As the wines of the Northern Rhône finally began to gain global acclaim about 20 years ago the bitter irony was that those vigneron who had toiled for years in the steep, treacherous vineyards were not able to fully bask in the glow of their newfound fame. Marius Gentaz, Noël Verset, and Robert Michel were all long retired–and now have left this planet–when their wines became hoarded treasures. Thankfully, a new crop of talent was waiting to take the helm. Most were established names, but Cédric Parpette came out of seemingly nowhere to rocket to the top of everyone’s “winemakers to watch” list by crafting instant-classic Côte-Rôtie masterpieces right out of the gate. Tragically, Cédric himself passed away long before his time, so today we are offering the final vintage he was able to bottle, which just so happens to be the old-school triumph of 2021. We hope you’ll add a few bottles to your collection.
The lieu-dit vineyard of “Montmain” is found 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 best wines of this vineyard showcase this distinct terroir with a core of stunning minerality that is a very different expression of earth compared to the granite and quartz-driven wines made in the southern half of Côte-Rôtie’s Côte Blonde. Cédric gained access to 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 this vineyard, which eventually was passed on to Cédric, is one of the most desirable in all of the Northern Rhône.
Cédric’s genius was most apparent in the vineyard, where he worked sustainably and meticulously, spending very long hours tending to his tiny plot of vines. In the cellar he mostly got out of the way, allowing the learned traditions and his own intuition to help transfer his special terroir into the bottle. The tiny, tightly clustered Syrah bunches are, by necessity, always hand harvested from the steep, intimidating terrain, then completely de-stemmed before natural fermentation and daily, gentle punchdowns in cement tanks. Following fermentation, the wine was pressed into mostly neutral 228-liter French oak barrels and aged for 14 months before bottling without fining or filtration. The result is a Syrah of incredible purity with a clear snapshot of the inimitable terroir.
Cédric Parpette’s devotion to elegant, terroir transparent Côte-Rôtie reached its epoch (sadly, yet also fittingly) in the über classic 2021 vintage. This pitch-perfect rendition of “Montmain” has a deep ruby hue with hints of indigo and lavender highlights on the rim. The intense, floral nose reveals aromas of fresh black plum, blackberry, wet violets, cured meat, black and white pepper, espresso, and a tell-tale hint of olive tapenade. The palate is medium-plus in body with seamless, ripe tannins that join flavors of crushed blackberry and blackcurrant with wild herbs, wet purple flowers and a very fine minerality. If drinking this wine young I would decant for 60-90 minutes and serve at around 60 degrees in a Bordeaux stem.As with all the finest examples of Côte-Rôtie, this wine is already deliciously complex, but the full spectrum of depth and beauty will only emerge after five to ten years of cellaring. Cédric’s son had begun to take interest in the estate just prior to his father’s passing, but what the future holds remains to be seen. In the meantime we can raise a glass to a rare opportunity to enjoy a bit of winemaking perfection. Salut Cédric!
