Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The half hectare of old vines yielded just nine hectoliters of 2020 Cote Rotie Cote Blonde, so it is being aged in barriques, not the foudre that was used in 2019. Right now, it looks appreciably firmer and more tannic, but it still offers incredible raspberry fruit and ample complexity on its lengthy finish.
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
James Suckling
Aromas of spiced cherries, mixed berries, roasted meat, smoke and some peppercorns. Full-bodied with finely grained tannins. Layered with a velvety texture and a focused, vivid finish. Syrah and viognier.
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2020 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde, a ripe, rounded, sexy beauty that has more spiced red fruits, dried flowers, and a meaty bouquet. Medium to full-bodied, it has a soft, supple, classic Côte Blonde style that can be enjoyed any time over the coming 10-12 years.
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.