Plain label aside, La Grande Colline is like gold dust: Finding a bottle of Hirotake Ooka’s ultra-rare natural wines, not just here, but anywhere in the world, is an extremely tall order. This is one of those wines that requires an “I know a guy that knows a guy” deal, a Syrah that even most aficionados haven’t had the opportunity to taste, seeing as the majority of his microscopic production is exported to his home country. Bonafide northern Rhône lovers would jump through hoops for a bottle of Hirotake’s precious wine, but if they’re SommSelect subscribers, today they have the chance to acquire a few bottles without the acrobatics.
This is a great opportunity to experience “natural wine” (no chemicals in farming, natural fermentation, zero added sulfites) done tastefully right, and, subsequently, the chance to gloat when you come across a Syrah fanatic that has yet to try this rare bottle. When Master Sommelier Chris Miller and I opened a bottle in my office last week, we couldn’t stop spewing out beautiful descriptors for this Saint-Joseph-sourced wine: It immediately erupted with deep floral perfumes, ultra-classic northern Rhône earth, and deeply savory aspects. This is a beautiful delicacy that took forever to track down, and with only a tiny amount (now one bottle less) to share with everyone, we must limit purchases to just three per person before our stock disappears.
Onto this mysterious natural winemaking phenom—who exactly is he? Japanese-born Hirotake Ooka (whose last name translates to ‘big hill’) ventured to France for wine pursuits after studying chemistry in Tokyo. He became enamored with Thierry Allemand’s wines while training in Bordeaux and relocated to Rhône, where he secured a job with Jean-Louis Grippat (acquired by Guigal soon after). At Guigal, Hirotake worked his way up to viticultural chief and snuck away to apprentice with Allemand on the weekends until earning a legitimate position. It was here that he started working on side projects with natural winemaking and unadulterated vines—he even avoided those that had been treated with organic sprays! Soon after, he founded Domaine de la Grande Colline (which also translates into ‘big hill’) in Saint-Péray and released his first wine in 2001. Though a négociant, Hirotake also owns several parcels around northern Rhône, but the most exciting of the bunch lies high up on one of Cornas’ steep slopes, above Thierry Allemand’s “Les Reynards” vineyard. I can only imagine what the future will bring for Domaine de la Grande Colline, but we’ll make sure we do everything we can to secure another allocation if given the opportunity!
Today’s Syrah is entirely sourced from a small parcel—just a few acres—within Saint-Joseph, but was declassified and labeled with the all-encompassing “Vin de France” designation (Hirotake didn’t bother going to the Saint-Joseph board of approval). After hand picking grapes from a retired grower who never once sprayed these decades-old vines, they were trucked to the cellar and underwent a carbonic maceration with manual ‘punch-downs’ and then saw 20 days of skin contact. Just before fermentation was complete, the juice was sent into large, neutral barrels, where it aged 24 months before being bottled unfined, unfiltered, and, of course, without any SO2 additions.
Hirotake’s 2014 Vin de France Syrah doesn’t show your typical dense purple, inky core, rather, a brilliant dark ruby with slight purple highlights moving out to a soft ruby rim. Right when the cork was pulled in my office, deeply perfumed aromas exploded out, most notably fresh rose petals, wild fruit blossoms, violets, and lavender. It’s classic northern Rhône and those accustomed to natural wines probably won’t recognize it as one as it bursts forth with wild berries, blue plums, black raspberry, black olives, crushed gravel, tapenade, wild mushrooms, white pepper, and lifted notes of turned earth (and a note Chris Miller picked up on the finish—raw chestnut). The palate sports soft-shouldered tannins and an almost ethereal mouthfeel that is punched up by savory earth and mineral components. Pure, rustic flavors drive the lingering finish that is accented by a slight prickle from trapped CO2. Decanting is not needed for this 2014, simply open and pour in Burgundy stems just above cellar temperature and consume over the next few hours. It’s currently in its peak and will stay there for the next 2-5 years—if storing your bottles, make sure to do so in a very cool, dark environment. As far as food pairings, some Rhône-inspired lamb chops off the grill, eaten with your bare hands, is a perfect way to go. Enjoy!
Note: Seeing as this is a natural wine and is more susceptible to temperature changes than those with sulfites, I highly recommend utilizing our Summer Hold option or picking it up at our warehouse. Please avoid shipping long distances in the heat of summer!
