Mastering Côte-Rôtie
Walking the steep, sinuous vineyards of Côte-Rôtie is hard work, as shattered panes of schist slip beneath your feet. The rickety drystone retaining walls are constantly giving way. Perched on the very eastern edge of France's Massif Central, these precipitous vineyards are a difficult place to cultivate vines. But wine has been made here since at least the days of Roman Gaul (and quite possibly earlier). The powerful, scented wines of Côte-Rôtie count among France's finest.
Pierre Rostaing is very much a chip off the old block; just like his father René, he is curious and affable, and a fastidious winemaker and vineyard manager. Domaine Rostaing holds some extremely desirable parcels of old vines across 14 lieux-dits in Côte-Rôtie. Like his father, Pierre follows a 'new traditionalist' approach to winemaking, fermenting mostly whole-bunch for freshness and aromatics, minimising the use of new oak in the cellar on the grounds it tends to mask terroir.
Ampodium is a blend from across the domaine's terroirs. As Rostaing père liked to say, as a blended wine, it is Ampodium that speaks most eloquently of Côte-Rôtie's history and tradition. In the great run of recent vintages here, the 2020 is perhaps the most elegant. The 2019 is very perfumed, while the 2018 is rich and round, but with surprising minerality beneath. All of these will develop beautifully in your cellar. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold; available immediately, 2020 Ampodium Autumn 2023
