Côte-Rôtie is a

French wine French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, along with Italian, Spanish, and Amer ...

Appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bou ...

'' (AOC) in the northern Rhône wine region of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The vineyards are located just south of

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône, Ampuis, and Tupin-et-Semons.Inter Rhône: Côte-Rôtie
Retrieved 19 January 2010 The vineyards are unique because of the steep slopes facing the river 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.E. McCarthy & M. Ewing-Mulligan ''"French Wine for Dummies"'' pg 127-128 Wiley Publishing 2001 The wines are red, made with Syrah

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

and up to 20% Viognier, a white grape used for its

aroma An odor (American English) or odour ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive via their se ...

. According to

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

rules, Syrah and Viognier must be fermented at the same time, a process known as cofermentation. Because of this combination, Côte-Rôtie wine typically exhibits an almost paradoxical pairing of meat aromas (including bacon) and floral aromas.

Climate and geography

The Côte-Rôtie, and more generally the northern Rhône which it part of, has a continental climate that is very different from the more

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

of the southern Rhône. Winters are wet and marked by the cold ''

mistral Mistral may refer to: * Mistral (wind) in southern France and Sardinia Automobiles * Maserati Mistral, a Maserati grand tourer produced from 1963 until 1970 * Nissan Mistral, or Terrano II, a Nissan 4×4 produced from 1993 until 2006 * Microp ...

'' 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.K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 235-239 Workman Publishing 2001 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 . 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 Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former term ...

s-The Côte Brune ("brown slope") in the north on dark, iron-rich

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes ...

and the Côte Blonde with its pale

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

and schist soil. Erosion is a common viticultural hazard on these steep vineyards. 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 may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk an ...

d to try to counter the issues. Some vineyard owners gather the eroded soils and rocks in buckets and carry them back up the slope to the vines.

Grapes and wine

Syrah and Viognier are the only permitted grape varieties of the Côte-Rôtie AOC. 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 yields of very flavor-concentrated fruit. Most of the vineyards used for producing Côte-Rôtie AOC are planted on the slopes of nearly 60° incline. The appellation extends to the flatter

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

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 is a wine-growing ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) for the Rhône wine region of France, which may be used throughout the region, also in those areas which are covered by other AOCs. In a limited part of the region, ...

. 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 In telecommunications and professional audio, a balanced line or balanced signal pair is a circuit consisting of two conductors of the same type, both of which have equal impedances along their lengths and equal impedances to ground and to other ci ...

, elegant and meant to be consumed earlier. Wines of the iron-rich Côte Brune contain more

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'' ...

s, 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 (, ; from ''terre'', "land") is a French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, these contex ...

'' of that vineyard. Marcel Guigal was an early pioneer in single vineyard bottling.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition pg 186 Abbeville Press 2003 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 AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a French wine, an ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) located around the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône wine region in southeastern France. It is one of the most renowned appellations of the southern ...

is another.) The region was also one of the first Rhône regions to make use of new

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

barrels for aging, though the practice did fall out of favor in the late 19th century following the phylloxera epidemic.

Négociant A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturist Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wi ...

s revived the practice in the 1980s and today its use varies according to the producer.

History

The earliest record of

viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...

in the region dates to the 2nd century BC when the Romans first encountered the

Allobroges The Allobroges (Gaulish: *''Allobrogis'', 'foreigner, exiled'; grc, Ἀλλοβρίγων, Ἀλλόβριγες) were a Gallic people dwelling in a large territory between the Rhône river and the Alps during the Iron Age and the Roman period. ...

tribe whose territory included the regions around Vienne. While

winemaking Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...

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 ( , ) is a French ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) 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 mak ...

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 (27 August 1665 – 20 January 1751) was an English politician. John Hervey was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, the son of Sir Thomas Hervey. He was educated in Bury and at Clare College, Cambridge. He b ...

providing one of the earliest English records of "Côte-Rôty" (sic) wine.H. Johnson ''Vintage: The Story of Wine'' pg 89, 283 & 299 Simon and Schuster 1989 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 A wine bottle is a bottle, generally a glass bottle, that is used for holding wine. Some wines are fermented in the bottle while others are bottled only after fermentation. Recently the bottle has become a standard unit of volume to describe sa ...

s.H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'' pg 131-132 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 Until a few decades ago, Côte-Rôtie was not a serious competitor to Hermitage, which was the best-known northern Rhône vineyard internationally. Demand for Rhône wines began to grow in the early 1970s, and this growth accelerated from the late 1970s/early 1980s. For Côte-Rôtie it was the wines of Marcel Guigal which gave the appellation increased attention from the early 1980s. This included top marks from international wine critics for Guigal's wines ''La Mouline'' and ''La Landonne''. This increase in demand led to new vineyards being created. From 1982 to 2005, the area with planted vines increased from to . The origins of the Côte-Rôtie most famous planting—Syrah—is confirmed to be indigenous to the Rhone valley. Syrah has been genetically shown to be a cross between

Mondeuse Blanche Mondeuse blanche is a variety of white grape almost exclusively found in and around the Savoy (Savoie) 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 th ...

and Dureza.Bowers, J.E., Siret, R., Meredith, C.P., This, P. and Boursiquot, J.-.M. (2000). ''A Single Pair of Parents Proposedfor a group of Grapevine Varieties in Northeastern France.''
Acta Hort. ISHS 528:129-132 Retrieved 19 January 2010

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cote Rotie AOC Rhône wine AOCs 1940 establishments in France