The Best Wines Vintages Vineyards in Cote Rotie Rhone Valley.
Obtain a comprehensive understanding of the Cote Rotie appellation by reading this comprehensive guide to all of the best wines from the appellation’s top vintages and producers. It also includes tasting notes, wine, and food pairing suggestions as well as information on the vineyards, winemaking, and detailed profiles of all of the appellation’s top producers.
The Cote Rotie wine region is home to some of the world’s most exquisite and seductive wines, including Cote d’Or. These wines have a depth of taste and rich aromatics that include bacon fat, black and red fruits, kirsch, mineral, and pepper aromas as well as earthy and spicy notes and floral fragrances.
The greatest Cote Rotie wines have a crisp finish that is complemented with pure crimson and occasionally deeper berry flavors, according to Wine Advocate. Medium to full-bodied wines, with seductive and smooth textures that caress the palate with exotic sensations, are the most often encountered….
When mixed with other grapes, Viognier adds elegance, flowery and white fruit notes, as well as an exotic aspect to the wines. A black pepper component may also be added to the wine by using the stems from Viognier.
A combination of the appellation’s tiny size and the rising international demand for its wines has resulted in high pricing for most Cote Rotie wines, which may be justified in certain cases. These wines are purchased for my own collection.
Some of the most thrilling tasting sensations that can be had from a bottle of wine may be had when the wines are at their finest.
On the one hand, as previously said, they may be rather expensive. However, when you consider how little wine is produced and the arduous work required to cultivate these vineyards, as well as the extreme, fashionable, and excellent quality of the wines, I’m often surprised that they are as inexpensive as they are. But let’s agree to keep it a secret for the time being.
All of the Domaines, vineyards, wines, wineries, and producers in Cote Rotie are profiled in detail on the left-hand side of this page.
The profiles feature wine tasting notes, history, photographs, information on winemaking, and terroir from the appellation that many wine enthusiasts consider to be the greatest in the Northern Rhone. The profiles are available here.
The origins of Cote Rotie. The Romans, under the reign of Caligula, were the first to grow Cote Rote in their gardens.
Vienne was the name of the area at the time of the event. In the mid-to-late 1700s, the area started to regain its former prominence in the local community. Because transportation was difficult at the period, the majority of the wine was sold to locals.
This began to change in 1829 with the introduction of steamships, and it changed again in 1855 with the introduction of rail transportation, which made it possible for wine to be carried to the much bigger city of Lyon. During the 1800s, Cote Rotie was a distant second to Hermitage in terms of price and prestige.
This may be observed in the prices that were paid for wines throughout those times periods. The fact that Cote Rotie was considered more elegant and naturally lighter in color and tannin was also a contributing factor to its popularity.
It was not always seen as a favorable attribute when Hermitage wines were mixed with those from Bordeaux and Burgundy in order to give backbone, tannin, and color to their wines, as it is now.
After being decimated by Phylloxera, which affected much of Europe in the late nineteenth century, the vineyards in France were also devastated.
All of the hillside plants were entirely destroyed, and it was not until after World War II that they began to return to their former glory. Due to a lack of interest in the wine produced in Cote Rotie, this was the case.
The Great Depression did not assist matters, since re-cultivating the slopes proved to be too difficult and costly.
Growing apricots and cherries brought in more money for landowners between World War I and World War II than they could make selling wine!
Take, for example, Cote Rotie, which was sold for less than 1 Franc a bottle back in the day!
More money was made from a ton of fruit than from a ton of grapes. And it does not even take into account the costs of growing a vineyard, which is particularly difficult on the high, rocky, terraced, hillside topography of the region.
Indeed, it was not until the advent in 1946 of the energetic and enthusiastic Etienne Guigal to the area that the wines were able to move to the forefront of the international wine stage. The resurgence of Cote Rotie’s fortunes began in the late 1960s and continued to the present day.
Gilles Barge, Antoine Chambeyron, Marius Chambeyron, Marius Gentaz, Jean Dervieux, Jasmin, Joseph Jamet, and most importantly, Joseph Vidal Fleury, who had the good fortune or foresight to hire the unstoppable Etienne Guigal, was the leader of the next generation of producers who began reviving Cote Rotie in the 1960s. Gilles Barge, Antoine Chambeyron, Marius Chambey
As a trader in the area, Jaboulet was already well-established at this point in time as well. Despite the fact that more land was being farmed in the 1970s, many producers were still cultivating apricots, cherries, and vegetables in order to make a living at their craft.
Until the late 1980s, when four consecutive excellent vintages (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991) were produced, the region’s producers did not begin making enough money to support themselves as full-time vignerons.
The most significant shift in the appellation that has occurred since the early to mid-1980s is the growth in the number of farmers who are making, bottling, and selling their own wine.
