Of the three most important Northern Rhône Syrah appellations, Côte-Rôtie is the most powerful, burly, and downright wild. Hermitage brings sturdy pedigree, and Cornas has lots of pretty, spice-laced elegance, but the “roasted slope” is where you get Syrah in its most beautifully untamed essence. The trick is not to overdo it with winemaking, to let that terroir shine through, and that is exactly what the talented duo of brothers Vincent and Alexandre Cluzel have accomplished at their young (just a decade old) estate. This is classically styled Côte-Rôtie, with all the depth, spice, earthy granite, and wildflower extravagance you could ask for, and like all great wines from these unique vineyards, it will age gracefully for many years to come. The Cluzel brothers made just a single barrel of Côte-Rôtie–yup, one barrel!–in 2021, so needless to say this wine is extremely limited; don’t miss out.
Côte-Rôtie is an ancient and impressive wine appellation that sits at the very northern edge of the Northern Rhône Valley. The extremely steep slopes are often terraced, and they fall precipitously towards the Rhône river while soaking up many hours of sun (hence the name “roasted slope”). The Cluzel brothers farm two tiny parcels of pure, old vines Syrah that are grown on the famous granitic soils of the region. This family has farmed vines in the Northern Rhône for decades, but Vincent struck out on his own in 2013, bottling a measly 500 cases for his first vintage. He brought a wealth of experience, having worked for years for local legend Yves Cuilleron, and over the past decade has managed to cobble together an enviable array of holdings in Condrieu, Saint-Joseph, and Côte-Rôtie. In 2017, Vincent’s brother Alexandre joined the estate. They both bring a thoughtful and technically-skilled eye to the winery.
The Cluzel brothers know their plots of vines like the back of their hands, and are careful to harvest at the precise moment of balance between sugar, tannin, and acid. The small, tight Syrah clusters are hand-harvested by necessity given the super steep slopes, and then partially de-stemmed before fermentation with native yeasts in steel tanks. The finished wine was racked into a single, used barrel to age for 24 months before bottling. That’s right, the 2021 vintage was very small so they only made enough wine to fill one barrel! This is a truly tiny production Syrah.
The very small harvest in 2021 was also a very classic, old-school vintage, which combines with the light touch of the Cluzel brothers to produce an elegant, perfectly balanced Côte-Rôtie that can be enjoyed young (with a good decant) but also has many years of life ahead of it. Serve at cellar temperature in a Bordeaux stem and you’ll get a lovely rush of black cherries, plum skin, crushed violets, espresso, red and black peppercorn, smoked meat, and mineral, granitic earth. Pair with lamb chops and enjoy!