Chapoutier - Cote-Rotie Neve2016

RED WINE

Estate

The name Chapoutier occupies a storied place in the history of the Rhône Valley, beginning 1808, when the family first settled in the Rhône Valley. Throughout the 19th century and well into the next, M. CHAPOUTIER and its eponymous winery grew steadily, producing wine from esteemed vineyard sites such as Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. However, 1990 was a watershed moment for the winery, with the arrival of Michel Chapoutier. Under his leadership, the maverick winemaker established bold initiatives. For example, the introduction of Single Vineyard Selection that express the unique terroir of a site, or wine labels embossed in braille for the visually impaired. In each instance, Michel’s decisions were, and continue to be, driven by a deep respect for the soil, climate, and his fellow human beings.

Tasting notes

Very deep and black with satiny tints. The nose is dominated by notes of graphite and cold smoke, and then opens up to notes of bramble leaves and mixed berries. Chiselled tannins and notes of black pepper and roasting over a saline finish. This exceptional Syrah shows how elegance and femininity express themselves in a wine with extreme finesse and great depth.

Vinification

This wine comes from a hillside with a lovely south-southeast exposure in a lieu-dit known as Neve in the commune of Ampuis. The soil here is composed of schist and mica-schist, with some seams of ground soil in the mid-section of the hillside.

The vinification takes place in rough concrete tanks. The harvested grapes are completely de-stemmed. Native yeasts are used for the alcoholic fermentation. During the fermentation, the temperature is allowed to gradually rise to 30-32°C. The vatting period lasts from 4 to 5 weeks with regular pumping over operations carried out at the start of the maceration, followed by some cap punching. The maceration is completed by a stirring of the lees over the last 3 weeks. By tasting the wine in the tank each day, we are able to tailor our different operations to the wine and determine the best running-off date.

The wines go into barrel “hot” after their running-off and 24-48 hours sedimentation to eliminate any remaining solid matter and the coarsest lees. Ageing is carried out entirely in 228-litre barrels (pièces bourguignonnes), of which 25-30% are new. The wine is racked at the end of the winter. Ageing can last 14-18 months depending on the vintage and our tastings of the wine.