A huge number of producers used to sell their crops to negociants or cooperatives since owning a winery was not the most profitable method to generate money at the time.
Today, at least 60% of the producers make their own wine, which is fantastic since it allows them to provide more terroir-driven wine to eager customers. Growers are also attempting to harvest their fruit at the peak of its phenolic ripeness, if at all feasible.
The tendency for many of the contemporary styled producers to create single vineyard wines has also been a positive development for the area in addition to the other advantages.
Guigal was the first producer in the area to create a single vineyard wine when they produced the 1966 La Mouline, which was the first of its kind in the region.
For many years before 1966, and even for a few years thereafter, every other producer produced wines that were invariably a combination of different lieux-dits.
Single vineyard wines are becoming more popular among contemporary and even historic Domaines alike. There are instances of properties that are the only ones producing wine from distinct appellations.
Famous vineyards held by several producers include La Landonne, where five winemakers collaborate to create a single vineyard wine that includes Guigal, Gerin, Rene Rostaing, Delas, and Xavier Gerard, to name a few examples.
In addition, a new trend has emerged in which numerous estates distinguish between their young and old vines, allowing them to make two distinct wines: one from their young vines, and another from their older vines, which is often referred to as a Vieille Vignes (old vines).
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A combination of the appellation’s tiny area and the rising international demand for its wines has resulted in inexpensive pricing for most Cote Rotie wines, although they may be well worth the price. These wines are for my own collection, thus I purchase them.
A bottle of wine that is at its peak may deliver some of the most exhilarating tasting sensations a person can have.
On the one hand, as previously said, they may be prohibitively expensive. However, when you consider how little wine is produced, the arduous effort required to cultivate these vineyards, and the intense, fashionable, and high quality of these wines, it is frequently surprising that they are so inexpensive. But let’s agree to keep it a secret for the moment.
All of the Domaines, vineyards, wines, wineries, and producers in Cote Rotie are profiled in detail on the left-hand side of the page. The profiles feature wine tasting notes, history, photographs, information on winemaking, and terroir from the appellation that many wine enthusiasts consider to be the greatest in the Northern Rhone region.
Cote Rotie has a long and colorful history. The Romans, under the reign of Caligula, were the first to cultivate Cote Rote.
The area was known as Vienne during the time. In the mid-to-late-1700s, the area started to regain its former prominence in the local community. Because transportation was difficult at the time, most of the wine was sold to residents of the area.
This began to change in 1829 with the introduction of steamships, and it changed again in 1855 with the introduction of rail shipping, which made it possible to carry wine to the much bigger city of Lyon. During the 1800s, Cote Rotie was a distant second to Hermitage in terms of price and reputation.
This may be observed in the prices that were paid for wines throughout those times. The fact that Cote Rotie was considered more elegant and naturally lighter in color and tannin was also a contributing factor.
When Hermitage wines were mixed with Bordeaux and Burgundy wines to add backbone, tannin, and color to their wines, they were not regarded as particularly elegant.
In the late 1800s, Phylloxera wreaked havoc on the vineyards across Europe. All of the hillside plants were entirely destroyed, and it wasn’t until after World War II that they began to return to their former glory. This was due to a lack of demand for Cote Rotie wine.
The Great Depression did not assist, since re-cultivating, the slopes proved to be too difficult and costly. Between World Wars I and II, landowners earned more money producing apricots and cherries than they could by selling wine!
For instance, Cote Rotie was selling for less than 1 Franc a bottle back then! It was more expensive to sell a ton of fruit than a ton of grapes. And it does not even take into account the costs of growing a vineyard, which is particularly difficult on the high, rocky, terraced, hillside topography of the area.
It was the advent in 1946 of the enthusiastic and ardent Etienne Guigal to the area that really propelled the wines to the forefront of the international wine scene. The resurgence of Cote Rotie’s fortunes began in the late 1960s.
Gilles Barge, Antoine Chambeyron, Marius Chambeyron, Marius Gentaz, Jean Dervieux, Jasmin, Joseph Jamet, and most importantly, Joseph Vidal Fleury, who had the good fortune or foresight to hire the unstoppable Etienne Guigal, was the leader of the next generation of producers who began reviving Cote Rotie.
Jaboulet was already well-established as a trader in the area at this point. In the 1970s, even though more acreage was being planted, many producers were still producing apricots, cherries, and vegetables to make a livelihood.
Until the late 1980s, when four consecutive excellent vintages (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991) were produced, the producers in the area did not begin making enough money to support themselves as full-time vignerons.
The most significant shift in the appellation since the early to mid-1980s has been the growth in the number of farmers who are making, bottling, and marketing their own wine. A huge number of producers used to sell their crops to negociants or cooperatives since running a winery was not the most profitable option.
