Côte-Rôtie AOC
Encyclopedia
Côte-Rôtie is a French wine
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
(AOC) in the northern Rhône wine region
of France
. The vineyards are located just south of Vienne
in the communes of Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône
, Ampuis
, and Tupin-et-Semons
. The vineyards are unique because of their vertical slopes and their stone walls. Côte-Rôtie can be rendered in English as "the roasted slope" and refers to the long hours of sunlight that these steep slopes receive.
The wines are red, made with Syrah grapes and up to 20% Viognier
, a white grape used for its aroma. According to appellation
rules, Syrah and Viognier must be fermented at the same time, a process known as cofermentation. Côte-Rôtie wine typically exhibits an almost paradoxical combination of meat aromas (including bacon) and floral aromas. However, even Côte-Rôtie from 100% Syrah can smell floral.
The Côte-Rôtie has a continental climate that is very different from the more Mediterranean climate of the southern Rhône. Winters are wet and marked by the cold mistral
winds that can last into the spring. During the late spring and early autumn, fog can settle on the vineyards making ripening of the grapes a challenge. The wine region covers 202 hectares (nearly 500 acres) along the western bank of the Rhône River
near the village of Ampuis. In the Côte-Rôtie, the Rhône flows southwest for 9.7 kilometres (6 mi). To maximize the amount of sunshine that the vines receive (especially with that fog that often develops near the grapeharvest
time), vineyards will more often be planted on the south or southeast facing slopes along this part of the river. The Côte-Rôtie is sub-divided into two main sections of varying soil composition
s-The Côte Brune ("brown slope") in the north on dark, iron-rich schist
and the Côte Blonde with its pale granite
and schist soil. Erosion is a common viticultural hazard with the steep vineyards because the granite and schist soils are vital in retaining heat throughout the day to protect the vines from the chilly temperatures during the mistral seasons. Stone walls are built around the lands and the hillsides are often heavily terrace
d to try and counter the issues. Some vineyards owners gather the eroded soils and rocks in buckets and carry them back up the slope to the vines.
Syrah and Viognier are the two main grape varieties of the Côte-Rôtie. While many of the region's wines are made of 100% Syrah, up to 20% of Viognier can be added to the wine. The wines are often meant to be consumed 5–6 years after vinification but well-made examples can need 10–15 years to fully develop their flavors with some wines having the aging potential of over 20 years. The most distinctive characteristic of all Côte-Rôtie wine is the aroma. The fragrant notes of these wines often include green olives, raspberry, violets, and meaty bacon. Other flavors commonly associated with Côte-Rôtie wine include black pepper, white pepper, blueberry, blackberry, plum, and leather. The vines of the region are very old, with 40 years being an average and some vines being over 100. This produces low wine yield
s of very flavor-concentrated fruit. Most of the vineyards used for produciing Côte-Rôtie AOC are planted on the slopes of nearly 60° incline. The appellation extends to the flatter plateau
above the slopes but the wine there is generally of lower quality and is sold with the more generic Côtes du Rhône AOC
.
Legend has that the two sub-regions of the Côte-Rôtie, Côte Blonde and Côte Brune, were named after the blonde and brown hair colored daughters of a local lord who had two very different personalities. Similarly, the wines of both regions also have different characteristics. Wines of the Côte Blonde are often more balanced, elegant and meant to be consumed earlier. Wines of the iron-rich Côte Brune contain more tannins, are full-bodied and meant to age longer in the bottle prior to being consumed. Traditionally, most Côte-Rôtie wines are blends of grapes from the two sub-regions, incorporating both sets of distinctive qualities.
