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54 Côte-Rôtie AC 2004
Domaine Clusel-RochGrape:96% Syrah, 4% Viognier (12% alc.)
Clusel-Roch’s Côte-Rôtie is primarily from Les Viallières lieu-dit, to the north of the appellation, on thin soils developed from underlying schist. The vines were grafted from their own massale selection of low yielding ‘petite sérine’ syrah from their 70 year old vineyard of Les Grandes Places. The 2004 is most attractive with a Burgundian texture, clear cut fruit, stony flavours from schist and fine grained tannins. For drinking now to 2014.
* Half bottles are available
Technical Information Winemaker: Gilbert Clusel and Brigitte Roch Location: Verenay, 2km north of Ampuis Size of
domaine:4½ hectares (of which 3 for this cuvee) Grape: 96% Syrah, (sérine traditionnel de Ampuis) 4% Viognier 1/3 30 yrs +, 2/3 15 yr old (their own massale selection from Grandes Places). Planted mainly on 3309 rootstock. 9000 vines per hectare, mix of gobelet and single guyot. Terroir: Above Verenay. Principally from Les Viallières, (also Le Champon, Le Plomb & sur Verenay.) Decomposed schists (azelles) on schist mother rock with quartz and mica minerals – soil depth approx 40cm. Very steep 60° hillside. Viticulture: After pruning the old branches are broken up and worked into the soil. The soils are ploughed 3 or 4 times a year in spring and the start of summer using a winch to keep weeds at bay and reduce yields. Treatments manual, no chemical insecticides or weed killers. Short prune. Debud and occasionally vendanges en vert. Once a year add compost – certifié-bio mix of marc de raisins and horse manure. Viticulture certified ‘Ulase’ agro-bio in 2005. Yields average 30-35 hectos per hectare. Vinification: 75% destalked on average, the grapes are lightly crushed, use indigenous yeasts. Pigeage (twice a day during alcoholic fermentation), & remontages are carried out during the alcoholic fermentation. Temperature of fermentation 28°-30° max. Use stainless steel and cement cuves. Shorter cuvaison in cement. 3 weeks cuvaison with remontages only then pressed and put into oak. The press wine is kept separate until the end of the malolactic fermentations. 20% new oak (medium-toast), 228ltr barrels, up to 10 years old. Racked twice. Bottling generally September after 24 months. Destalking: % extraction of hard tannins depends on how one carries out pigeage and on quality of stalk. Clone vines tend to have stalks that are easier to cut; petite serine stalks are finer but harder and more difficult to ‘wound’. 2000 - 20%, 2001 – 20%, 2002 – 90%, 2003 – 80%, 2004 – 80%, 2005 – 85%, 2006 – 85% Fining/filtration: fined with fresh egg white (2 egg whites per barrel). No filtration. Produce 18,000 bts on average per year. Press: