2010 Jean-Michel Gerin Côte-Rôtie La Viallière

Domaine Jean-Michel Gerin was founded in Ampuis, in the Northern Rhone Valley, in 1983 by Jean-Michel Gerin. Gerin is the son of Alfred Gerin, a well-known producer in Cote Rotie and a politician. Today Jean-Michel Gerin owns and works 30 acres in the Rhone Valley and also is part of a wine producing venture in Spain where his partners are two other winemakers from Southern France. Domaine Jean-Michel Gerin’s flagship wines are its Cote-Roties, though it also makes Viognier. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Gerin “one of the up-and-coming stars in Cote-Rotie.”

The Northern Rhône Valley wine region hugs the Rhône River from Vienne in the north to Valence at its southern tip. The French call the region Côtes du Rhône Septentrionales, and it is divided into eight appellations. Along with its neighbor to the south, the Southern Rhone Valley, it is famous for its big, tannic, intensely concentrated wines. Syrah is the only red grape permitted in AOC wines from this sub-region, though the Syrah can be blended with the white wine grapes Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, depending on the regulations for each AOC. White wines are made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Of the eight appellations in the north, the most admired wines tend to come from Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage, though there are certainly exceptional wines to be found in St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, St.-Peray, Crozes-Hermitage and Cornas. Along with Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, Rhône wines are among France’s best known and most collected wines. Red wines from these appellations are notable for their signature aromas of bacon and green olives, and for their depth. Robert M. Parker, a great champion of Rhone wines, has written that “the northern Rhône produces three of the greatest wines in the world – the white wines of Condrieu and the red wines of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage.”

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.