Côte-Rôtie

Grapes and style

Côte-Rôtie is red and based on syrah, with the option of co-fermenting a limited proportion of white viognier. This viognier gives the wine a floral, aromatic touch and a silky texture. The result is fragrant and elegant, with violets, red and black berries, pepper, smoke and sometimes bacon-like notes.

Compared with other syrah from the Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie is usually more refined and less muscular, with fine tannins and lively acidity. White wine does not exist here under this name.

Location and soil

The vineyards lie on the right bank of the Rhône, around the village of Ampuis, on extremely steep slopes facing south and south-east. The name literally means roasted slope, a reference to the sunny aspect. The vines stand on narrow terraces, supported by walls and tied to stakes, and the work has to be done largely by hand.

Traditionally two parts are distinguished: the Côte Brune with dark, iron-rich schist soil, and the Côte Blonde with lighter, more limestone-rich soils. The former often gives more powerful wine, the latter more elegance, although that is a simplification.

Classification and rules

Côte-Rôtie has an appellation of its own, which covers red wine only. The rules make syrah the basis and permit a limited addition of viognier; many producers use little of it, some none at all. The wine must come from the delimited area around Ampuis and its surroundings.

As with other Rhône appellations, it all comes down to the producer and the plot. Well-known lieux-dits, such as La Landonne, La Mouline and La Turque, are sometimes vinified separately and may appear on the label, without this being an official ranking.

Ageing and serving

Côte-Rôtie is already appealing in its youth thanks to its fragrant fruit, but the better wines only become truly complex with time, with notes of truffle, dried flowers and leather. Half an hour to an hour in the decanter helps young bottles.

Serve at 15 to 17 °C: slightly cooler than Cornas, so that the floral side comes into its own. The wine goes well with poultry, duck, lamb and spicy dishes, and also with soft cheeses. Another Northern Rhône wine with more power is Cornas.

Producers in our range

These producers feature in our Côte-Rôtie range: E. Guigal, Jamet, M. Chapoutier and Jean-Michel Stephan.

Names on the label

The labels in our range name La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque from Guigal, Côte Brune from Jamet and La Mordorée from Chapoutier.

More from the Rhône

You will find more wines from the Rhône under Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Cornas and Hermitage.