In recent years, more single vineyard
designated wines have been produced that emphasize the terroir
of that vineyard. Marcel Guigal was an early pioneer in single vineyard bottling. Some of the most prestigious vineyards in the Côte-Rôtie include, La Chatillone, La Chevalière, La Garde, La Landonne, La Mouline, La Turque.
is another.) The region was also one of the first Rhône regions to make use of new oak barrels for aging, though the practice did fall out of favor in the late 19th century following the phylloxera epidemic
. Négociant
s revived the practice in the 1980s and today its use varies according to the producer.
in the region dates to the 2nd century BC when the Romans first encountered the Allobroges
tribe whose territory included the regions around Vienne. While winemaking
continued to have a long history in the region, the Côte-Rôtie did not receive much recognition until the 18th century when Parisians began discovering the wines of Beaujolais
and Rhône. Around the same time, the British also discovered the wines with the purchase logs of John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol
providing one of the earliest English records of "Côte-Rôty" (sic) wine. There were added considerations with the transportation of Côte-Rôtie wine, with the region using 20-U.S. gallon (76 liter) amphora
-like vases for transport instead of barrels or early wine bottle
s.
Until a few decades ago, Côte-Rôtie never was a serious competitor of Hermitage
, which was the only northern Rhône vineyard which was well-known far from the region. Although Rhône wines in general started to be more in demand from the early 1970s, and stronger so from the late 1970s/early 1980s, in the case Côte-Rôtie it was the wines of Marcel Guigal which gave the appellation increased attention from the early 1980s. This included top notes from international wine critics' (including Robert M. Parker, Jr.
) for Guigal's top wines La Mouline and La Landonne. Increasing demand led to new plantations inside the appellation's border, which was far from fully exploited. From 1982 to 2005, the area under vine increased from 102 hectares (252 acre) to 231 hectares (570.8 acre).
The origins of the Côte-Rôtie most famous planting—Syrah—is confirmed to be indigenous to the Rhone valley. Syrah has been genetically proven to be a cross between Mondeuse Blanche
and Dureza
.
French wine
French wine is produced in several regions throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France has the world's second-largest total vineyard area, behind Spain, and is in the position of being the world's largest wine producer...
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
(AOC) in the northern Rhône wine region
Rhône (wine region)
The Rhône wine region in Southern France is situated in the Rhône river valley and produces numerous wines under various Appellation d'origine contrôlée designations...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The vineyards are located just south of Vienne
Vienne, Isère
Vienne is a commune in south-eastern France, located south of Lyon, on the Rhône River. It is the second largest city after Grenoble in the Isère department, of which it is a subprefecture. The city's population was of 29,400 as of the 2001 census....
in the communes of Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône
Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône
Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.-References:*...
, Ampuis
Ampuis
Ampuis is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France....
, and Tupin-et-Semons
Tupin-et-Semons
Tupin-et-Semons is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.-References:*...
. The vineyards are unique because of their vertical slopes and their stone walls. Côte-Rôtie can be rendered in English as "the roasted slope" and refers to the long hours of sunlight that these steep slopes receive.
The wines are red, made with Syrah grapes and up to 20% Viognier
Viognier
Viognier is a white wine grape. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhone valley.-History:The origin of the Viognier grape is unknown. Viognier is presumed to be an ancient grape, possibly originating in Dalmatia and then brought to Rhône by the Romans. One legend...
, a white grape used for its aroma. According to appellation
Appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well...
rules, Syrah and Viognier must be fermented at the same time, a process known as cofermentation. Côte-Rôtie wine typically exhibits an almost paradoxical combination of meat aromas (including bacon) and floral aromas. However, even Côte-Rôtie from 100% Syrah can smell floral.
Climate and geography
Mistral (wind)
The mistral is a strong, cold and usually dry regional wind in France, coming from the north or northwest, which accelerates when it passes through the valleys of the Rhone and the Durance Rivers to the coast of the Mediterranean around the Camargue region. It affects the northeast of the plain...
winds that can last into the spring. During the late spring and early autumn, fog can settle on the vineyards making ripening of the grapes a challenge. The wine region covers 202 hectares (nearly 500 acres) along the western bank of the Rhône River
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
near the village of Ampuis. In the Côte-Rôtie, the Rhône flows southwest for 9.7 kilometres (6 mi). To maximize the amount of sunshine that the vines receive (especially with that fog that often develops near the grapeharvest
Harvest (wine)
The harvesting of wine grapes is one of the most crucial steps in the process of winemaking. The time of harvest is determined primarily by the ripeness of the grape as measured by sugar, acid and tannin levels with winemakers basing their decision to pick based on the style of wine they wish to...
