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Jean-Paul Autard carries on the tradition established by his father Paul when he founded their family’s domaine in the village of Courthezon in the early 1970s. Today, Autard cultivates 26 hectares of vines, of which 12 are in Chateauneuf du Pape and 14 in Cotes du Rhone. He feels privileged to have inherited a Domaine in which the plantings of different grape varieties are perfectly adapted to the various soil types — ranging from galets roulés, limestone pebbles and clay, and sandy-clay — in the Domaine’s various parcels. He aims to get the most out of each variety by vinifying separately and then blending judiciously. The grapes are destalked and fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks with only the native yeasts present on the grape’s skins. After the malolactic fermentation, the wines are transferred to barriques for aging, about one third of which are new for the “normale” cuvée and 100% new for the Cuvée La Cote Ronde and Juline. Since 2004, Jean-Paul has been working in his new state-of-the-art winery, which allows him greatly enhanced control over all phases of winemaking, and a concomitant increase in quality. His unique style, fusing elegance, balance and generously expressive Chateauneuf-du-Pape flavor, has won his wines an international following.

Jean Paul Autard’s vineyard practice aims to achieve a perfect balance between and soil and the vine. He is guided by the practice known as culture raisonnée. Autard does not need to green harvest because his vines average over 50 years of age (they are between 40-96 years old). The vines’ age, together with the limited use of only organic fertilizer, naturally ensures low yields and concentrated, balanced fruit. No pesticides or chemical anti-rot products or fertilizers are used. The health of the vineyard is ensured by meticulous work by hand, such as the removal in May and June of unessential shoots and leaves that would block the proper aeration of the vines. Jean-Paul is able to eliminate the possibility of problems such as rot and mildew by not allowing humidity to remain on the grapes and leaves.

Located in between Gigondas and Chateauneuf du Pape, the village of Vacqueyras received Appellation Controllee status in 1990. Domaine Le Couroulu, founded in 1928 and still owned by the Ricard family, is known for producing some of the most full-bodied Vacqueyras and other wines from their 20 hectares of old Grenache and Syrah vines. The estate is named for the Curlew bird, which is known in Provencal dialect as Couroulu: this bird is the signature emblem on the Domaine’s labels. Parker rated the estate as an “excellent” (****) producer in his book, Wines of the Rhone Valley and cited it among his “Best European Wine Values.” Recently, he bestowed even more praise: “this is a sensational estate…whose wines have given me enormous pleasure for nearly two decades” (Wine Advocate #185, 10/31/09). Winemaker Guy Ricard, who represents the third generation, is one of the Rhone’s most passionate and agreeable personalities, qualities which are reflected in his full-throttle, generous and engaging wines.

Domaine le Couroulu’s Vin de Pays de Vaucluse is a blend of 50% Syrah and 50% Merlot. It comes from vineyards on the sandy-clay plateau around the village of Vacqueyras. These soils are not suitable for Grenache (the principal grape of Vacqueyras) but the cooler microclimate allows Syrah and Merlot grapes to ripen well. Guy Ricard fashions his Vin de Pays by fermenting with the stems for 10 days. The wine is aged in large foudres for nine months before bottling. Couroulu’s Vin de Pays is an explosively fruity, spicy, tasty wine, which is ready to enjoy with Bistro fare. It represents excellent value.

The Vacqueyras Cuvee Classique is a blend of 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 15% Mourvedre. It undergoes a long, 20-day maceration period and is aged in large oak casks for two years before bottling. This big, spicy, robust, somewhat jammy wine represents exceptional value. It is an excellent match for grilled ribs, sausages, and steaks as well as roasts and stews of lamb, beef and game. Robert Parker consistently acclaims the Couroulu Vacqueyras as one of the finest wines of its appellation.

Guy Ricard makes about 700 cases per year of his Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes (old-vines) cuvee. A blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, it comes from two parcels of Grenache planted by his grandfather in 1932, as well as a smaller plot of Syrah planted in 1960. These old vines have very low yields, giving the wine its exceptional concentration. It is an excellent match for grilled ribs, sausages, and steaks as well as roasts and stews of lamb, beef and game.

In 1988, Isabelle and Arnaud Guichard acquired their estate in the hamlet of Derboux at the top of the Massif d’Uchaux, near Mondragon. The young couple, passionate for careers as wine producers, immediately sought to make the finest Cotes du Rhone possible. Vines were first planted here in 1960 but the Guichards reorganized the 15 hectare vineyard to take better advantage of the soils and exposition. The estate sits on a high plateau at the top of the Massif d’Uchaux, making it ideally situated for the ripening of grapes. The vineyard benefits from the Mistral wind, which naturally enhances the health of the vines and fruit, and is surrounded by forest and garrigue. Indeed, in 2005 the Massif d’Uchaux plateau was granted its own appellation status in recognition of its exceptional terroir.

