Winemaker Notes
La Cotte Sud is from a 1 hectare, south-facing parcel located on the Glun/Châteaubourg border, 500 meters from the Courbis winery. The vineyard is on a steep slope with a granite-sand-stony soil. Laurent and Dominique planted the vines in 1993 with the hope of eventually producing an exceptional St-Joseph wine that parallels their Cornas La Sabarotte.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
All destemmed and brought up in 50% new oak, the 2018 Saint Joseph La Cotte Sud is more backward and tight, with beautiful blue fruits, graphite, barbecue smoke, and violet-like aromas and flavors. It's full-bodied and concentrated on the palate yet has ample tannins, a seamless texture, and terrific overall balance. Give bottles 3-5 years and it should keep for a solid decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From granite-derived soils, the 2018 Saint Joseph La Cotte Sud boasts some dark fruit tones—plums and cassis—and a firm sense of underlying structure. Yet it's full-bodied and velvety in texture, a plush surface over sun-warmed stone that finishes long and layered. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Wine Spectator
A crowd pleaser, this red is ripe and fleshy in feel, with a core of warmed plum sauce and blackberry preserve, laced with singed vanilla and cocoa hints, ending with a swath of melted black licorice. Subtle zip underneath keeps it honest. Drink now through 2027.
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.”
Spanning the longest stretch of river in the northern Rhône—from Condrieu in the north, to Cornas in the south—the heart of St.-Joseph lies directly across the Rhône River from Hermitage. While its soils are basically the same as Hermitage: granite, supplemented by sand and gravel, its east facing slope receives less sunlight than Hermitage, which causes less overall berry ripening on its Syrah vines. However, some of the best of them can rival any fine expression of Hermitage, Cote-Rotie or Cornas with concentrated black fruits, dark spices, crushed rock and violets. A general advantage of the region is that its Syrahs typically don’t need as much time in the bottle compared to a Cote-Rotie or Hermitage and are much easier on the bank account!
A textbook St.-Joseph red is firm with a core of minerality that is enhanced by savory and peppery qualities. Aromas and flavors of smoke, olives, herbs, and violets are common; its wines are dense in red and black fruit.
St.-Joseph is also a source of fine northern Rhône white wine. Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne grow well here and can be blended or made into single varietal wines. St.-Joseph whites are full and silky with citrus, pear and pineapple flavors and a rich bouquet reminiscent of honeysuckle, toasted nuts, spice and caramel.