Other than the fierce Mistral winds that one British writer says can “blow the ears off a donkey,” France’s Rhone Valley is also home to two distinct geographic and wine growing regions. The South is somewhat flat and home to the warm and friendly Côtes du Rhône reds, but Châteauneuf-du-Pape gets the celebrity. The Northern Rhone has more elevation diversity and is home to several very fine appellations, but the one that is near and dear to my palate is Côte-Rôtie. (coat roh TEE)

This historic appellation, which totals fewer than 500 acres, dates back 2000 years to the Romans. It is located south of Lyon on very precipitous slopes which permit few, if any, mechanized routines. Its name means “roasted slope,” which hints at the long sunlight hours that bathe the narrow, retainer-walled terraces of the south-facing vineyards. Côte-Rôtie’s unique microclimate delivers one of the world’s best red wine experiences.

Under appellation rules, Syrah is the only red grape from which Côte-Rôtie can be vinified. At the winemaker’s discretion, a small amount of Viognier, an aromatic white wine, can also be utilized. The use of new oak varies from none to too much, depending on the producer, but this wine enthusiast prefers them with little or no new oak. Structurally, Rôtie’s are built for the long haul with a good balance of alcohol, acidity and tannins. In their opaque but approachable youth, they deliver a brooding, full bodied, spicy mouthful. But the best part is how they age and improve. I recently uncorked one of my few remaining bottles of the 1991 Dervieux-Thaize. Still enticingly dark and aromatic, it had an elegant quality that only time can provide. Rôtie’s are not inexpensive, but compared to other “collectibles,” they’re an outright bargain.

Rôtie’s are food friendly and pair well with many recipes. They can be enjoyed with game, duck, beef or lamb. Savory stew preparations (meat or fish) make viable food partners, as do hearty meat or vegetable pastas. As a final point, I recently posed a question on Wine Spectator’s Forums why, unlike Bordeaux and Burgundy, there were so few older Côte-Rôtie to be found in the auction or wine collector markets, especially when one considers the potential lure of their relative scarcity. James Molesworth, their Senior Editor, responded, “Most of the top Côte-Rôties are made in grand cru Burgundy-sized lots, so they’re difficult to come by. Now that should generate secondary market interest — but, I think frankly the bottom line is this: people who buy Rhône wines drink Rhône wines, as opposed to selling them. They tend to be wines that people feel real connections to”

– Submitted by Tom Barras