Arnaud and Isabelle’s objective is to produce natural and authentic wines in as healthy an environment as possible. To this end, they are committed to organic viticulture in order to allow for the fullest expression of the vines and grapes. They continue their multi-year conversion to organic agriculture (agriculture biologique) begun with the 2008 vintage. They no longer use synthetic products to treat vine diseases such as mildew and odium, and only treat the vines with copper and sulfur. All of the vine-rows are plowed and no chemical fertilizers are used. With the 2009 and 2010 vintages, Domaine de la Guicharde wines carry the certification “wine made from grapes in transition to “Agrilculture Biologique,” or organic. And the 2011 vintage will be certified as fully organic (biologique). The certifying organization is ECOCERT.

The origins of the Courbis family estate date back to the 16th century. More recently, the brothers Dominique and Laurent Courbis succeeded their father, Maurice, in the early 1990s. They have since firmly established themselves as leaders of the modern school of winemaking in St Joseph and Cornas. The Courbis style may be summarized as offering wines filled with intense aromas and concentrated fruit with great purity and length. This is in large part achieved by a combination of meticulous and sustainable vineyard work undertaken to attain perfectly ripe, healthy, concentrated grapes together with fermenting in tanks and aging in barriques. The wines emphasize the expression of fruit while highlighting the specific character of the various St-Joseph and Cornas vineyard origins.

The estate owns 33 hectares divided as follows: 8 hectares in Cornas; 5 hectares of St Joseph Blanc; 19 hectares of St Joseph Rouge and 1 hectare of Syrah Vin de Pays de l’Ardèche. The vineyards are all on south and east facing slopes in the communes of Chateaubourg, Glun and Cornas. All the grapes are harvested by hand, rigorously sorted and 100% de-stemmed. The maceration period for the Syrahs lasts between two and four weeks. The wines mature in barriques which are new or up to three years old. The red wines are fined with egg yolks and are not filtered. They are bottled between one and half and two years after harvest.

The Courbis St-Joseph Blanc derives from vines planted on a unique limestone section of the St Joseph appellation, whose soil is suited only for white grapes. It is the only St-Joseph white that comes entirely from this ideal terroir. The blend is 97% Marsanne and 3% Roussanne. The wine is fermented in tanks at low temperatures, and aged in one third in new barriques (with weekly battonage) and two thirds in tanks. It is kept on its fine lees until the Spring after the harvest to develop additional complexity. Courbis assembles and bottles the white after 10 months of maturation.

The Courbis St-Joseph Blanc is lively, intense wine with distinct flavors of pit fruits (apricots and nectarines) and spice. The St-Joseph Rouge and the Cornas Champelrose come from various vineyard parcels across the Courbis Domaine. The soils are a combination of only limestone and granite. The various parcels are blended to attain St Joseph and Cornas wines that ready for near term drinking upon release. The St-Joseph Rouge is vinified in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks with 15 days of vatting. It is aged in a combination of 20% tanks and 80% barrels. The casks are 15% new and the balance 2-3 years old. After 10 months, the barrel aged wine is assembled back in tank for a few more months before bottling.

The Cornas Champelrose derives mostly from vines near the base of Cornas slope. It benefits from 3 weeks of vatting to extract as much color and flavor as possible. Courbis’s Champelrose is aged entirely in casks that are a mix of 25% new; 20% one year; and 55% 2-3 years of age. The barrel-aging period is 12 months, after which the wine is assembled in tank and aged for four more months before bottling. Both wines have generous, accessible, pure fruit and show the full character of their respective appellations in the attractive Courbis house style.

The terraced, cliff-like St-Joseph Les Royes vineyard is a spectacular “cirque” or extremely steep amphitheater. It is located at the southern limit of the St. Joseph appellation, on the border of Cornas. The exposition is to the south-east, so the amphitheater retains the heat of the day, while completely protecting the vines from northerly winds. The soil is a mixture of clay, granite, and limestone (the latter being the source of the small amount of Les Royes Blanc.) Yields are a miniscule 25 hl/ha and the vines average 30 years of age. The Syrah grapes for Les Royes Rouge are given a three week maceration period and fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The wine is aged 100% in barrels, of which 1/3 are new; 1/3 one wine and 1/3 two wines. After 12-14 months in cask, the wine is assembled and aged for 3 additional months in tank before bottling. The St-Joseph Les Royes is a profound and complex wine with sweet black cherry-raspberry fruit, notes of minerals and smoke, and ripe tannins that give it remarkable structure.