Côte-Rôtie

Côte-Rôtie is the northernmost cru of the Rhône Valley, on steep terraced slopes of the right bank around Ampuis, facing the southern part of Vienne. It makes only red wine, from Syrah, sometimes with a little Viognier fermented alongside it.
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The appellation covers three communes: Ampuis, Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône and Tupin-et-Semons. It was recognised in 1940 for Ampuis and Tupin-et-Semons, and Saint-Cyr was added in 1966. The vines grow between 180 and 325 metres, on slopes as steep as 60 percent held up by dry stone walls, and the grapes are picked by hand.

Nearly all the vines grow on metamorphic rock: mica schist in the north, gneiss in the south, migmatite at the far southern end. Two slopes in Ampuis carry the historic names. The Côte Brune, on mica schist, has darker soils, richer in clay and iron. The Côte Blonde, on gneiss, has lighter, sandier soils.

The rules require at least 80 percent Syrah. Viognier may make up to 20 percent of the vines, planted among the Syrah and fermented with it, and local custom keeps its share small. Such mixed plantings are more common on the Côte Blonde.

The wine is dark, with black fruit, spice and sometimes violet when Viognier is present, on silky tannins. Most growers age it in barrel for 12 to 48 months. It is made for long keeping and moves towards toasted, smoky notes with age.

E. Guigal, founded in Ampuis in 1946, makes La Mouline from the heart of the Côte Blonde, La Turque from the Côte Brune and La Landonne from Syrah alone. Domaine Stéphane Ogier in Ampuis farmed 14 hectares here in 2023, and Maison Stéphan, founded at Tupin-et-Semons in 1991, grows its Syrah here too.

The wines above are the Côte-Rôtie wines in the cellar. See also Condrieu, where Viognier is grown on its own just to the south, or the full range of Rhône Valley wines.