Côte-Rôtie Champon Clusel-Roch 2022

Lot presentation

Côte-Rôtie Champon Clusel-Roch 2022

The wine

The Champon locality, situated north of the appellation in the commune of Ampuis, stands on the schist and mica schist terroir typical of the Côte Brune. These poor, draining soils enhance concentration, freshness and energy in the wine. The thirty-year?old vines are certified organic and farmed with the utmost care on terraced slopes. Harvesting is carried out by hand with small crates and meticulous sorting in the vineyard. Traditional vinification follows: the grapes are gravity-fed into open vats, partially destalked, and then undergo spontaneous fermentation, punctuated by regular punch?downs of the cap and must pump?overs. The wine is then matured for two years in 228?litre casks, 25% of which are new oak.
An intense ruby-red hue emerges in the glass. The nose is refined and distinctive, blending black fruit with notes of violet, incense, white pepper and smoke. On the palate, the wine is airy, structured yet delicate, elevated by fine tannins, crisp freshness and a schist?driven mineral backbone.

Domaine Clusel-Roch's farming heritage goes back decades, before Rhône crus even became a force in the wine world, but until the 1980s it did not produce the renowned Côte-Rôtie wines that it produces today. Gilbert Clusel arrived at the domaine after completing his studies and worked tirelessly, clearing and revitalising the old abandoned vines. In the 1990s saw the domaine transform. Massal Selection (replanting new vineyards with cuttings from exceptional old vines), the omission of chemical products and the construction of a new winery all contributed to the domain's transformation. Gilbert and Brigitte then obtained organic certification in 2002, an impressive feat at a time when not much Côte-Rôtie was organic: the steep slopes in this area make it difficult to cultivate the vineyards organically.
Gilbert and Brigitte's son Guillaume joined the estate in 2009 and today, he is more or less responsible for the running of the domaine. After Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu, he introduced a third appellation to the domaine's portfolio, the AOC Coteaux du Lyonnais