Wine Advisor
Clusel Roch, Cote Rotie Les Grandes Places 2014
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
Showing the minerality and masculine character that's the hallmark of this site, the 2014 Côte Rôtie les Grandes Places is medium-bodied, rich, firm and structured, with lots of black fruits, crushed rocks and pepper. It is the most backward and reserved of the three Côte Rôties, so give bottles 3-4 years and enjoy over the following decade.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
(aged in 25% new oak): Bright purple. Intensely perfumed aromas of dark berry preserves, cherry compote, pipe tobacco, licorice and vanilla show very good focus. Stains the palate with intense, gently sweet blueberry and bitter cherry flavors that become deeper and spicier with air. Packs a solid punch but comes off graceful and precise, finishing with wonderful persistence and velvety, slowly emerging tannins.
About the Producer
Guillaume Clusel is the man behind a uniquely elegant style of Côte-Rôtie. In an area of the Rhône valley associated with powerful red wines, his Syrah is graceful and refined. The secret is his attention to detail. Guillaume picks early and by hand and uses around 30% whole bunch fruit in many of his cuvées. He has farmed his 20 hectares of vineyards organically since 2002, and alongside his coveted Côte-Rôtie vineyards, also grows Viognier on the terraced slopes of the hills of Condrieu, plus Chardonnay and Gamay in the warm, pebbled soils of the Côteaux du Lyonnais. Guillaume took over the domaine from his parents, Gilbert Clusel and Brigitte Roch, who put the estate on the map during the 90s when they invested significantly in the vineyards and the cellar. His signature wine, Les Schistes, is a classic Côte-Rôtie blend with a dash of Viognier bringing a floral lift to the Syrah and named after the south-east facing soils of his Northern Rhône vineyards.
