Côte Rôtie

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyard is planted on very steep hillsides overlooking the right bank of the Rhône, around forty kilometres south of Lyon on the eastern edge of the Massif central.
• In the Côte Blonde valley, erosion of the bedrock produces friable and unstable sandy clay soils, locally known as "arzel", held in place by dry-stone walls called "cheys".
• In the Côte Brune valley, the higher clay content of the dark soils provides greater stability, with the hillside laid out in narrow terraces known as "chaillées".
• The local climate, described as "Lyonnais", is semi-continental while benefiting from the last Mediterranean influences rising up the Rhône valley, with a frequent northerly wind locally called the Bise.
• The generally south-easterly aspect of the vineyard gives it a relatively sheltered and sunny position, within a delimited area spanning three communes in the Rhône département.
• Côte Blonde rests on a bedrock that is mainly gneiss, yielding pale siliceous soils, while Côte Brune rests on mica schists, yielding clay-rich soils that are darker in colour and higher in iron.

• The vineyard came close to disappearing after phylloxera and the industrialisation of the Rhône valley, before its gradual revival began in the 1960s.
• The appellation d'origine contrôlée was recognised by decree on 18 October 1940 for Ampuis and Tupin-Semons, then extended on 21 December 1966 to the commune of Saint-Cyr-sur-le-Rhône.

• The wine displays a deep, almost black colour characteristic of the Syrah variety, which evolves over time towards garnet hues.
• The palate is characterised by silky tannins, with a more pronounced roundness when Viognier is vinified at a small percentage by blending in the grapes.
• The velvety quality of the tannins encourages the use of a traditional vinification involving the vatting of lightly foot-trodden whole clusters with a submerged cap.

• The combination of the Lyonnais mesoclimate, the steep hillsides overlooking the Rhône, and the metamorphic geo-pedological complex offers Syrah and Viognier optimal conditions for ripeness, yielding a red wine that unites robustness and elegance.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 4 juillet 2024, JORF 7 juillet 2024
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — Inter Rhône