2014 Clusel-Roch Cote-Rotie Les Viailliere, 6-bottle Lot

Maison Clusel-Roch in Ampuis started like many producers in the Rhone Valley. The original owners were farmers who grew vegetables and fruit, selling their home-made wines locally. In the 1980s Gilbert Clusel took over the 10-acre farm when his father retired. Gilbert believed that Côte-Rôtie wines could become as sought-after as other French wines, and he began expanding the farm and improving the vineyards, concentrating only on making wine. He married Brigitte Roch and the pair started the process of earning the certification for organic farming. The estate is now officially organic. Since 2009 their son Guillaume Clusel has been part of the family business. Today the family sells wine under their own label and runs a small negociant. Clusel-Roch makes wines in the Côtie-Rôtie, Condrieu, and Coteau du Lyonnais appellations.

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.