Cote Rotie Flashcards
Côte Rôtie AOC
Location & wines produced?
This small AOC, the most northerly of the Rhône appellations, produces only red wines.
Côte Rôtie AOC
Vineyard topography, configuration/aspect, benefits?
The vineyards are on steep slopes, often terraced, that mostly face east and south-east, making for high sunlight interception and are sheltered from the winds from the north.
Côte Rôtie AOC
Characteristics leading to fully ripe grapes?
The high levels of sunlight and heat, rapid drainage and poor, stony soils result in fully ripe grapes.
Côte Rôtie AOC
Negatives of steep slopes & terraces?
The steepness of the slope makes it necessary to do much of the work by hand and erosion is a constant problem.
Many vines are on terraces, which need to be repaired from time to time.
Côte Rôtie AOC
Training/staking style
Individual vines are single- or double-Guyot trained and are tied to one or two poles (known locally as échalas).
Côte Rôtie AOC
History that almost wiped out Cote Rotie?
Because of a lack of commercial interest and the hard work involved, the plantings in the appellation had shrunk to just 70 ha in the early 1970s.
Côte Rôtie AOC
The people and wines that brought it back?
The appellation was revived by Etienne Guigal and his son Marcel, and their single-vineyard Côte-Rôties (initially La Mouline and La Landonne) and the high scores given to these wines by Robert Parker.
Côte Rôtie AOC
Cote Rotie today, its size and quality of wines?
Côte Rôtie now has 250 ha planted, and the wines are typically very good to outstanding in quality and are sold
for premium and super-premium prices.
Côte Rôtie AOC
Varieties used and rules surrounding them?
All wines are red and made from Syrah, with up to 20 per cent of Viognier permitted in blends, though in practice this is often zero and normally no more than 8 per cent.
When both grape varieties are used, they must be co-fermented.
Where Viognier is used, it adds floral and fruity aromas
Côte Rôtie AOC
How is Syrah Propagated?
Which rootstock is preferred and why?
The Syrah vines are most commonly propagated by mass selection, with rootstock 3309 preferred by most growers. This is regarded as being relatively productive and the vines produce grapes with a good depth of colour.
Côte Rôtie AOC
Typical planting densities and effects from this?
max yields?
Typical planting densities are 10,000 vines per hectare, creating competition between the vines, reducing yields and producing concentrated fruit in the wines.
The maximum allowed yield is 40 hL/ha.
Côte Rôtie AOC
Winemaking techniques to emphasise the aromatic potential of the wines?
Winemaking emphasises the aromatic potential of the wines, with most choosing to destem and then cold soak the fruit, but usage of a percentage of stems in the ferments is increasingly common.
Côte Rôtie AOC
Fermentation temperatures?
yeast preference?
MLF?
Warm fermentation temperatures are typical, for full extraction.
Natural yeasts are frequently used (for greater perceived terroir expression)
malolactic conversion takes place in cask.
Côte Rôtie AOC
Maturation: sizes of barrels
Maturation is either in small barrels (usually 225 L barriques, on the model of Guigal’s single-vineyard wines) or in larger wooden vessels, with demi-muids of 500–600 L being favoured by many for less overt oak notes in young wines.
Côte Rôtie AOC
Stylistic comparison to other Northern Rhone top appellations
Stylistically the wines are known for their pronounced aromas and are typically softer and less full-bodied than the wines of the other top appellations, Hermitage and, latterly, Cornas
