Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 100% Syrah from the oldest vines in this lieu-dit, fermented with 30% stems, and raised all in used barrels, the 2022 Côte Rôtie Maison Rouge has a ripe, powerful nose of red and black fruits, black olives, pepper, and violets. It's full-bodied, has a ripe, layered, opulent mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, integrated acidity, and a gorgeous finish. It might be my favorite here. Drink 2026-2038.
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Wine Spectator
Salty, sanguine animal notes course alongside racy red fruit and grilled herbs, all surrounding a serious spine of cast iron. A firm, fresh, restrained style that leads with mineral elements. Toasted alder echoes on the smoldering, piercing finish. Best from 2027 through 2040.
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.