The Northern Rhône is a narrow strip of steep, granite-terraced vineyards where Syrah is grown almost exclusively for red wine — sometimes with a small amount of co-fermented Viognier, as in Côte-Rôtie, which softens the wine and lifts its aromatics. Appellations like Hermitage and Cornas produce some of France's most powerful, savoury reds. Viognier alone makes the region's whites, most famously in Condrieu, where it's rich, floral and full-bodied in a way the grape rarely achieves elsewhere.

Key grapes: Syrah, Viognier