25 year old COTE ROTIE Tasting

Описание: In this video, Bob Paulinski Master of Wine will discuss the wines of Cote Rotie. For me, it’s the greatest expression of Syrah.. I’ll discuss the region, the grape varieties, the wines, what look for in todays market, along with tips to get the most out your old bottles and I’ll then open a 25-year-old bottle from a classic producer.

The Rhone Valley is in the SE of France. The Northern Rhone starts just a short ride south from the city of Lyon, Cote Rotie is the first appellation that’s encountered along the way. Cote Rotie means roasted slope. Many vineyards have a south, southeast exposure for extended sunlight hours. Steep vineyard sites are common, up to a 60% gradient. The soil is rocky with mostly schist and granite soils. Any moisture tends to quickly drain away through the infertile soil, this is a factor in limiting yield and improving quality.

The Rhone Valley is the second largest French wine region, only behind Bordeaux. 95% of the wine production comes from the south. Cote Rotie has only about 500 acres under vine, split between about 130 growers. Do the math, it’s a good number of grape growers with small parcels, most part manually work the vines. This is a continental climate, versus the southern Rhone which is Mediterranean. It’s a very old growing region, but as recent as the 1950s and 1960s the active vineyards were few, as many growers opted for the easier to tend vineyards in the flatter plains.

Many growers sell their fruit to Guigal, a primary wine producer in the region. More recently, some smaller growers are starting to produce their under their own labels, sometimes in lots as limited as a couple hundred cases or less. Cote Rotie is made either from entirely or predominantly Syrah. The reality is some are 100% Syrah, but others use a bit of Viognier, usually around 5%. The rules allow for Viognier use up to 20% of the final wine, but it must be co-fermented with the Syrah, not blended together after fermentation. That said, it would be rare for anyone to use 20% Viognier.

The truth of the matter, in some vineyards Syrah and Viognier are inter planted, there is no practical way to separate the two without much added expense. Used with skill, Viognier adds aromatics and rounds out the wine, get it wrong and it’ll result in color dilution and perhaps acidity problems as well. Many Cote Rotie will indicate a more specific place of origin. The most common are Cote Brune and Cote Blonde, each produces somewhat different styles of Cote Rotie. The former is from a site that results in deeper, more tannic styled Cote Rotie, the latter has a different soil structure that brings bit softer and a bit lighter style. Beyond that, even more site specific indicators have become increasingly common.

The current vintage pricing runs about $275 to $300 per bottle. As for the one that I’m opening here, it’s a rarity, and prices quotes tend to be broad, but I found a quote that topped out at over $400 per bottle. Originally, I paid $40 back when it was released in the early 2000s.

With older bottles, some special care is called for in order to maximized the wines potential. Stand the bottle upright for a day or two. This will allow any sediment to work its way down to the base of the bottle and therefore it reduces the risk of it ending up in your wine glass. Check the fill level. As the wine ages, the fill level will drop a bit. Ideally, it shouldn’t be more than a finger width from the base of the cork and wine top out level of the wine. This one is perfect, the gap is maybe ¼”. Check the condition of the cork, there should be no signs of leaking. Shine a bright light up into the base of the bottle, it’ll allow you to see the amount of sediment prior to opening the bottle. If the cork feels a bit soft or spongy, which is common with older bottles, use a two prong or ah-so.

I’ll list producers and vintages that are worth searching out. The wines will be pricy, many will quickly hit and surpass the $100 mark. But in terms of great cellar candidates, you won’t go wrong.

2019 Christophe Billon Cote-Rotie Les Elotins $53
2019 Patrick Jasmin - Cote Rotie $65
2019 J. Vidal-Fleury - Cote-Rotie Cotes Brune et Blonde $80 2019 Cote Rotie “La Boisselee”, Barruol/Lynch $95
2019 Yves Cuilleron Cote Rotie Lieu-Dit Les Bonnivieres $100 2019 Rene Rostaing, Cote Rotie, Ampodium, $100
2019 Domaine Georges Vernay Cote-Rotie $140
2019 Gangloff - Cote Rotie La Barbarine $275
2020 Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie La Landonne $210
2020 Domaine Jamet Cote-Rotie $220

For Value: Cave d'Tain, various bottlings from the northern Rhone, maybe the best run co-op in France, excellent values Also, anything from Yves Cuilleron, excellent source.

#winelife #winetasting #france #rhone #syrah #bobpaulinski #wset #masterofwine #redwine