time), vineyards will more often be planted on the south or southeast facing slopes along this part of the river. The Côte-Rôtie is sub-divided into two main sections of varying soil composition
Soil type
In terms of soil texture, soil type usually refers to the different sizes of mineral particles in a particular sample. Soil is made up in part of finely ground rock particles, grouped according to size as sand, silt and clay...
s-The Côte Brune ("brown slope") in the north on dark, iron-rich schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
and the Côte Blonde with its pale granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and schist soil. Erosion is a common viticultural hazard with the steep vineyards because the granite and schist soils are vital in retaining heat throughout the day to protect the vines from the chilly temperatures during the mistral seasons. Stone walls are built around the lands and the hillsides are often heavily terrace
Terrace (agriculture)
Terraces are used in farming to cultivate sloped land. Graduated terrace steps are commonly used to farm on hilly or mountainous terrain. Terraced fields decrease erosion and surface runoff, and are effective for growing crops requiring much water, such as rice...
d to try and counter the issues. Some vineyards owners gather the eroded soils and rocks in buckets and carry them back up the slope to the vines.
Grapes and wine
Yield (wine)
In viticulture, the yield is a measure of the amount of grapes or wine that is produced per unit surface of vineyard, and is therefore a type of crop yield...
s of very flavor-concentrated fruit. Most of the vineyards used for produciing Côte-Rôtie AOC are planted on the slopes of nearly 60° incline. The appellation extends to the flatter plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
above the slopes but the wine there is generally of lower quality and is sold with the more generic Côtes du Rhône AOC
Côtes du Rhône AOC
Côtes du Rhône is a wine-growing Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée for the Rhône wine region of France, which may be used throughout the region, also in those areas which are covered by other AOCs...
.
Legend has that the two sub-regions of the Côte-Rôtie, Côte Blonde and Côte Brune, were named after the blonde and brown hair colored daughters of a local lord who had two very different personalities. Similarly, the wines of both regions also have different characteristics. Wines of the Côte Blonde are often more balanced, elegant and meant to be consumed earlier. Wines of the iron-rich Côte Brune contain more tannins, are full-bodied and meant to age longer in the bottle prior to being consumed. Traditionally, most Côte-Rôtie wines are blends of grapes from the two sub-regions, incorporating both sets of distinctive qualities.
In recent years, more single vineyard
Vineyard designated wine
A vineyard designated wine is a wine produced from the product of a single vineyard with that vineyard's name appearing on the wine label. Throughout the history of winemaking and viticulture, the differences in quality between one plot of land and another have been observed with the boundaries of...
designated wines have been produced that emphasize the terroir
Terroir
Terroir comes from the word terre "land". It was originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place bestowed upon particular varieties...
of that vineyard. Marcel Guigal was an early pioneer in single vineyard bottling. Some of the most prestigious vineyards in the Côte-Rôtie include, La Chatillone, La Chevalière, La Garde, La Landonne, La Mouline, La Turque.
Winemaking
The Côte-Rôtie is one of the few wine appellations that allow white wine grapes to be used in a blend of red wine. (The southern Rhône region Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOCChâteauneuf-du-Pape AOC
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a French wine Appellation d'origine contrôlée located around the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône wine region in southeastern France. It is the most renowned appellation of the southern part of the Rhône Valley...
is another.) The region was also one of the first Rhône regions to make use of new oak barrels for aging, though the practice did fall out of favor in the late 19th century following the phylloxera epidemic
Great French Wine Blight
The Great French Wine Blight was a severe blight of the mid-19th century that destroyed many of the vineyards in France and laid to waste the wine industry...
. Négociant
Négociant
A négociant is the French term for a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name....
s revived the practice in the 1980s and today its use varies according to the producer.
