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Saint-Péray is the southernmost of all the top appellations on the northern Rhone. The wine-growing region, which comprises just over 60 hectares of vineyards, lies on the right bank of the river below Cornas and directly opposite Valence. Only Marsanne and Roussanne are cultivated here, which makes Saint-Péray the third pure white wine region of the northern Rhone, along with Condrieu and Château-Grillet.

Unfairly, it is also the most unknown, at least as far as the region's still wines are concerned. For while the sparkling wines have had the reputation of being among the best in France since the 19th century, presumably even die-hard Rhône lovers have hardly ever had a non-sparkling Saint-Péray in their glass (and even of the bottle-fermented variety there is so little that hardly any of it even makes it to us via the Granze).

However, it is worth looking for it. Even though the vineyards here are nowhere near as steep as those of Hermitage, the best Saint-Péray wines certainly rival their famous neighbour to the north, which is produced from the same varieties - and usually at much more affordable prices.

At their best, they develop beguiling, ripe, simultaneously melting and firm fruit with often a little ethereal spice from Mediterranean herbs and juniper. A Saint-Péray is never really light, but even the most powerful examples sometimes have an astonishing freshness, precise contours and not infrequently an intense, tart minerality, which contributes greatly to the tension of the top examples.

We have currently tasted 18 still wines from Saint-Péray, all of which we can present here not only for reasons of space, but also because none of the wines tasted disappointed. You will find a link to the detailed wine descriptions as well as to the producers at the end of the list. A video of the Saint-Péray (as well as white Hermitage) post-tasting can be found here on our Youtube channel.

Rhone In Focus: The white wines of Saint-Péray Saint-Péray AOC

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