Syrah for Pinot lovers, this has pretty, fragrant aromatics with fine boned, taut and lengthy structure. It’s a very engaging glass of wine. The fruit comes from 3 Côte Brune lieu-dit, all with soils of ferrous mica schist. As is traditionally done in Côte-Rotie, there’s a dash of co-planted, co-fermented Viognier with the Syrah, bringing aromatic lift.

Firmly cemented as one of Côte-Rotie’s top producers, Clusel-Roch are known for their more elegant expressions of this famous appellation. They were one of the first growers in the region to bottle their own wine (in 1969), and were early to adopt organic practices in the 1990s. The estate is run by Guillaume Clusel in partnership with Gaëlle Bonnefond, who started at the estate in 2017. Guillaume’s parents, Gilbert Clusel and Brigitte Roch, increased plantings using the selection massale method, with the Serine Syrah clone from the estate’s original 1930s-planted vineyard.