Domaine Rene Rostaing “Cote Blonde” Cote Rotie 2021

Legal expert and real estate dealer René Rostaing produces some of the best Côte-Rôtie wines available on the market. Since the 70s of the twentieth century, Rosten has owned two hectares in the communes of Côte Blonde and La Landone. In addition, by coincidence, he managed to inherit 4 hectares of excellent vineyards from his father-in-law Albert Dervieux and 1.4 hectares with especially old vines from his uncle Marius Gentaz. Today he owns 7.4 hectares of vineyards, which is considered a large estate in the Côte-Rôtie appellation. Rosten is a representative of modern winemakers Côte-Rôtie - he separates most of his grapes from the ridges, and in addition, he was one of the first to ferment wine to use the "vinomat" - a horizontal automatic vinificator. But Rosten does not like the pronounced taste of young oak, so in the process of aging the wine uses no more than 15% of new barrels. All wines are bottled without filtration.

Côte-Rôtie is the northernmost appellation of Côtes du Rhône. The slopes of the hills are so steep that work cultivating the vines is more suitable for stuntmen than farmers. Côte-Rôtie is known for its two slopes - Côte Blonde and Côte Brune. The gravel and limestone soil of Côte Blonde creates very aromatic and saturated wines while the land in Côte Brune is rich with iron and makes the wines elegant and sophisticated. The main grape variety on both slopes is Syrah, but, in order to soften the wine, Viognier is added. Although the wine is strong and spicy at first, time gives it elegance making it one of the Syrah benchmarks worldwide. As the wine gets older, the aromas of violets and forest are replaced by notes of vanilla, hazelnuts and almonds.

Côtes du Rhône vineyards are located on the banks of the Rhône River. The soil and the geographical conditions are very heterogeneous in the northern and southern parts of the region therefore the valley is divided in two parts - Northern Rhône and Southern Rhône. Vines in Northern Rhône are mainly grown on so-called "terraces" - steep granite and slate slopes. Winemakers are often not very fond of the harsh mistral wind because of its low temperature. The unusual climate causes the vines to produce small yields, but at the same time provides an intense flavour that has given the wines of Northern Rhône worldwide fame. Syrah is the mainly used grape for red wines - it produces deep wines with hints of pepper that are suitable for long aging. Viognier is the queen of white wines, but Marsanne and Rousanne are also always close by. Some appellations allow white grapes to be added to red wines to smoothen the roughness of Syrah and enrich the wines with floral aromas. The landscapes of Southern Rhône are very different from the northern part - the vineyards are located along the river on low hills and plains and the weather is much friendlier. The grapes ripen in the hot summer sun and obtain a high sugar level resulting in rich and mouth-filling wines. The main grape used is Grenache, but 12 other varieties are allowed in the region - interestingly some wines even combine all of them.