Winemaker Notes
These Côte-Rôtie vines include holdings in the Le Champin, Leyat, Côte Blonde, Les Moutonnes, La Brosse, Fongeant, and Le Champin lieux-dits. The vineyards are split between the steep inclines guarding the slopes above the town of Ampuis and the flat plateau, which has been planted since the 1960s.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Côte Rôtie was all destemmed and is still aging in oak barrels (20% new). It's another beautiful wine from this estate, offering brilliant purity and elegance as well as medium to full-bodied richness. Lots of black raspberry fruits, notes of pepper, flowers, and spice, seamless tannins, and a great finish all define this beauty, and I suspect it's going to offer incredible pleasure right out of the gate.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Decanter
Tasting this barrel sample six months into its élevage, it has a lovely sense of purity on the nose. A light- to medium-bodied style where the acidity is fresh and accurate, giving great finesse and clarity. Does it have the concentration and length for long ageing? Hard to answer that with certainty at this stage, though it doubtless has the right amount of freshness and balance. With five hectares across the vineyards of Le Champin, La Brosse, Fongeant, Leyat, Les Moutonnes and Côte Blonde, there is just this one 100% Syrah Côte-Rôtie cuvée produced at this domaine. 2020 is Pierre's - son of Bernard Burgaud - first vintage, and there's no perceptible change in style from previous vintages.
Barrel Sample: 93
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
The cultivation of vines here began with Greek settlers who arrived in 600 BC. Its proximity to Vienne was important then and also when that city became a Roman settlement but its situation, far from the negociants of Tain, led to its decline in more modern history. However the 1990s brought with it a revival fueled by one producer, Marcel Guigal, who believed in the zone’s potential. He, along with the critic, Robert Parker, are said to be responsible for the zone’s later 20th century renaissance.
Where the Rhone River turns, there is a build up of schist rock and a remarkable angle that produces slopes to maximize the rays of the sun. Cote Rotie remains one of the steepest in viticultural France. Its varied slopes have two designations. Some are dedicated as Côte Blonde and others as Côte Brune. Syrahs coming from Côte Blonde are lighter, more floral, and ready for earlier consumption—they can also include up to 20% of the highly scented Viognier. Those from Côte Brune are more sturdy, age-worthy and are typically nearly 100% Syrah. Either way, a Cote Rotie is going to have a particularly haunting and savory perfume, expressing a more feminine side of the northern Rhone.