In the run up to my visit to California for Hospice du Rhone (April 28-30), I was curious to see which Rhone varieties where most common in the area and visited Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance to find out.
Out of the 7 most commonly grown in Paso Robles, 3 have Rhone roots, Roussanne, Viognier (for whites) and Syrah (for red).
Under Varietals Produced, the Alliance reproduces a flavor wheel (below) created by American Wine Society.
They also list some of the attributes specific to each Rhone variety:
Syrah – blackberry, white pepper, black pepper, smoky, tar, blueberry, violets, roasted game, leather and dried herbs.
Viognier – peach, apricot, citrus blossom, floral, wet stone, honeysuckle and sweet spice.
Roussanne – honey, lemon-lime, floral, apricot, corn, pear, allspice and lanolin.
Honey falls in the 'Caramelized' sphere while Violet and Floral of course belong squarely in 'Floral'.
Maybe sommeliers should not push 'lanolin' or 'roasted game' too much.
When we meet at Hospice du Rhone, I will ask Condrieu producer Francois Villard what he would add or retract to these.