Wine Portfolio

Our Rhône Valley Wines:

J et R imports Rhone Valley wines from these excellent appellations:

Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Gigondas

Vacqueyras

Lirac & Tavel

Côtes du Rhône Villages with Village Name (Cairanne, Rasteau, Valreas, Vinsobres)

Côtes du Rhône Villages

Côtes du Rhône

Côtes du Luberon

Côtes du Ventoux

Vin de Pays

Northern Rhône

About the Rhône:

The Grapes and Wines of the Southern Rhone

The Appellation Controlée System in the Rhone

Appellation Rules and Constraints (coming soon)

Domaines, Cooperatives, Negotiants, and Labeling (coming soon)

The Rhône Valley

The appellations of the Southern Cotes du Rhone wine region (Cotes du Rhone meridionale) are distinctive because of the unique characteristics of the region in general and of the specific localities in particular, which the French call "terroir." This region is dry, stony, barren where little can grow but olive trees and vines.

The vines are on rocky hills and stony plateaus and pebbly plains with no top soil to speak of, exposed to the hot summer sun and the cold winter mistral-- gnarly vines with roots struggling to work their way through the stones and rocky strata on the hills, plateaus, and plains for the minerals, moisture, and other nutrients for the grapes to flourish.

Due to terroir, the Southern Rhone has more varieties of grapes than other French wine region, where often only one grape variety is allowed. 95% of the production is red wine, 3% is rose wine, and 2% is white wine. The primary red grapes are the Grenache, the Syrah, and the Mourvedre, with a smattering of Cinsault and Carignan. These grapes are not allowed in other wine regions of France outside the Midi (the Mediterranean region of France), while the familiar Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, for example, are not allowed in the Rhone.

There is something for every taste in Cotes du Rhone wines. They can be fruit forward with wonderful bouquets; they can be spicy and peppery; they can be very herbal, influenced by the wild herbs of Provence that are everywhere, especially on garrigue areas; and they can be earthy, leathery, and described by even more picturesque adjectives. Because of this diversity, Southern Rhone wines are excellent food wines, as one can choose a wine to match every type of food, sauce, and personal preferences.

J et R Selections currently imports 71 different Southern Rhone wines (and 1 Northern Rhone wine). The wines represent all five levels of appellation controlee in the Southern Rhone. All but one are from private estates - domaines and chateaus - where the grapes must come from vines on the estate's own acres (hectares) and the vinification, the aging, and the bottling must be done in the cave of the estate itself.