Northern Rhône
A Week of Adventures on the Wine Route | Day 3
Take 30% OFF wines in the collection, ONE DAY ONLY!
Click to apply this promo code to your order
Click to apply: RHONE30 Valid through 11 am PDT, May 30, 2025Promo code terms
For today’s offer, we turn the page from the Loire and dive into another region defined by its great river. The Rhône, which tethers Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean Sea, flows west from the lake until it reaches Lyon, when it takes a turn south and keeps going until it empties out just past Arles. The Rhône Valley—for wine, defined as the stretch of the river between Lyon and Avignon—is divided into two very different wine regions, north and south.
Today, we’ll be focusing on the northern Rhône, which is defined by a cooler, more continental climate than in the south, features mostly granitic soils, and is home to some of the most dramatic hillside vineyards in the world. The great wines of the northern Rhône are often made with a single grape variety: Syrah for reds and Marsanne, Roussanne, or Viognier for whites. Across the region’s appellations, what makes northern Rhône Syrah so special in general is its terroir transparency as well as the grape’s beguiling aromas of dark fruit accompanied by savory hints of black olive and smoke. Its luscious, perfumed whites are a rare treat to be savored at each opportunity. –Tom Wolf
Northern Rhône
A Week of Adventures on the Wine Route | Day 3
Hermitage
© Jimmy Hayes
Clémence Marsanne
© Jimmy Hayes
Cellar in Cornas
© Gail Skoff
Côte-Rôtie
© Gail Skoff
The Northern Rhône
© Gail Skoff
“Nowadays, when heading north from Provence, I hear Paul Tardieu’s passionate exclamation, ‘Once you know Provence, you don’t ever want to leave it. No one ever goes back north, no one!’ If over the years I have grown attached to Provence, in terms of wine itself my heart belongs to the great reds of the northern Rhône. The best combine a reminder of the sunny Mediterranean with the more self-conscious, intellectual appeal of the great Burgundies farther north, which is not bad combination. And these prized wines of northern Rhône are some of France’s rarest.” –Kermit Lynch, Adventures on the Wine Route
Take 30% OFF wines in the collection, ONE DAY ONLY!
Click to apply this promo code to your order
Click to apply: RHONE30 Valid through Friday, May 30thPromo code terms
Wines In The Collection
Domaine Gallety France | Northern Rhône
Aromas of black pepper, briny black olive, and violets with the earthiness, herbs, and concentration of southern Rhône Grenache.
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône
From vines that are more than eighty years old comes this Marsanne with magnificent floral, pit fruit, and bitter notes.
Domaine Jolivet France | Northern Rhône
Golden, luscious aroma and flavor, a delicious nectar infused with honeysuckle that invites you in at first sniff for a leisurely dip.
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône
Made from vines planted between 1937 and 1976, this cuvée showcases impressive depth and soul.
Domaine Monier France | Northern Rhône
From high-altitude slopes above the Rhône river, this Syrah exhibits remarkable purity and grace.
Lionel Faury France | Northern Rhône
Most of this blanc was aged in tank to preserve freshness, but the little bit that was aged in oak provides a glimmer of opulence.
Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne France | Northern Rhône
The violets, tapenade, and juicy black fruit in your glass is much unchanged from how it’s always been (and should be).
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône
A thick perfume of dry-aged meat, smoke, and violets preface a wine that is powerful, but in perfect proportion.
Domaine Jolivet France | Northern Rhône
It is a real-deal northern Rhône roasted-slope Syrah that walks the tightrope perfectly between creamy fruit, meaty tannins, and fresh spine.
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône
This juicy, blueberry-and-leather-infused Syrah with a long finish is ready to drink tonight.
Barruol / Lynch France | Northern Rhône
Layered and textural, this tightly bound opus will open and unfurl itself with time, be it an hour in a decanter or decades in the cellar.
Jean-Claude Marsanne France | Northern Rhône
Like eating lemon curd at a party that Renoir might have painted—think something like Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette.
