The Oft-Overlooked but Overdelivering White Wines of the Rhône

One of the categories that I love but does not get a lot of attention is the white wines of the Rhône Valley. I think there is so much to unpack here, it would take a few newsletter articles to do it all justice. I love that these wines do not fit the mold of the more famous white varieties like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc—and they are about as far away as you can get from wines like Riesling and Pinot Grigio. The Northern Rhône is home to Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne grapes. The mostly granitic and alluvial soils make for beautiful stone-fruited wines that can be both aromatically expressive, like Viognier, or heady and rich like Marsanne and Roussanne. Styles abound throughout the region and blends often occur, but when you are in the Cru village of Condrieu, it is all Viognier. If you are in St-Joseph, Hermitage, and St-Peray, you’ll find all Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. In any of these regions you can sense the gravity and weight of many of these wines as they have rich textures, medium acid levels, and complex phenolic finishes. The flavors range from something like Viognier—where vibrant notes of peach, pear, and jasmine abound—or in the case of Roussanne, more subtle tones of nectarine and wet stones find their footing. Marsanne can bring some apple flavors but often shows flavors of melon rind, almond, and honeysuckle. Marsanne and Roussanne make complementary blends with each other, whereas Viognier’s pronounced aromatics can be too dominant for a blend.

In the Southern Rhône, there is a lot more flexibility in what is planted and what can be blended together. Châteauneuf-du-Pape has stricter rules for what is allowed in the appellation, but here you can use Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Piquepoul, Bourboulenc, and Clairette. These grapes are usually blended in some capacity to make a more complex and engaging white wine. There is another more obscure variety planted too, but you don’t usually see a lot of Picardin making up any meaningful percentage of the wine. Throughout the rest of the Southern Rhône, however, you can plant Marsanne, Viognier, and Rolle (aka Vermentino). The wines of the south tend to have more mixed-fruit profiles. Here there is usually a bit more freshness with wines showing lots of nectarine and peach with light floral undertones.

So what to do with these wines? Well with food, I think new possibilities open up. These are not the more acidic wines of the Loire, Germany, or Austria; rather, these often have a richer underlying profile like Chardonnay. Usually there are some pithy citrus tones in the wines because these whites have more texture in the grape skins and that broadens the range of foods that I like to pair with these whites.

A rich Northern Rhône white goes great with roasted oily fish. Something like monkfish or even lobster in a beurre blanc matches beautifully with a Condrieu or white Crozes-Hermitage based on Marsanne. Even better–fried chicken! I love a Roussanne-based white from a place like St-Peray. The Southern Rhône wines also have a lot to offer with food. Fish stews, roasted chicken, and even something as simple as a garlicky pork sausage with a side of mustard would be great. That balance of light fruit and wet stone are a perfect foil for powerful flavors on the plate. They help elevate what you are eating. Here is a list of some of my favorite options in the stores right now:

2023 Mas de Sainte Croix "Délicatesse" Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc $12.99
2023 Via Caritatis "Vox Turturis"' Ventoux Blanc $14.99
2022 Guy Farge "Grain de Silex" Saint-Peray Blanc $29.99
2022 Guy Farge "Bouquet de Blanc" Ardeche Blanc $17.99
2022 Baron de Montfaucon Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc $17.99
2022 Château de Montfaucon "Comtesse Madeleine" Lirac Blanc $17.99
2021 Château de Montfaucon "Vin de Mme la Comtesse" Clairette Lirac Blanc $39.99
2023 Domaine de Fondrèche Ventoux Blanc $16.99
2022 Chateau Pégau "Cuvée Lône" Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc $17.99
2023 Clos de la Bonnette "Cuvée Archette" Viognier Collines Rhodaniennes $34.99
2021 Domaine de Galuval "La Vallee" Cairanne Blanc $26.99
2023 Clos de la Bonnette "Légende Bonnetta" Condrieu $70.00
2023 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe "La Crau" Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc $79.99