Wine Advisor
Clusel Roch, Cote Rotie Les Grandes Places 2017
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Deep, dark violet. Primary dark fruit aromas are complemented by suggestions of incense, candied flowers and exotic spices, along with subtle cracked pepper and cola nuances. Deeply concentrated blueberry, bitter cherry and violet pastille flavors slowly turn sweeter as the wine opens up. Shows outstanding energy and mineral thrust on an extremely long, focused finish that features fine-grained tannins and repeating blue fruit and floral character.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
An attractive nose with blackberries and dark plums, swathed in fine-ground, woody spices. The palate has a smooth, succulent and fleshy feel. Very long, fresh and crunchy. Granular. Try from 2024; this has serious aging potential.
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.
