Côte-Rôtie is one of the most precious commodities in the world of wine. There are only about 500 acres of vineyards in the whole appellation, producing about 80,000 bottles for the whole world, making this aromatic, soulful northern Rhône Syrah an even rarer bird than Grand Cru red Burgundy.
Côte-Rôtie is also one of wine’s most dramatic, challenging terroirs—vineyards cling to rocky slopes with 60% grades, are impossible to mechanize, and, during their winter dormancy, resemble a moonscape. Thanks to a bend in the Rhône River, these slopes nevertheless have a southern exposure, enabling them to capture all-day sun in an otherwise cool climate. With that sun “roasting” (rôtie) the slope (côte), producers such as Domaine Chambeyron create Syrah of unrivaled complexity and elegance, its aromas pointed up with the addition of a small percentage of the white Viognier. This wine is produced by a legendary, if reticent, family whose wines have only been exported to the US since 2014. From the 2013 vintage, this is only the second vintage of the wine we’ve seen here (they didn’t release any 2012), and there isn’t much: only 100 cases for the entire USA! We are lucky to have an allocation to share with you, as it will make an impeccable addition to any well-curated cellar. For a wine that promises to deliver exotic, dark-toned deliciousness until its 20th birthday (or beyond), it’s nearly impossible to beat at this price point.
Northern Rhône wine lovers may be familiar with the name Chambeyron, a common one in the insular world of Côte-Rôtie
(check out images). Domaine Chambeyron’s proprietor, Bernard Chambeyron, is a cousin of the owners of the Chambeyron-Manin estate (whose wines we’ve offered here as well) and another cousin, Nicole Chambeyron, is married to another Côte-Rôtie master, Bernard Levet. Bernard, despite being a Chambeyron, wasn’t exactly born into wine—even though his great-grandfather was one of the first growers to re-plant his vineyards in the zone after the devastating phylloxera epidemic of the late 1800s. Bernard’s own father preferred apricots and cherries (both easier to grow and more lucrative), and Bernard’s original business was tobacco grown on a windy plateau northwest of Côte-Rôtie. Eventually, however, he gravitated to wine, acquiring a parcel of the prized vineyard “La Chavaroche” in 1981. He later snapped up another little prize called “Lancement,” a vineyard planted by his aforementioned uncle in 1967.
La Chavaroche is located in the “Côte Brune” (“brown slope”), a sub-section of Côte-Rôtie known for its darker, iron-rich schist soils. Lancement is in the “Côte Blonde” (“yellow slope”), which has a paler appearance due to a higher percentage of granite. Bernard’s typical blend is two-thirds from La Chavaroche and one-third from Lancement, and unlike many other Côte-Rôtie producers, he uses 100% Syrah in “La Chavarine.” And yet, even without the Viognier, this 2013 has a beautifully lifted, floral aromatic profile that showcases just how elegant and refined Syrah can be.
That said, there’s also a touch of earthy rusticity in this wine that places it firmly in the Old School. The grapes for La Chavarine are pressed, clusters intact, in an old-fashioned basket press before they flow, via gravity, into cement vats for fermentation. The wine then flows, again by gravity, into 400-liter oak aging vessels, of which only a small percentage are new. The wine is bottled unfiltered.
The first thing that comes to mind when tasting this wine is the char on a grilled steak (it’s the “roasted slope,” after all, and Chambeyron delivers). In the glass it is a bright ruby-red flecked with purple, and on the palate it continues to bounce back and forth from the “red” to the “purple” sides of Syrah. On the nose it is heady, evocative, savory…a wild mix of dark berries, red cherries, cigar wrapper, licorice, lavender, violet and a bacon-fatty savor classic to Côte-Rôtie. Medium-plus in body, it is extremely well balanced—a ‘generous’ wine for sure, but one with well-moderated alcohol and no excesses of extract. This balance (including more acidity than US or Aussie Syrah drinkers might expect) is going to serve it beautifully for aging, and I expect more of the mineral/earth tones to emerge with time, but this is also quite drinkable now. Decant it about an hour before serving in large stemware (either Burgundy or Bordeaux is fine, as long as they’re big). A classic pairing for this wine would be a nice rack of lamb or maybe a well-marbled grilled ribeye, but there’s something about this wine that has us thinking of
venison, which will lend a suitably gamy note to the mix. This recipe looks amazing and achievable, which is actually how we’d describe this wine, too. Grab some before it disappears!
