Northern Rhone Flashcards
What is the authorized encepagement for Cote Rotie AOP?
Syrah; plus a max. 20% viognier
What are the villages authorized to produce in the Cote Rotie AOP?
Ampuis
Saint Cyr sur Rhone
Tupin-Semons
What year was the Cote Rotie AOP established?
1940
What is the dominant soil type of the northern part of Cote Rotie, from Cote Brune up to Saint Cyr and Verenay? How does this soil type affect the wines?
Schist - with bits of mica in it. This soil types gives wines with more bone, a more upright, tannin-marked, black fruited and long-lived version of Cote Rotie
What is the dominant soil type of the southern part of Cote Rotie - from Cote Blonde on south to Tupin-Semons? What affect does this soil have on the wines?
Granite with more quartz, weathered feldspars, and white mica. This granite is soft in a very loose, decomposed state - poor quality, low in nutrients.
The wines are more floral and red fruited with less tannic structure.
What is the local name for Syrah in Cote Rotie? In what tense is this name used today?
Serine
Currently denotes vines selected from old rootstock rather than clonal produce
What is the traditional form of vine training in Cote Rotie for Syrah?
Guyot
What are three main disease pressures in Cote Rotie?
Black rot
Oidium
Mildew
How many total hectares are available to Cote Rotie AOP? How many are planted (circa 2019ish)?
255 of a total 320ha
Where are viognier plantings concentrated in Cote Rotie and why?
Cote Blonde down to Tupin-Semins: the southern portion of Cote Rotie featuring soft granitic soils that viognier prefers.
What ravine separates Cote Brune from Cote Blonde?
Reynard Ravine
Economics: how much is the estimated cost of clearing and planting 1 hectare of Cote Rotie?
About $70k USD - plus the cost of waiting 4 years before it can even make any wine.
Why is Guigal the only to use the La Mouline and La Turque designations, even if other growers may or may not have vines in those vineyards?
Only names that appear on the official cadastre are allowed to be used on labels. While these vineyards have been designated names in the past, they are not on the cadastre. To bypass this, Guigal had those names trademarked which overrides EU wine law.
What is the Mistral commonly known as in the northern Rhone?
Le Bise
What two properties are owned by Guigal but operated as separate entities?
Domaine de Bonsarine
Vidal-Fleury, Etienne Guigal’s former employer
Who makes the wine “Chateau d’Ampuis”? What is the blend and where is the fruit sourced from? What was the inaugural vintage?
E. Guigal
93% syrah/7% viognier
Syrah from 4 lieux-dits in the Cote Brune; Viognier from the Cote Blonde
1995