The northern Rhône is a narrow sequence of vineyards between Vienne and Valence. Many of the best-known sites occupy steep slopes cut into granite and related rocks above the river. Terraces and retaining walls make grape growing possible in places where machinery has little room to work. The climate is more continental than in the south, though warm summers and the river corridor still matter. Flatter sites around Crozes-Hermitage add another broad landscape to the steep-slope image.
Syrah is the defining red grape. Viognier stands alone in Condrieu and Château-Grillet, while Marsanne and Roussanne make the whites of Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Saint-Péray. The region is small, but its eight crus, each an appellation with its own origin and production rules, cover markedly different scales and styles.
The crus alternate between banks and grapes
What changes here
Côte-Rôtie opens the sequence on extremely steep right-bank slopes and makes Syrah-based red wine, with Viognier permitted in the blend. Condrieu and the tiny Château-Grillet are white-wine appellations for Viognier. Saint-Joseph then stretches for many kilometres down the right bank, so site and producer matter greatly within the name.
Across the river, Hermitage occupies a compact hill with red Syrah and white Marsanne-Roussanne wines. Crozes-Hermitage surrounds it over a much larger and more varied area. Back on the right bank, Cornas is red Syrah only, while Saint-Péray makes still and sparkling white from Marsanne and Roussanne.
Eight crus identify separate appellations
Names to know
From north to south, remember Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Château-Grillet, Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Cornas and Saint-Péray. The word cru means each has its own appellation. Côtes du Rhône and Collines Rhodaniennes can also appear on wines from the north, often when a vineyard, grape or blend falls outside the cru rules.
Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage are separate appellations, not two quality levels of one area. The same is true of a producer's cru and regional bottlings. Read the place name, colour and producer before assuming how serious or long-lived the wine will be.
Choosing Syrah or a northern Rhône white
First bottle
Crozes-Hermitage is a place to begin with northern Rhône Syrah. For a comparison, choose Saint-Joseph from hillside vineyards or Cornas for a firmer example. Keep the vintages close and give young wines air. Alongside pepper, dark fruit and savoury aromas, compare texture and freshness.
For a white made from Marsanne and Roussanne, look for Saint-Péray or Crozes-Hermitage. Condrieu is made from Viognier and can be aromatic and full, sometimes with modest acidity. Serve the whites lightly chilled so you can notice their aroma and weight in your mouth.
Continue through the region
Elsewhere in Vallée du Rhône
Producers in Rhône Septentrional
Start with these
- Domaine Alain GraillotFounded in 1985 in Pont-de-l’Isère, Domaine Alain Graillot crafts Crozes-Hermitage wines through organic farming, hand harvesting and whole-cluster fermentation.
- Domaine ClapeCornas and Saint-Péray wines from steep granite terraces, with whole cluster fermentation and ageing in old oval foudres.
- Domaine Jean-Louis ChaveRhône family domaine making Hermitage and Saint-Joseph wines, including parcel driven Hermitage Blanc and Cuvée Cathelin.
- E. GuigalE.
- Domaine Georges VernayRhône producer with Côte-Rôtie reds, Condrieu whites, and additional red wines from Saint-Joseph and VdP des Collines Rhodaniennes.
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- Cave de TainTain-l'Hermitage cooperative making Northern Rhône wines focused on Syrah, with Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph bottles.
- Château GrilletA four-hectare, south-facing Rhône AOC made from 100% Viognier, with two years of oak maturation and about 10,000 bottles produced each year.
- Clos de la BonnetteCondrieu estate with restored terraces and Rhône reds including Cisselande and Syrah Vieilles Vignes.
- Delas FrèresRhône producer with Hermitage holdings and named Cornas, Saint Joseph and Condrieu wines.
- Domaine Andre perretA 13-hectare Verlieu-Chavanay domaine working across Condrieu and Saint-Joseph, linked to Condrieu’s 1980s revival and known for Côteau de Chéry and Les Grisières.
- Domaine de la pinèdeFamily owned Châteauneuf-du-Pape domaine with red and white blends from clay limestone soils.
- Domaine DelhomeDomaine Delhome is a Larnage estate behind Crozes-Hermitage wines including Syrah-led Boréal and Marsanne-based Loess.
- Domaine des LisesOrganic, hand harvested Crozes-Hermitage reds with punch-down fermentation and whole bunch.
- Domaine du MonteilletChavanay domaine across five appellations, with terraced vineyards, manual sorting and large oak casks in the cellar.
- Domaine Eric & Joel DurandDomaine Eric & Joel Durand is a Rhône producer managed by brothers Eric and Joël Durand, with a listed Saint-Joseph red wine.
