2018 Rhône Vintage (JLL / drinkRhone.com)
Summary
2018 is a vintage of extremes. In the Northern Rhône, it is a year of scale and power for reds — the result of prolonged summer heat — but also a triumph for whites (Marsanne and Roussanne). The hierarchy of terroirs has never been stronger: the most noble sites prevailed against the weather, but lesser zones produced wines with dodgy balance. In the Southern Rhône, rampant spring/summer rain and the absence of the cleansing Mistral brought one of the worst mildew attacks JLL has witnessed since 1973. Organic estates on a large scale were devastated. A vintage for careful selection rather than across-the-board purchasing.
Northern Rhône
Overview
JLL: “It’s a vintage where the Hierarchy of the soils has never been stronger.” The run of hot years since 2015 (the exception being the cooler 2016) now encompasses 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Vineyard management was critical. Growers who worked their soils — even just 5cm of pick-axe penetration for better water absorption — fared better than those relying on herbicide. Leading domaines like J-L Chave tied adjoining vines in an arc to help energy distribution rather than cutting shoot tops.
Cellar work was equally vital. Xavier Frouin (Cave de Tain oenologist): “2018 posed a lot of problems in vinification — much higher pH than 2017; those working with wild yeasts, low SO2, and lacking cooling equipment had stoppages of fermentation, the malo bursting out, a lot of Volatile Acidity.” Quality is heterogeneous.
The standout detail: Bernard Faurie’s Bessards reached 15.2 degrees — “Wild Wine, Bessards de la Noche, a confrère of Serge Gainsbourg.”
By Appellation
- Côte-Rôtie — Shows vintage, sun, and obvious fruit. The northern sector fared better, with more iron and cut than the southern perfumato wines. Jamet classic blend five stars (“oxtail soup, black fruits, ferrous, tea leaves; flair and expression”). Rostaing Côte Blonde five stars.
- Hermitage — A rich affair where terroir plays a key part over time. Patient cellaring required. Chave rouge four-to-five stars (“concentrated yet elegant; not forced”). Sorrel Le Gréal described as “bull’s blood intensity, spectacular.” Faurie Bessards at 15.2 degrees.
- Cornas — Sun, generosity, with terroir markings. Selective buying required. The best — Thierry Allemand, no surprise — are “real rockers,” though Thierry himself prefers the more stylish 2016. Clape Cornas five-to-six stars.
- Saint-Joseph Reds — Not many easy-flow wines. Weight demands a couple of years to loosen. Some bottled too soon. Gonon rouge: “cassis de Dijon liqueur, crème de menthe; dark and concentrated.”
- Crozes-Hermitage — A testing year. Wines from old alluvial soils bore ripeness more extreme than any vintage JLL recalls since 1973 (including 2003). 15-degree wines from Crozes — a far cry from the frisky style that made the appellation’s name.
- Northern Whites — A triumph. Great year for Marsanne and Roussanne. Deep, rolling gras richness with lines of clarity and length. Excellent Hermitage Blanc (long life ahead), very good Saint-Péray. Condrieu showed much improved winemaking in the face of heat.
Southern Rhône
Overview
A year of prominent fruit and low acidities. The devastating mildew attack — driven by rampant spring rain, southern winds, and the absence of Mistral — was one of the worst since 1973. Organic domaines working on a large scale suffered terrible yields (Château de Beaucastel at Courthézon was particularly hit). Luc Charvin: “I did six treatments in two weeks with the constant on-off rain — I treated at night, in the afternoon, on Sundays.”
JLL advises “a measured approach” on en primeur — a vintage for careful selection.
By Appellation
- Châteauneuf-du-Pape — Organic and Vin Nature reds were actually successful, with upfront fruit and pleasing roundness. Good bistrot and bar wines. But top-end quality is mixed.
- Tavel — Some very good wines, but also misses from good names. Not a homogeneous quality year.
- Whites — Low acidity; sound content suitable for the table via their density. One or two also offering finesse — “a high achievement in 2018.”
Top Wines
Northern Rhône
- Clape Cornas — five-to-six stars; “soaked griottes, primrose, voluptuous”
- Allemand Cornas Reynard — six stars; “great style in a reserved bouquet… accumulated raspberry, soaked cherries, mystery, rose”
- Jamet Côte-Rôtie (classic) — five stars; flair and expression
- Jamet Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune — “smoulders… sweet peas, violets, pot pourri from a hot day”
- Rostaing Côte Blonde — five stars; plentiful, curvy, close-knit
- Chave Hermitage Blanc — five-to-six stars; “supreme Hermitage blanc, with finesse high on the agenda”
- Chave Saint-Joseph Clos Florentin — “Pinot aspect, Burgundian style, very elegant”
Southern Rhône
- Château Rayas — 2018 was a write-off: only 400 litres of white and 800 litres of red produced, harvested November 28. These wines will not be launched on the market.
Key Themes
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Hierarchy of soils never stronger. The most noble terroirs prevailed against extreme heat; lesser zones produced unbalanced wines. This makes site selection and producer choice more important than vintage generalizations.
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The mildew catastrophe in the South. One of the worst attacks since 1973 devastated organic estates. Even skilled manual growers like Charvin had to treat six times in two weeks. Château Rayas lost virtually its entire crop. The contrast with the recovery in 2019 is dramatic.
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Whites outperform expectations. While the reds can be overblown in lesser hands, the Northern whites are a genuine triumph — deep richness combined with clarity and length. JLL calls 2018 an excellent Hermitage Blanc year with a long life ahead.
Sources
sources/articles/JLL/rhone_vintage_reports.json— “2018 Northern Rhône” and “2018 Southern Rhône” (JLL / drinkRhone.com)