Winemaker Notes
Intense and deep ruby with violet hues. Intense and expressive on the nose with peppery notes, violet aromas, and ripe black fruits. Powerful in its youth, this wine is full, supple and well-balanced with firm, silky tannins that lead to an elegant, beautiful finish. Delicious with beef rib and savory lamb dishes. Aging potential of 15-20 years.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A reserved and very elegant style of Cote-Rotie with none of the extravagance that some examples have. Fine tannins on the very clean, focused palate. Fascinating smoke, pepper and wet-stone notes. Long, finely etched finish.
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Wine Spectator
A bright, fresh style, with a mix of red currant and damson plum notes lined with subtle alder, mineral and savory details. Ends with a racy, focused finish. Drink now.
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.