Côte Rôtie "L'Ultime" AOC 2021

A red wine of restrained depth and high floral intensity: ferrous and bloody in structure, earthy and spicy, yet light and fresh in motion.

L'Ultime brings together the estate's four sites in Côte Rôtie, spanning around 4.5 hectares, with gradients of up to 40 percent. 87 percent of the surface lies on Côte Blonde, on leucogneiss, dark granite and iron-magnesium mica, with the remaining 13 percent on the schist of Côte Brune. The vines are up to 125 years old and yield an average of 17 hectolitres per hectare.

Syrah and Viognier, as is customary for the appellation; the Syrah comes from a massal selection also known as Sérine. After harvest, the whole clusters undergo cold maceration before being largely destemmed. Fermentation follows the semi-carbonic method, with regular pump-overs and punch-downs. This is followed by natural sedimentation and 24 months in Tronçais oak barrels, without additives and without filtration.

The attack leads with fruit, a generous mouthful of elderberry juice, framed by fine-grained tannin and racy acidity. The bloody character persists, while earthiness and spice come across as mildly reductive. On the finish, ethereal aromas take over and linger for minutes; fruit and tannin resolve into a bitter-sweet close.

Braised ox cheek with generous jus and root vegetable purée, pan-seared beef fillet with potato-truffle gratin and romanesco, or oven-roasted beetroot with toasted pine nuts and basil pesto.

Jean-Michel and Romain Stephan run the estate as father and son, working close to nature without additives, on steep-slope vineyards. 12.5% vol., dry.