AOC Côte Rôtie

About 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Lyon, across the river from Vienne, the Côte-Rôtie vineyard clings to steep slopes on the right bank of the Rhône, at the far northern end of the Côtes du Rhône. The appellation makes only red wines, mostly from Syrah, with silky tannins and aromas of black fruit and spice.

Côte Blonde and Côte Brune, on Either Side of the Fontgent

Côte-Rôtie owes much of its reputation to two small valleys, the Côte Blonde and the Côte Brune, separated by the Fontgent stream. Legend has it that a lord of Ampuis named them after his two daughters, one blonde, the other brunette.

Geology offers a sounder explanation. The Côte Blonde sits on gneiss, which weathers into pale, silica-rich soils. The Côte Brune sits on mica schist, which gives darker soils with more clay and more iron. The regional wine board places the brown soils in the north of the appellation and the blond soils in the south.

These two côtes are only part of the vineyard: the appellation counts 73 classified lieux-dits, or named plots. A label may also give the name of a registered lieu-dit, provided it appears on the harvest declaration.

Cheys, Chaillées and Échalas

The slopes sometimes exceed 60 degrees, and the vines grow between 180 and 325 meters (590 to 1,070 feet) above sea level. On the Côte Blonde, the gneiss breaks down into a crumbly clay-sand called arzel, which slides easily. It stays in place only behind dry-stone walls, known here as cheys.

On the Côte Brune, the soil holds more clay and stays more stable. The hillside is cut into narrow terraces, the chaillées, which form a staircase of nearly flat steps lined with vines.

Vines are trained either on échalas, tall single stakes at least 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) high, or on wires. Grapes are picked by hand and must reach the winery as whole bunches. This hillside vineyard nearly vanished during the 20th century before winning back its slopes.

Viognier, a White Grape Fermented with Syrah

Côte-Rôtie is still a red wine, but it can make room for a white grape, Viognier. Viognier is planted as a minority among the Syrah vines, and these mixed plots are found more often on the Côte Blonde than on the Côte Brune.

When the wine includes it, the grapes of both varieties go into the vat together and ferment together; Syrah always keeps the largest share. Local tradition puts whole bunches in the vat, lightly crushed by foot, with the cap of skins kept submerged.

Viognier then gives the wine a rounder palate and, at times, a hint of violet on the nose, alongside the black fruit and spice of Syrah.

What Côte-Rôtie's Name, Color and Wine Fair Tell You

What does the name Côte-Rôtie refer to?

The name Côte-Rôtie, French for "roasted slope," most likely refers to hillsides scorched by the sun. This origin is probable rather than certain, but it fits these sheltered, sunny, southeast-facing slopes above the Rhône.

Why does Côte-Rôtie come only in red?

Côte-Rôtie is always red because the appellation covers red wines only. White wines were made here in the past, as the long-standing presence of Viognier shows. That production was later left to the neighboring appellations, Condrieu and Château-Grillet.

What is the Marché aux Vins in Ampuis?

The Marché aux Vins d'Ampuis is the annual Côte-Rôtie wine fair, held since 1928. It takes place in January in Ampuis, one of the appellation's three villages. Along with the hillside landscape, this tradition has helped build the wine's reputation.

Where can you buy Côte-Rôtie direct from the winemaker?

You can buy Côte-Rôtie, sold by the producer, on Avenue des Vins. Every wine's page lists its grape varieties.

See also: AOC Crozes-Hermitage - Red wines from the Rhône Valley - AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape