The terraced hill of Hermitage in the northern Rhône, with the chapel at its summit above Tain-l'Hermitage

Dard Et Ribo | Iconic Rhone Wine

Dard et Ribo were one of the first natural wine producers in the Northern Rhone, and their classic, refined wines from Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph are highly sought by collectors for ageing. - as they will generally last a long time in the cellar, yet many remain drinkable with newest vintages. Their reds are remarkable, but their whites should not be dismissed, which account for 35% of their production (most Rhone producers would have just 10%). René Dard is one half of the winery, who runs the 8.5 hectares of chemical free vines with François Ribo. Grapes grown include typical Rhone varietals like Syrah, Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier.

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Saint Joseph Rouge 2022

Dard et Ribo

Rhone's Syrah darlings

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Dard et Ribo Crozes-Hermitage Blanc, a Marsanne and Roussanne white wine from the Rhône, with a filled glass

Dard et Ribo - Crozes Hermitage Blanc 2023

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Crozes Hermitage Blanc 2023

Dard et Ribo

Marsanne + Roussanne

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Two friends who started in 1983, before anyone called it natural wine

René-Jean Dard and François Ribo began making wine together in 1983, in the Northern Rhône, based at Mercurol in Crozes-Hermitage. Dard lost his father at fifteen and took on a great deal young.

They dropped synthetic treatments early and have farmed without them since, which in the Northern Rhône of the eighties put them a long way outside the mainstream. They are consistently described as the pioneers of natural wine in the region, and a generation of Rhône growers who came afterwards point back to them.

The estate is small, around 8.5 hectares, spread across three appellations: Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Hermitage itself.

One figure says a lot about how they think. White wine accounts for roughly 35 percent of what they make. For most Northern Rhône estates the figure is nearer ten.

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The wines: Crozes, Saint-Joseph, Hermitage and Pé de Loup

The reds are Syrah, the whites are Roussanne and Marsanne with some Viognier.

Crozes-Hermitage Rouge and Crozes-Hermitage Blanc are the entry to the estate and the ones to meet first. Saint Joseph Rouge and Saint Joseph Blanc come off steeper granite.

Hermitage is the small one at the top, made in tiny quantity from the famous hill above Tain.

Pé de Loup is a named Crozes-Hermitage parcel and one of the cuvées people chase. The wider range runs past twenty bottlings, including Les Rouges des Bâties, Les Blancs des Bâties and Les Karrières, and not all of them come out every year.

Bottle of Dard et Ribo Crozes-Hermitage being poured at a table

Low or no added sulphur, and nothing dressed up

The cellar work is deliberately undramatic. Ferments run on the grapes' own yeasts and the wines are made with low or no added sulphur, depending on the cuvée and the year.

That variation is worth stating plainly rather than flattening into a slogan. Some bottles here go out with none at all; others carry a small amount. It is decided wine by wine.

What has stayed constant across forty years is the refusal to make the wines bigger than the vintage was. These are not extracted, oaky Northern Rhône reds. They are built on Syrah fruit, pepper and stem, at modest alcohol, and the whites are taken as seriously as the reds, which in this part of France remains unusual.

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NATURAL WINES FROM THE RHÔNE

The Rhône runs north to south down eastern France, and the two halves behave like different countries. In the north the vineyards are terraced granite on steep slopes above the river, planted almost entirely to Syrah for the reds, with Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne for the whites. The south opens out into broad, hot, stony country where Grenache leads and blending is the rule.

The northern appellations are small: Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Cornas. Natural wine has deep roots here. Dard et Ribo began in 1983 and are generally credited with starting the movement in the region, and a generation of growers followed them.

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FAQ about Dard et Ribo

Who are Dard et Ribo?

René-Jean Dard and François Ribo, two friends who began making wine together in the Northern Rhône in 1983. They are widely regarded as the producers who started natural wine in the region.

Where are Dard et Ribo based?

At Mercurol in Crozes-Hermitage, in the Northern Rhône. They work around 8.5 hectares across three appellations: Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Hermitage.

What grapes do Dard et Ribo grow?

Syrah for the reds, and Roussanne and Marsanne with some Viognier for the whites. White wine makes up around 35 percent of production, which is far higher than most estates in the Northern Rhône.

Do Dard et Ribo wines contain sulphites?

It varies by cuvée and by vintage. Some bottles are made with no added sulphur at all, others with a small amount. They are not a blanket zero-sulphur estate and do not present themselves as one.

Which Dard et Ribo should I buy first?

Crozes-Hermitage, either colour. It is the heart of the estate and the clearest picture of how they work. Saint-Joseph is the step up in structure, and Hermitage is the rare one at the top.

What is Pé de Loup?

A named parcel of Crozes-Hermitage, bottled separately. It is one of the cuvées that gets sought out, and like much of the range it does not appear every year.