Changing Tradition in the Rhône Valley
The negociant company Paul Jaboulet Aîne has been sold to satisfy the French inheritance laws. The Perrins of Château Beaucastel now have interests and properties in other parts of the southern Rhône. Tradition can be a good thing, but circumstances change and the next generation will often have different ideas about moving on.

As a diversion from our almost annual Châteauneuf-du-Pape tastings we will venture to other parts of the Rhône valley. In the north, there are growers banding together to become negociants and lobbying for recognition for forgotten vineyards. There are also consultant oenologists who become growers and negociants. In the south, there are winemakers who have lost their way but now have found the light again and, of course, there are the foreign invaders. And who do you turn to when your family company is sold?

The Rhône has been blessed with a run of fine vintages over the last few years. We will be tasting some younger wines and some slightly older from both the North and South, made by Yves Cuilleron, Pierre Gaillard, François Villard, Jean Luc Colombo and Nicolas Jaboulet and Famille Perrin among others, and perhaps even an interloper from across La Manche!