Today, at least 60% of the producers produce their own wine, which is fantastic since it allows them to provide more terroir-driven wine to eager customers. Growers are also attempting to harvest their fruit at the peak of phenolic ripeness, if at all feasible.
The propensity for many of the contemporary-styled winemakers to create single vineyard wines has also been a positive development for the area.
With the release of the 1966 La Mouline, Guigal became the first producer in the area to begin making a single vineyard wine. The majority of other producers created wines that were always blends of different Linux dits before 1966, and even for many years after that.
Single vineyard wines are becoming more popular among contemporary and even old Domaines. There are several instances of properties that are the only ones producing wine from distinct appellations. Famous vineyards held by several producers include La Landonne, where five winemakers collaborate to create a single vineyard wine that includes Guigal, Gerin, Rene Rostaing, Delas, and Xavier Gerard.
Several estates have recently begun to differentiate between their young and old vines, which allows them to create two distinct wines: one from their young vines and another from their older vines, which is known as a Vieille Vignes.
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In terms of Cote Rotie vintages, the following are the best: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012. In terms of Cote Rotie vintages in general: 1999 to 1998. In terms of Cote Rotie vintages in particular: 1991 to 1990, 1989 to 1988, 1985 to 1983, 1982 to 1978. These characteristics are particularly evident in the more expressive vintages, which also have the ability to achieve more phenolic ripeness. The wines will become more enticing as a result of the increased expression.
In excellent, but somewhat less ripe years, the wines may often exhibit fruits with crisp, red berry characteristics combined with more freshness, as well as notes of black pepper, spice, tannin, and acidity.
When it comes to quality, most Northern Rhone appellations will produce wines of a comparable degree of excellence in the same vintage, although this is not always true. The Hermitage, for example, does not do nearly as well in 1991, a historically good year for Cote Rotie. The vintage quality of Cote Rotie and the Northern Rhone is not necessarily the same as that found in Chateauneuf du Pape, which is an essential distinction to note.
When comparing the same years, the quality of the products might vary greatly across areas. Using the year 1999 as an example, the Cote Rotie is spectacular, Hermitage is excellent, and the Southern Rhone Valley produced moderate to light, early-drinking wines in the vintage. Read our Cote Rotie, Northern Rhone Vintage Chart 1978 to Today for more information on specific Cote Rotie and Northern Rhone vintages.
For vintages that are a little older but still provide a strong price to quality and value ratios, check for 2001, 1998, and 1997. These are all vintages that produced excellent wines but are now selling for prices that are below their level of quality.
Because Cote Rotie is made in such small quantities, it may be difficult to locate as the wines mature. In addition, there might be significant demand. An output of 1,000 cases is regarded to be enormous! In the globe, most manufacturers bottle less than 500 cases.
The fact that many winemakers are producing just 300 cases or fewer each year implies that many of these wines may be difficult to locate in older vintages. Those who believe that 300 cases is a little amount of wine should consider the fact that there are some outstanding, single vineyard Cote Rotie wines being produced today with productions ranging from 100 to 200 cases on average.
You Should Know These Ten Things About Cote Rotie Before You Eat It
In Cote Rotie, red wine is the only kind of wine that is permitted to be made.
- 2. The ancient Romans, during the leadership of Caligula, were responsible for the first planting of Cote Rotie.
- 3. Syrah and Viognier are the only grape varieties authorized in the Cote Rotie appellation. Under the laws of the appellation, a white wine grape called Viognier may be incorporated in the mix to a maximum of 20% of the total volume produced.
- 4. Cote Rotie is home to some of, if not the steepest hillside vineyards in Europe, with vines rising to more than 330 meters (1,150 feet) in elevation!! In some of the steepest sections of the rocky, hillside, terraced plants, the gradient may reach 60 degrees or more.
- 5. The production of wine on the Cote Rote is quite limited. #5 The region produces very little wine every year. On average, this equates to fewer than 80,000 cases of wine produced every vintage throughout the globe.
- 6. Upon first glance, it is simple to distinguish between the two slopes of Cote Rotie…. Because of the many types of sand, limestone, and rocks in the soil, the soil of the Cote Blonde is lighter in color. Its terroir is darker in color due to the presence of deeper toned, brown, and red-hued clay and iron-rich soils found in the Cote Brune region.
- 7. The Cote Rotie is considered to be one of the world’s best and most unusual wines, according to many wine enthusiasts.
- 8 Cote Rotie is the northernmost point in the Rhone Valley, and it is the most northern point in France. Any farther will bring you to the Burgundy region of France.