- Domaine FauryNorthern Rhône domaine led by Lionel Faury, with Condrieu and cellar choices that protect freshness and acidity.
- Domaine FayolleSixth generation Gervans domaine with organic farming and wines from Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, and Saint-Péray.
- Domaine Font SanteDomaine Font Sante is a Beaumes de Venise Vigneron Indépendant making its own red wine from its own grapes.
- Domaine GaronAmpuis domaine making named Côte-Rôtie wines with whole bunches, variable destemming and extended French oak ageing.
- Domaine Graeme & Julie BottAmpuis domaine making Syrah and Viognier across Condrieu, Côte-Rôtie, Saint-Joseph and Seyssuel.
- Domaine Jean-Claude MarsanneMauves domaine making Saint-Joseph Syrah from steep, hand-worked granite terraces, with parcel-separated vinification and white wines associated with Marsanne and Viognier.
- Domaine les AlexandrinsMercurol domaine founded by Alexandre Caso and Guillaume Sorrel, with Crozes Hermitage wines from savory fruit to Les Chaflans.
- Domaine Les Bruyeres / David ReynaudDavid Reynaud's Domaine Les Bruyères has clay limestone terraces in pebble rich Crozes Hermitage and makes Saint Joseph wines.
- Domaine Mur-Mur-Ium Vignobles PichonA 50-hectare Rhône family domaine making organic wines, with Syrah Black Elephant under IGP du Vaucluse.
- Domaine Philippe et Vincent JabouletMercurol domaine making Syrah-led reds and Marsanne and Roussane whites across Crozes-Hermitage and Hermitage.
- Domaine Pierre GaillardMalleval domaine making organic Northern Rhône wines with separate parcel vinification, Condrieu Viognier and Côte-Rôtie reds.
- Domaine RocheRomain Roche farms Cairanne family vineyards with manual harvest, no herbicides and organic certification since 2022.
- Domaine RostaingDomaine Rostaing is a Côte-Rôtie domaine founded by René Rostaing in 1971, making Syrah with violet perfume, silky texture and long, ethereal finishes.
- Domaines Paul Jaboulet AînéTain-l'Hermitage domaine with Northern Rhône vineyards, flagship La Chapelle, and organic certification since 2016.
- François VillardFrançois Villard makes Rhône reds from Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph, with whole clusters, Burgundy barrels, and organic farming.
- Gaec du mas de ReboulGaec du mas de Reboul is a Barjac, Ardèche producer situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the Massif Central.
- Jean-Luc ColomboJean-Luc Colombo makes La Belle de Mai Saint-Péray, a Marsanne and Roussanne white from an organically farmed Cornas estate.
- JL Chave SélectionJean-Louis Chave's Mauves négociant line, with Crozes-Hermitage Silène and two Hermitage wines made from trusted grower fruit.
- Le Plan des MoinesFounded in 2011 by Daniel Orsolini, Thierry Pommet and Claude Serra, Le Plan des Moines makes Rhône wines from selected vineyards, with estate vinification, hand harvesting, organic vineyard work and freshness on the finish.
- M. ChapoutierRhône family business with 26 hectares of Hermitage vines, Belleruche Rouge, and Braille labels on its bottles.
- Maison Christophe PichonRhône house making Condrieu, Côte Rôtie and Allégorie with house made yeasts, whole bunch fermentation and varied cooperage.
- Maison OrciaRhône Valley négociant sourcing partner wines across Viognier, Côtes du Rhône, Vacqueyras and Châteauneuf du Pape.
- Maison Quiot Mère et FilleQuiot family producer spanning Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Puyloubier, with roots in wine production since 1748.
- Pellerin Domaines et ChateauxA Beaujolais house founded in 1912, with wines spanning regional Beaujolais, named crus and Côtes-du-Rhône Reserve.
- Rotem & Mounir SaoumaA Rhône project begun in 2009 by Rotem and Mounir Saouma, making long-aged reds and whites through foudres, barrels and cement eggs.
- Union des Vignerons des Côtes-du-RhôneA grower-governed Rhône cooperative turning wines from around 2,000 farming families into appellation-led bottles.
- Vidal-FleuryA Rhône house founded in 1781 near Ampuis, spanning Syrah-led northern wines and Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre blends from the south.
- Vignerons Ardèchois - UVICAA southern Ardèche cooperative pairing local vinification centres with Rhône varieties and a volcanic-soil Syrah.
- Vignobles Jerome QuiotA 13th-generation family wine business spanning the South Rhône and Provence, with Château du Trignon Gigondas and Côtes du Rhône among its named wines.