Winemaker Notes
On the palate, it reveals a fresh attack followed by an ample, structured, long-lasting finish. The wine unfurls in successive stages and ends with top-quality tannins produced by whole cluster fermentation. It features aromas and flavors of smoked ham, violet, graphite, graphite, and licorice.
Syrah, with its deep flavors and firm tannins, is a natural match for grilled or smoked meat and dishes featuring herbs, roasted mushrooms, and onions. Seared venison or beef with black pepper and thyme or a Moroccan tagine of pigeon or chicken are complimented by the spicy characteristic of Syrah.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From nose to finish, this Syrah offers depth and nuance. Opening notes of menthol, eucalyptus and burnt sage accent ripe but restrained blackberry and cassis. It’s an invigorating sip, studded by crisp black-fruit flavors, hits of black pepper and fine tannins that extend the finish. Craft+Estate– Winebow
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James Suckling
This comes from the schist section, in the north of the appellation, and has a very complex and spicy edge to the dark berries and cherries. The palate has a succulent, savory and very powerful, expressive feel with latent spices and roasted meat, through a very intense core of black fruits. Ripe grapes and whole bunches here. Intense and juicy with strapping tannins
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Côte Rôtie is another satisfying, character-filled wine. Complex notes of blackberries, ground herbs, new leather, and violets flow to a medium to full-bodied, layered, complete, balanced Côte Rotie that’s going to shine for 10-15 years. It has some feral, wild notes as well as plenty of old-school character.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Notes of smoked meat and cold fireplace mark the nose of Saint Cosme's 2017 Cote Rotie. It's medium to full-bodied, with a plush, seductive mouthfeel, supple tannins and a long finish. It should be a beauty.
Range: 92-94 -
Wine Spectator
Dark and winey, with olive- and bay leaf–laced grip running underneath a core of steeped black currant and blackberry pâte de fruit notes. Singed mesquite hints swirl through the finish. Best from 2022 through 2038.
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.