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Southern Rhône and Languedoc 1996

The Rhône Valley has seen a run of excellent vintages in recent years, with 1998, 1999 and 2000 all receiving glowing reports from various quarters. The 1998 vintage seems to be a year that favoured the south, whereas 1999 seems to have favoured the north, although both vintages were very good across the board. But what of earlier vintages, such as 1996?

Vintage conditions in the south were not ideal. The summer months of July and August were damp and cool, and many vineyards were infected with oidium and mildew. September saw much rain, which has the effect of diluting the wine simply by increasing the water content of the harvested grapes. Whereas in the north a late harvest was necessary, what was important in the Southern Rhône was careful selection to pick out the healthy grapes, preferably harvesting in dry conditions - although this latter factor is more often related to luck rather than skill.

Detailed vintage reports for the Rhône Valley are widely available at the relevant time. For the vineyards of Languedoc and Provence, however, there is usually less information. Although a generalisation, it is probably fair to say that good vintages for the southern Rhône are reflected by good vintages in these regions. In less good vintages, however, the vineyards of the Languedoc and Provence may outperform those of the southern Rhône, and quality conscious producers, such as the two tasted here, can produce some delicious wines.

Obviously this very small tasting of 1996 Southern Rhône wines was too small to make any real judgement on the vintage, but it provided an opportunity to look at a few familiar wines to see how they were shaping up. (19/7/01)

Southern Rhône and Languedoc 1996 - Tasting Notes

Tasted in July 2001. Click to locate stockists.