Domaine Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie "Les Grandes Places" red 2019

PRESENTATION OF THE DOMAINE CLUSEL ROCH
+ ALL ITS OTHER WINES IN STOCK

Comments on this

Domaine Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie "Les Grandes Places" red 2019

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Joe Czerwinski, January 2022): 95+/100. The intense, tannic 2019 Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places—from vines planted in 1935, 1960, and 1984—needs lots of time to come into a more pleasurable state of drinkability. It's full-bodied, concentrated, dense, and tannic, but it shows promising notes of grilled plums and salted licorice on a long, long finish. It's a terrific effort, but one that will require serious patience. Drink date 2027-2040.

Technical Sheet written by the domaine:

Terroir: lieu-dit "les Grandes Places", located in the north of the Côte-Rôtie Appellation, on iron-rich mica schist soils. This terroir is oriented Southeast.

Area: 1 ha

Grape variety: 100% Syrah from mass selection (old serines from Ampuis)

Age of the vines: 80 years

Vineyard management: we cultivate our vines as naturally as possible. The work is mostly manual, as the terrain prevents any large mechanization. The density is over eight thousand vines per hectare. In winter, the soils remain naturally grassed. The vines are trained on stakes or wire depending on the slope's steepness. On stakes, they are pruned in goblet shape, on wires in Royat cordon. The soils are worked in spring and summer, most often with a plow pulled by a winch. We do not use chemical fertilizers, but composted manures, and we treat only very moderately, without insecticides or synthetic chemicals. Our vines come from our own selections of old "serines" (traditional Syrah from Ampuis), which we graft at the domaine. These "serines" are less productive and yield grapes with more complex aromas than modern selections.

Vinifications: the harvest is done by hand, in small crates. A careful sorting is performed in the vineyard by the pickers. Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes are gravity-fed into the tank; they are partially destemmed. Fermentation is done with indigenous yeasts. During vinification, pumping over and punching down occur. We maintain a moderate temperature for gentle extraction. We press after 3 to 4 weeks depending on tasting.

Aging: 2 years in oak barrels (228l cask), of which 25% are new fine-grained French oak benefiting from 4 years of drying.

Annual production: approximately 2000 bottles.

Cellaring and peak: it is preferable to wait about ten years to fully enjoy these wines, which are not always expressive in their youth. At that point, there is immense aromatic and taste complexity. Cellar for more than 15 years. Store until 2026-2027 or longer to fully enjoy this cuvée.

Tasting: A sunny vintage, rich and complex, with very structured wines that are powerful yet elegant, featuring a complex nose of black fruits, spices, underbrush, and truffle.

Food and wine pairing: very flavorful meat and game dishes.

Wine made from grapes cultivated in organic farming, Certified by ECOCERT.