- 9. It was well known that Cote Rote produced outstanding wines, but the majority of those who were aware of them were mostly locals. When Etienne Guigal arrived in Cote Rotie, it was his tireless promotional efforts that propelled the region and its wines to the degree of international acclaim that they have attained now.
- 10. It had fallen so far out of favor prior to the rediscovery of Cote Rotie that just 60 hectares of vineyards remained in production by the 1960s. Growing apricots instead of grapes for wine was a lucrative business for many farmers. The traditional adage, “the more things change, the more they remain the same,” does not applicable in this case since the world has changed significantly.
Approximately how large are the vineyards in the Cote Rotie? In the northern Rhone Valley, towards the top of the valley, lies a little appellation known as Cote Rotie. It is true that the appellation of Cote Rotie is the most northern of the Rhone Valley’s wine regions.
There are just a few people in the whole area. According to the Cote Rotie appellation’s website, just 310 hectares of grapes have been planted as of 2019. However, there is still potential for improvement. The majority of producers believe that the maximum number of planted hectares might rise to 350 planted hectares. In spite of the fact that there is legal capacity for as much as 490 hectares of grapes, the current crop is just around 100 acres.
The area is made up of three communes: Ampuis, Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhone, and Tupin-et-Semons. Ampuis is the largest of the three communes.
In addition to the three communes, there are 73 separate minor vineyards or lieux-dits inside them. In fact, although the appellation is centered on the two biggest and best-known of the appellation’s hillside slopes, Cotes Blonde and Brune, the appellation is really comprised of five slopes, which include the Cote Rozier, the Cote Tupin, and the Cote Verenay. The appellation is now home to more than 100 farmers who are engaged in various activities. It is estimated that around 60 producers in Cote Rotie produce their own wine, with the rest selling their product to negociants, local co-operatives, and other growers.
Consider that just 73 hectares were planted in the 1970s if you believe the territory is tiny presently. It was just 102 hectares in 1982 when the area was created! If you go back to the 1940s, at the time the official AOC was given, it is possible that fewer than 50 hectares of grapes were planted!
The appellation’s size has gradually grown throughout the years as well. It was in 1940 when Cote Rotie was officially recognized as an AOC designation. The unwillingness to expand the borders of the appellation is one of the factors contributing to the high level of quality of the wine.
Cote Rotie Rock Soils are a kind of rocky soil that is found in the Cote Rotie region of the United States of America.
Thérèse de Cote Rotie Terroir and soils: The roasted hilltops of Cote Rotie reflect and explain the distinctive terroir and vineyards of the area, which is transformed into the roasted hilltops of Cote Rotie.
Car travel from Lyon takes less than half an hour, and it’s near to the little community of Ampuis, which is just around 30 miles north of Hermitage.
Vineyards located high on the hillsides, which are characterized by steep, rocky inclines are considered to be the greatest vineyards in the world. Most of the finest vineyards are located in areas that get direct sunlight from the south or south-eastern horizon.
Located along the banks of the Rhone River, the hillside vineyards rise to a height of 330 meters (1,150 feet). It is possible to climb up to 80 degrees on some of the sharpest inclines.
The region’s rocky terroir makes it difficult to plan, develop, and harvest vines because of the rocks that litter the landscape. In order to survive the wind, which may be quite strong at times, and the natural erosion of the steep, hilly inclines, the vines must be hardy.
Vine planting and training practices in the appellation are designed to assist vines to endure the dual local risks of strong winds and soil erosion, as well as the challenges produced by both. Because of the extraordinarily high hills, heights, and rocky terrain, vineyard workers and harvesters must put in grueling hours of labor.
Numerous vineyards are located on terroir that has granite, sandy granite, gneiss, and schist rock, as well as mica in the soil.
Granite and schist stones present in soils have the potential to produce very acidic soils in the correct environment. It is possible that the acidic conditions may be exacerbated if the weather becomes humid.
On the Cote Brune, the northern section of the appellation has more schist rock and darker soils than the southern part of it.
Granite, gneiss, and lighter hues of soil are more abundant on the Cote Blonde, which is located only a few miles south of the massif. Granite dominates a large portion of the land at the very southernmost reaches of the country.
As you’ve read, erosion is a prevalent concern among many of the best hillside vineyards, which is understandable given the nature of the soils. The windy climate plays an important role in the development of the terroir, as well as the style and character of the wines.
It is the La Bise winds that blow across the area, which comes in from the north and blows through the region. It is also much colder than the other Northern Rhone appellations, which results in a wine with more freshness and acidity.
Because of its position in the northernmost region of the appellation, Cote Rotie has a temperate, somewhat colder terroir than the rest of the Rhone Valley.
During the day, the grapes benefit from warm, sunny days, although the mornings might be foggy. During the growing season, the area receives an average of 2,100 hours of sunlight.