This wine hails from the lieu-dit vineyard of Montmain in the northern portion of Côte-Rôtie’s Côte Brune, which enjoys little topsoil and a mother rock of decomposing schist infused with bits of mica. The result is a wine of stunning minerality that is quite a different expression than the granite and quartz-driven minerality found in the southern half of Côte-Rôtie’s Côte Blonde. Following her recent visit, my friend Nadia who imports Cédric Parpette’s wines, recently explained the daunting and dedicated task of tending this magnificent site, “The thought of working these vines, in the summer sun, or equally so in a light drizzle, slick rock sliding underfoot with nothing to hold onto, is enough to make one relieved and grateful at the same time that someone else is content to do the work. Although, Cédric is quick to point out that the steep slope makes working the vineyard that much easier as it limits the constant bending over which is obligatory on flatland vineyards. God bless him. Cédric came by this treasured site by a lucky twist of fate. His father-in-law, René Fernandez, purchased just over five acres of abandoned vineyard back in 1986 and spent the next few years clearing and replanting Syrah vines on the steep slopes on Montmain. Today his vineyard, which inevitably was passed on to Cédric, is one of the most desirable in all of the Northern Rhône. 

 

In keeping with great wine from exceptional terroir, winemaking is quite simple and allows the sense of place to speak for itself. The fruit is hand harvested from the steep, intimidating terrain, then completely de-stemmed before it undergoes fermentation and daily, gentle punchdowns in cement tanks. Following fermentation, the wine is pressed into 228-liter French oak barrels. Most of the barrels in their program are neutral with an occasional new barrel that enters the rotation. The wine then ages around fourteen months in predominantly neutral oak before it is bottled without fining or filtration. The result is a Syrah of incredible purity with a clear snapshot of the inimitable terroir.