History
The earliest record of viticultureViticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
in the region dates to the 2nd century BC when the Romans first encountered the Allobroges
Allobroges
The Allobroges were a Celtic tribe of ancient Gaul, located between the Rhône River and the Lake of Geneva in what later became Savoy, Dauphiné, and Vivarais. Their cities were in the areas of modern-day Annecy, Chambéry and Grenoble, the modern of Isère, and modern Switzerland...
tribe whose territory included the regions around Vienne. While winemaking
Winemaking
Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...
continued to have a long history in the region, the Côte-Rôtie did not receive much recognition until the 18th century when Parisians began discovering the wines of Beaujolais
Beaujolais
Beaujolais is a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée wine generally made of the Gamay grape which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labeled varietally. Whites from the region, which make up only 1% of its production, are made mostly with Chardonnay grapes...
and Rhône. Around the same time, the British also discovered the wines with the purchase logs of John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol
John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol
John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol was an English politician.John Hervey was born in Bury St Edmunds, the son of Sir Thomas Hervey. He was educated in Bury and at Clare College, Cambridge...
providing one of the earliest English records of "Côte-Rôty" (sic) wine. There were added considerations with the transportation of Côte-Rôtie wine, with the region using 20-U.S. gallon (76 liter) amphora
Amphora
An amphora is a type of vase-shaped, usually ceramic container with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body...
-like vases for transport instead of barrels or early wine bottle
Wine bottle
A wine bottle is a bottle used for holding wine, generally made of glass. Some wines are fermented in the bottle, others are bottled only after fermentation. They come in a large variety of sizes, several named for Biblical kings and other figures. The standard bottle contains 750 ml,...
s.
Until a few decades ago, Côte-Rôtie never was a serious competitor of Hermitage
Hermitage AOC
Hermitage is a French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in the northern Rhône wine region of France south of Lyon. It produces mostly red wine from the Syrah grape; however, small quantities of white wine are also produced from Roussane and Marsanne grapes...
, which was the only northern Rhône vineyard which was well-known far from the region. Although Rhône wines in general started to be more in demand from the early 1970s, and stronger so from the late 1970s/early 1980s, in the case Côte-Rôtie it was the wines of Marcel Guigal which gave the appellation increased attention from the early 1980s. This included top notes from international wine critics' (including Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. is a leading U.S. wine critic with an international influence. His wine ratings on a 100-point scale and his newsletter The Wine Advocate, with his particular stylistic preferences and notetaking vocabulary, have become very influential in American wine buying and are...
) for Guigal's top wines La Mouline and La Landonne. Increasing demand led to new plantations inside the appellation's border, which was far from fully exploited. From 1982 to 2005, the area under vine increased from 102 hectares (252 acre) to 231 hectares (570.8 acre).
The origins of the Côte-Rôtie most famous planting—Syrah—is confirmed to be indigenous to the Rhone valley. Syrah has been genetically proven to be a cross between Mondeuse Blanche
Mondeuse Blanche
Mondeuse Blanche is a variety of white grape almost exclusively found in and around the Savoy wine region in France. With just of plantations in 1999, it leads a dwindling existence and is used primarily in the VDQS wine Bugey and the AOC Vin de Savoie.- Related grapes :DNA typing has established...
and Dureza
Dureza
Dureza is a dark-skinned grape variety from the Ardèche region in France. It has been used for production of red wine, but is hardly grown any more; it is not part of the list of the allowed grape varieties of any French wine appellation, and in 1988 only 1 hectare of Dureza remained, while there...
.
External links
- Rhone wine guide-Includes maps showing location of Côte-Rôtie in the Rhone
- List of producers in Côte-Rôtie (incomplete)
- Robert Parker vintage chart-Includes Côte-Rôtie & Hermitage AOCHermitage AOCHermitage is a French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in the northern Rhône wine region of France south of Lyon. It produces mostly red wine from the Syrah grape; however, small quantities of white wine are also produced from Roussane and Marsanne grapes...
vintages from 1970–2005 - Enobytes vintage chart-Includes Côte-Rôtie & Chateauneuf du Pape vintages from 1987–2008