Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie Ampodium

The Rhône Valley is one of France’s great wine-producing regions. Stretching from just south of Lyon to Provence, the valley’s numerous "Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées" follow the course of the river down from Côte Rôtie to Châteauneuf du Pape. René Rostaing's first cuvee dates back to 1971. Back then, the vineyard only covered 1.5 hectares, split between the Côte Blonde and the Landonne. The vineyard gradually grew bigger and bigger, through the buying of new lands and the takeover of father-in-law Albert Dervieux' and Uncle Marius Gentaz' vineyards. Today, Rostaing's vineyard spreads over 7 hectares in Côte Rôtie and 1 hectare in Condrieu. Côte Rôtie – literally ‘roasted slope’ – is the most northerly of the Rhône Valley’s great appellations. The vineyards are spread over 250 hectares (617 acres) of steep, south-facing slopes along the western bank of the Rhône. The region has a remarkable variety of different terroirs. The soil is mostly mica-schist, but this is enriched in different lieux-dits (individual vineyard sites) by silex, clay, limestone and iron oxides. This cuvée is usually a blend of 13 different lieux-dits other than Landonne and Côte Blonde (the appellation of Côte Rôtie includes more than fifty). In its youth, the wine's rich fruity Syrah is scented with cassis and liquorice. With age, it takes on fine notes of venison.