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René Rostaing

René Rostaing is one of the great names of Côte Rôtie. He started out in 1971, with just 0.47 ha of Côte Rôtie vineyards, split between the Côte Blonde and La Landonne. Since that time his holdings have expanded considerably; he inherited 3.5 ha in 1990, from his father-in-law Albert Dervieux-Thaize, who was president of the Côte Rôtie growers association for thirty-three years. These included vines in Fongent, La Garde and La Viaillière. And in 1993 his uncle, Marius Gentaz-Dervieux, left him a further 1.2 ha. Today his estate stands at over 6 ha of Côte Rôtie, including some highly valued plots, featuring in several cases some ancient vines. There is also a 0.2 ha plot of vines in Condrieu.

Rostaing, a businessman by nature, enjoys not only the profits of his winemaking activities, but also of his property portfolio which includes apartments in nearby Condrieu. With them his has equipped his cellar with air-conditioning, an assortment of new oak casks and larger demi-muids, as well as stainless steel automatic pigéage fermenting vats. These rotate, thereby obviating the need to work the cap of skins during fermentation. This is high-tech stuff indeed. Rostaing destems according to the cuvée in question; 100% for the classique, for example, but just 50% for La Landonne. The wines can see up to three weeks of maceration, including a period where the temperatures are allowed to rise up to 37°C, to enhance colour and tannin extraction. Subsequent fining and filtration is done on the basis of laboratory analysis; if the wine is considered stable enough to be bottled without either, then this is the case.

In the best years there are four cuvées of Côte Rôtie produced here. The La Landonne is generally regarded as the top cuvée, with the Côte Blonde a close contender. La Landonne is sourced from three sites in La Landonne, including some old vines inherited from Marius Gentaz-Dervieux. The Côte Blonde includes two sites, including some vines of 75 years of age, with some co-planted Viognier. In lesser years the fruit from these various sites may be blended into the Cuvée Classique (usually referred to as Côte-Rôtie - "Cuvee Classique" is not found on the label), which is his entry-level cuvée. Finally, La Viaillière is produced from aged vines inherited from Albert Dervieux-Thaize, together with some more recent plantings. The Condrieu La Bonette is a small production cuvée, of which about 160 cases are produced. And Rostaing now has a finger in other pies, notably a Languedoc estate Domaine de Puech Chaud, where he produces several cuvées of Coteaux du Languedoc.

The René Rostaing portfolio is a very appealing one, with several cuvées of Côte Rôtie and a Condrieu, which have received praise from wine press worldwide, particularly from Robert Parker. I must confess, however, that I have often found the wines lacking, although I have never had the opportunity to have my opinion swayed by the luxurious La Landonne bottling. But what I have tasted of the other cuvées have never really impressed; often good, but not premier division in my opinion. I have found some lacking in depth, focus and structure, and sometimes the flavours seem to stray too far from what I regard as a desirable profile for Côte Rôtie. I do find myself wondering if this is related to practices in the cellar rather than anything else. After all, Rostaing has inherited some enviable plots of vines, so the quality of the fruit, with appropriate vineyard management, shouldn't be a problem. Yet in the cellar Rostaing employs warm maceration followed by what sound like the equivalent of tombola-tumblers for the fermentation. Would cold maceration and a more standard approach to fermentation by a step in the right direction, I wonder? I suspect we shall never know. (31/3/05)

Contact details:
Address: Le Port, 69420 Ampuis
Telephone: +33 (0) 4 74 56 12 00
Fax: +33 (0) 4 74 56 62 56

René Rostaing - Tasting Notes

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René Rostaing Condrieu la Bonette 2002: Soft, ripe fruit on the nose. A touch confected. Similar impression on the palate; floral, confected fruit. Has some grip and acidity, but not the classic style I enjoy. 14/20 (May 2004)

René Rostaing Condrieu La Bonette 2001: Moderate lemon yellow. Fat yet floral fruit on the nose. Similar impression on the palate, with rich characterful fruit, although somewhat low acidity. Not my style of Condrieu. From a Northern Rhône 2001 tasting. 14.5/20 (March 2003)

René Rostaing Côte-Rôtie 2001: Moderate depth of colour. There's good typicity on the nose, which demonstrates the floral Viognier-derived elements well. Full and round on the palate, with an excellent depth of fruit. Decent tannins. Very good length. From a Northern Rhône 2001 tasting. 17+/20 (March 2003)

René Rostaing Côte-Rôtie 2000: Moderate colour. Red fruits and some roasted meats on the nose. Soft, round, open palate. Tannic midpalate. Has some potential and a little typicity, but lacks star quality. 14.5/20 (May 2004)

René Rostaing Côte-Rôtie 1995: A fairly pale red colour, no great intensity, fading to a pink rim. Cinder toffee and vanilla notes on the nose surely denote the heavy use of new oak here. Doesn't have the substance on the palate to carry it off. Quite light, with red fruits, slightly prominent acidity, no tannic structure. Soft finish. A surprise, and a disappointment, when the label was revealed. It's character suggests it was harvested during the wet period, but Rostaing (who I met at the Bibendum 2001 Rhone tasting only last week) has a reputation for success in this vintage. From a Northern Rhône 1995 tasting. 14/20 (March 2003)

René Rostaing Côte-Rôtie 1995: As with Burgaud, a well established producer that we simply don't taste very often. The nose here is laden with toffee and vanilla oak. Big sweet fruit on the palate, with more oak. This needs a lot of bottle age if it is ever to absorb all this wood. From a Rhône tasting. 15.5+/20 (January 2001)

René Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Viaillière 1994: This purple-red wine has a bare hint of tawny. Aromas of smoke, burnt fruit and wood on the nose. The palate seems quite hard, especially so when the identity of the wine is revealed. Smoke and charcoal, toffee, new oak and not showing much fruit. Perhaps just a difficult stage for this wine. From a Northern Rhône 1994 tasting. 16?/20 (February 2002)

René Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde 1993: Good depth of colour here, but showing more brown maturity than some other wines. Mature fruit on the nose too, quite stylish, with a touch of iron. Nicely balanced on the palate, with some leather and vegetal aspects to the fruit. Finesse and maturity combined (an impressive effort for this appellation in this vintage). From a 1993 vintage tasting. 16/20 (December 2003)