See also our daily-updated guide to coverage of 2013 Rhône and my overview of the vintage.
At one stage the 2013 vintage looked disastrous in the northern Rhône. Spring, right through June, was cold and wet, flowering not particularly successful, so the crop was reduced and everything was late. At the end of August it looked as though the grapes might not ripen before the arrival of winter.
However, vignerons and the crop were saved by an Indian summer that saw sugar levels rise very respectably during sunny September days but whose cool nights helped retain acidity and stave...