{"id":5386,"date":"2019-03-30T16:26:33","date_gmt":"2019-03-30T21:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/?p=5386"},"modified":"2019-03-30T16:26:37","modified_gmt":"2019-03-30T21:26:37","slug":"close-personal-ferraton-wines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/2019\/03\/close-personal-ferraton-wines\/","title":{"rendered":"Up Close & Personal with the Rh\u00f4ne\u2019s Ferraton Wines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cMaking the past a strength. An influence. Demanding precision, subtlety. Imagining the finest of wines, generous, ambitious. The continuation of our story. A story of a name, a winery rooted at the heart of Hermitage.\u201d – Ferraton P\u00e8re & Fils<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been fortunate to drink several<\/a> of the \u201ceveryday\u201d wines from the Ferraton P\u00e8re & Fils<\/a> portfolio in the last couple of years or so. Not only are they quality wines that exemplify the best of the Rh\u00f4ne\u2019s terroir, but they are ridiculously affordable. I mean these Ferraton wines seriously over-perform for their price points. I\u2019ve had them with family, shared them with friends, and all have enjoyed the experience of drinking these wines. Not to mention that I\u2019ve seriously swooned over their Ros\u00e9<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ferraton was founded in 1946 and believe it or not, some of their original vines are still producing fruit today! As a grower-n\u00e9gociant, they are a highly respected producer in France\u2019s Rh\u00f4ne Valley. Twenty percent of their production is estate wines. All are biodynamic and, since 2015, Demeter-certified, with fruit coming from the domaine\u2019s 37 acres of prime vineyards in the northern Rh\u00f4ne\u2019s Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and St. Joseph appellations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ferraton P\u00e8re & Fils Vineyards Courtesy of Ferraton<\/i><\/b><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Their n\u00e9gociant range, sourced entirely from sustainably farmed fruit, includes bottlings from the Northern Rh\u00f4ne\u2019s C\u00f4te R\u00f4tie, Condrieu, St.-Joseph and Cornas appellations, plus Ch\u00e2teauneuf-du-Pape, C\u00f4tes du Rh\u00f4ne-Villages Plan de Dieu, and C\u00f4tes du Rh\u00f4ne in the Southern Rh\u00f4ne. Today, Ferraton is run by Michel Chapoutier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rh\u00f4ne Valley Primer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

So speaking of appellations\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rh\u00f4ne Valley is definitely on my short list of places I\u2019d like to visit. Geographically divided into the Northern Rh\u00f4ne and Southern Rh\u00f4ne sub-regions, I\u2019ve long been a fan of the wines of the south. In the last couple of years, I\u2019ve (apparently) finally drank the right ones and now very much enjoy the wines of the Northern Rh\u00f4ne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The north and the south sub-regions are quite different. The Northern Rh\u00f4ne is quite small and a fraction of the size of the Southern Rh\u00f4ne. In fact, 95% of production in the Rh\u00f4ne Valley comes from the Southern Rh\u00f4ne. Additionally, both regions have different climates, terroir, and grapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Northern Rh\u00f4ne, for red wines, its all about Syrah. This is the only grape permitted so if you have a Northern Rh\u00f4ne red, you know its Syrah. For white wines, the three permitted grapes are Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne. Despite allowing three different whites to only one red, 95% of production in the Northern Rh\u00f4ne is red. The eight appellations that make up the Northern Rh\u00f4ne are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n