Clusel-Roch 2020 "Serine" - A Fabulous Vin de France, and Other Rhône Valley Favorites...
1/24/23 -
While doing some Rhône Valley homework last week we noticed an interesting change in the 2020 Clusel-Roch Vin de France "Serine" - formerly from purchased and estate CDR fruit, the 2020 was made entirely with young vines of Serine, massale selection from their Cote-Rotie vines, in a very interesting vineyard named "Le Plomb" which is approximately on the back, more western facing slope just south of "Vialliere" and "Grandes Places." We were able to taste the wine this week, and it is truly a very special Serine! The wine shows a bright red/black color with quite lovely and complex high-toned berry fruit liqueur with hints of smoke, earth and rose petal. The palate is dense and sapid but light on its feet with intriguing mineral flavors below complex focused red and black fruits, with a long finish of palate coating black fruits and minerals. Our friend John Livingstone-Leaarmonth of drinkrhone had this to say: "quite a dark red colour; this has a floating, pure red fruited nose, soft scenting, a little pepper snap present. The fruit is cool, tinkling, runs gracefully, tannins that are precise well in the mix. It’s a very good ensemble, is top w.o.w. attack with real early appeal, precision." (w.o.w. = what one wants - drinking beautifully now) Notice the words "precise" and "precision" as this wine really has focus and definition of fruit and mineral flavors. Congrats to Guillaume Closel for this lovely "Serine!"
$27.99 - less 15% on a solid case!!
Maison Clusel-Roch: "We have been practicing organic farming in our Côte-Rôtie vineyards since the end of the ninety's (official certification since 2002). For the steepest-sloping plots, we are obliged to plough with a winch, and to finish with a hoe. We now need practically one person per hectare. To improve the structure we do not fertilize any more with mineral fertilizers, but rather with compost, which is manually spread in autumn. We thus treat the vines relatively little, according to the needs of the year, with sulphur, a copper mixture, and herbal teas. This allows a good ecological balance in our plots, with a diversified fauna. These observations, as well as the results of various studies (on health of workers, on the residues found in wines..) encourage us to continue in our choice of organic farming, which for us is the future of viticulture."
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Speaking of Serine...One of the most extraordinay Rhone wines we've tasted in recent years is the 2020 Eric and Laurence Texier "Le Clau" which will be back in stock next week! "From a handful of rows in our 0.5 ha of a very particular strain of Serine. Planted in the 1930’s in the Masson parcel of Saint-Julien en-Saint-Alban in the lieu-dit Le Clau. They present unique ampelographic qualities, very different from the Serines we find in Brézème or other Northern vineyards, notably very low alcoholic degrees when in full maturity. All replacements here have been done through marcottage, without the introduction of any clones. We are still not sure of their exact nature, and certain ampelography experts believe it may not even be Syrah. It may actually be Bravade or Exbrayat. We've decided to vinify these separately and the result is unique. We’ve discovered a very particular personality, and it’s an immense pleasure to share this with you.Whole-cluster, with a light treading for 20% of the grapes. 6-8 days of maceration with an immersed cap, no extraction. Native yeasts. Aged 18 months in demi-muids. No filtration or fining. No sulfur was added at any point during vinification, aging or bottling." $62.99
And don't miss Eric's beautiful 2016 Domaine Pergaud Vieilles Vignes cuvées from Brézème and Saint-Julien en Saint-Alban!
All wines will be available by Tuesday Jan 24th, please allow a few days of pick-up/shipping. (Mixed case 10% discount)
