Rhône 2010 – northern reds

See here for a guide to our coverage of Rhône's lovely 2010s and details of UK merchants currently offering them en primeur.

The northern Rhône has been blessed by two exceptionally good vintages in 2009 and 2010, although, as elsewhere in France, they are different in style. The 2009s are relatively plump and ripe for this Syrah-dominated region while the 2010s are a little more refined and much better at expressing vineyard character. The harvest was relatively late in 2010, later than in 2009 (and the 2011 harvest was even earlier than in 2009). For Jean-Paul Jamet, of the three...