Northern Rhône

The Northern Rhône is a narrow strip of steep granite terraces running south from Vienne to Valence along the west bank of the Rhône — one of France’s most distinctive and age-worthy wine regions. Unlike the broader, warmer Southern Rhône where blending is the norm, the Northern Rhône is built on single varieties: Syrah for red wines, Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne for whites. The appellations here — Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, and Cornas — each produce a distinct expression of what granite and Syrah can produce together.

Mark Haisma makes Cornas alongside his Burgundy range — applying the same minimal-intervention approach to Syrah on granite that he brings to Pinot Noir on limestone. The connection between a winemaker trained in Burgundy making Northern Rhône wine is not unusual — the precision and restraint of the Burgundian approach translates naturally to the structured, age-worthy style of Cornas.