
The Region - Northern Rhone
This is a legendary wine region located south of Burgundy and Beaujolais. Specifically, the steeply sloped vineyards of Cote Rotie. These legendary hillside vineyards are so steep the vines must be hand-picked by workers secured to the hillside, then each treasured grape cluster is dropped into a basket on the back of a mule waiting in the next row down.
Tasting Notes
Making the most of a beautiful vintage, Gangloff has crafted a memorable wine. This is his Syrah from his younger vines, ranging in age from 5 -15 years, and with yields of 40 ha/hl. The granite slopes of his vineyard produce a classic Cote Rotie - an earthy minerality, and a roasted coffee bean aroma, smokey “roasted slope” (the translation of Cote Rotie) and sweet cassis aromas. This wine's tannins and refreshing acidity give it weight which also adds to its gravitas as well as its long finish. Will age nicely for years to come.
92% Syrah, 8 % Viognier Vineyards - a traditional blend for Cote Rotie. The addition of Viognier is perceptible only in that it amplifies the aromas of the wine, helping the more reluctant Syrah aromas to leap from your glass. Harvested between September 18th and 25th.
The Vintage
2005 was an outstanding year for lovers of Rhone wines, as it was in many winemaking regions. I don't know if the dry conditions meet the classic definition of a drought, but summer rainfall in the Northern Rhone has been well below average since 2002, and this year was no exception.
The summer was long and hot, the only relief coming in the form of the Mistral wind, which cooled at night and provided sufficient diurnal variation to preserve the day's concentrated ripeness with the night's adequate acidity. You will notice a powerful structure, but it is so well balanced as to be most pleasant.
The grapes were completely destemmed prior to fermentation in stainless steel tank. Natural yeasts and very little SO2 were used for fermentation before the wine was matured for 23 months in oak barriques - Yves and Mathilde employed some new barrels amidst others that were 2 - 4 years old (sorry, I don't know the breakdown in percentage) , as is his custom. Likewise, the wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined in September 2007.
Only 467 cases produced
Dave the Wine Merchant
Dave@SidewaysWineClub.com
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