France | Northern Rhône
Aromas of black pepper, briny black olive, and violets with the earthiness, herbs, and concentration of southern Rhône Grenache.
France | Northern Rhône
From vines that are more than eighty years old comes this Marsanne with magnificent floral, pit fruit, and bitter notes.
France | Northern Rhône
Golden, luscious aroma and flavor, a delicious nectar infused with honeysuckle that invites you in at first sniff for a leisurely dip.
France | Northern Rhône
Made from vines planted between 1937 and 1976, this cuvée showcases impressive depth and soul.
France | Northern Rhône
From high-altitude slopes above the Rhône river, this Syrah exhibits remarkable purity and grace.
France | Northern Rhône
Most of this blanc was aged in tank to preserve freshness, but the little bit that was aged in oak provides a glimmer of opulence.
France | Northern Rhône
The violets, tapenade, and juicy black fruit in your glass is much unchanged from how it’s always been (and should be).
France | Northern Rhône
A thick perfume of dry-aged meat, smoke, and violets preface a wine that is powerful, but in perfect proportion.
France | Northern Rhône
It is a real-deal northern Rhône roasted-slope Syrah that walks the tightrope perfectly between creamy fruit, meaty tannins, and fresh spine.
France | Northern Rhône
This juicy, blueberry-and-leather-infused Syrah with a long finish is ready to drink tonight.
France | Northern Rhône
Layered and textural, this tightly bound opus will open and unfurl itself with time, be it an hour in a decanter or decades in the cellar.
France | Northern Rhône
Like eating lemon curd at a party that Renoir might have painted—think something like Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette.
More Collections
Fine Wine Bargains
Once I left Burgundy and began exploring elsewhere, I noticed that France and Italy produced incredible bargains, especially if one looked where no one else was looking. Nothing makes me prouder (commercially speaking, anyway) than returning home with yet another fine wine bargain for you...
Very Vieilles Vignes
This collection features wine produced mainly from vines planted before 1950, with some going as far back as 150 years—these twelve wines are truly very old-vine gems! Don’t miss some of France and Italy’s greatest viticultural treasures.…
A Trio of Spring Samplers
Even if you generally like to buy individual bottles, our latest collection of curated sampler packs offers a great opportunity to discover new wines in categories that you already know and enjoy…
Nebbiolo by Another Name
In December of last year, the excellent wine blog, “Opening a Bottle,” likened one of our wines to Shohei Ohtani, the 30-year-old Japanese phenom who has changed the game of baseball and might go down as the greatest player of all time. I’ve thought about this comparison nearly every day since, wondering each time I take a sip of red Burgundy, Barolo, or Côte-Rôtie, “Could this also be considered the Shohei Ohtani of wine?”
I finally tasted a worthy contender—or set of contenders—last month...
Rosé with Pizza?
Here in California where I grew up, pizza used to be a tough crust oozing with the cheapest cheese money could buy and a tomato sauce so raunchy it took a dose of macho red wine to wash it down. Cleanse the palate, as we gourmets say today. But the pizza scene has evolved…
New Arrivals
Here is a collection of recent arrivals. Every week, we’ll be adding a dozen or more new arrivals, so check back often for your favorite classics or new discoveries!
The Carpe Vinum Collection
An ever-changing offering of wines that are just about to sell out; one last opportunity to seize a range of selections before they disappear from our shelves forever.
50th Anniversary Merchandise
When the esteemed French wine artist Michel Tolmer created beautiful artwork for our 50th anniversary, we knew right away that we had to feature it on a few select items of merch. After spending maybe a little too much time researching the options, we landed on a classy, leather-strap cap, a comfortable t-shirt made from 100% cotton, and a tote made with incredibly sturdy, fair-trade, and organic cotton by a certified B corp that invests in the livelihoods of women and farmers of India, featuring three wine sleeves and two other compartments for all of your other needs!
Recent Wine Club Selections
Our five wine clubs feature our best values from France and Italy as well as complex and cellar-worthy wines.