Winter Whites in the Northern Rhône

Nearly two decades ago, I had a wine epiphany with a glass of JeanLouis Chave's 1996. Hermitage Blanc. Chave, a 16th generation Northern Rhône winemaker, had come stateside to share a few of his much sought-after wines with journalists.

- KRISTEN BIELER

I was blown away by the concentration, depth and deliciousness of this white. From a land famous for reds-where gnarled old Syrah on the slopes of Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie and Cornas are responsible for some of the world's rarest bottlings it was this beguiling white that is etched in my memory.

As Wine Spectator's new lead taster for the Rhône Valley, I spent a cold and rainy December week scrambling up the steep hills of these vineyards and tasting with winemakers. I returned home more convinced than ever: Some of the best wines from this small region are whites and this is particularly true today as a fresher, racier, mineral-driven style has become the norm.

It's not always easy to find Northern Rhône whites. Red wines represent 92% of wine made there, and the north only accounts for 5% of the entire Rhône Valley's production. Nestled between Côte-Rôtie and St.-Joseph is the tiny white wine-only appellation of Condrieu, the source of the world's greatest expressions of Viognier. In Hermitage, St.-Joseph and increasingly St.-Péray, winemakers make white wines with the Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. Low in acid, these whites find their balance with salty bitterness and mineral energy.