and the vineyards below.
While the others enjoyed their beers, Guy and I went for a walk through the vineyards on the hill. Naturally, we ended up talking viticulture and looking at the way the vineyards were planted and managed.
Or, in some cases, the lack of management.
It was interesting to see the contrast between the different blocks and to actually walk through them rather than just looking at them from the road. We eventually headed back for a quick swim before making our way home.
What a day.
