CÔTE RÔTIE
2018 La Viallière Domaine Clusel-Roch
| Grapes | Syrah |
| Colour | Red |
| Origin | France, Rhône |
| Other | Certified Organic |
| District | Northern Rhône |
| Village | Côte Rôtie |
| ABV | 14% |
| Vineyard | La Viallière |
Tasting this after the more upfront 'Les Schistes' is to step in to another world. This is Syrah on a very different register. There is more lift, A floral note of violets. Purple and blue fruit dominates the underlying more sappy dark stuff. Very sophisticated feel. The restraint and minerality here owe much to these old vines and the great height of this vineyard. Totally lovely. Drinking range: 2026 - 2035 L&S (Feb 2020)
*Case price discount: Mix any 12 bottles of wine (or 9 litre equivalent) or 6 bottles of Champagne, Spirits, Sweet Wine or Fortified (4.5 litres) to get the discounted 'case price' for each bottle.
Aromas of fresh black/blue fruits, pungent flowers, olive and allspice on the incisive nose. Weighty yet lively black currant, bitter cherry and violet pastille flavors show fine delineation and take on a smoky mineral nuance on the back half. Steadily building tannins shape an extremely long, penetrating finish that echoes the floral and mineral notes. The balance of power and finesse here is pretty impressive. Rating: 94-95 Josh Raynolds, www.vinousmedia.com (May 2020)
Domaine Clusel-Roch
From the 1950s to 1980 René and Josephine Clusel grew fruit and vegetables as well as grapes in Côte-Rôtie. Their son, Gilbert, with his wife Brigitte Roch, started to focus solely on the vineyards, and expanded the domaine a little.
Guillaume, Brigitte and Gilbert's son, joined the domaine in 2009 and is now in charge. He added significantly to the vineyard area, but mostly with the addition of Gamay in the Coteaux du Lyonnais. While the property is around 13 hectares, they still have only five hectares in Côte-Rôtie and just half a hectare in Condrieu. The vines are planted on terraces along the Côte-Rôtie, in the classic local style with two wooden stakes tied above each vine to help protect against the region's occasionally howling winds.
They were the first domaine to fully embrace organic practices and have been certified since 2002. They are a shining example of what can be achieved by hard work in the vineyards and truly artisan winemaking; their wines express the very best of this unique terroir up in the northern sector of Côte-Rôtie.
Les Schistes is the very approachable young cuvée from a selection of all plots, whilst the remaining cuvées are all single lieu dits. Annual production of Côte-Rôtie here still hovers at about 1250 cases per year. These are beautifully made wines with a very pure expression of place from this great region.
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