Need some help. Going to Cote-Rotie.

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Need some help. Going to Cote-Rotie. - 4/11/2024 8:26:55 PM

champagneinhand

Posts: 10282
Joined: 5/30/2011
From: Upstate New York, California born.
Status: offline

Hi friends.

I know I am the most useless person for help when it comes to wine tourism, but if you do come up to the finger lakes I can give you some winery suggestions and hook you up with the best people I know that can make your time here wonderful.

This is what I am asking some help for while visiting Lyons with my wife and 2 adult daughters. My youngest will have just graduated with her doctorate in Pharmacology so the girls planned a trip to go see Taylor Swift in concert in Lyon as a graduation present. We will make some side trips and spend time in Paris. Unfortunately my oldest daughter doesn’t drink alcohol so my wine day is limited to their day at the concert.

I have on day to get myself from Lyon to Cote-Rotie and just take in the town and preferably one or two tasting rooms. I have a couple non Guigal Cote Rotie bottles but I would enjoy any recommendations of which are some amazing wineries with tasting rooms. I don’t know how I’m going to get there yet, whether renting a car or taking a car service. I know I don’t want to be stuck on a half a day winery tour set up through an agency costing as much as just using options a or b and get to the tasting and buying.

I figure MrsCiH and her sister bought 2.5 cases of “meh” Chianti, Chianti Reserva and some decent IGT along with 6 bottles of olive oil last year and shipped it across the pond.

If I thought I had 20+ drinking years in me, I’d do anything to go straight to Guigal, but from what I’ve read there are so many small wineries that produce great stuff that just get everything consumed close by

Thanks in advance.

_____________________________

As I age my finger tips seem to be bigger, my iOS keyboard seems to be less kind, and my need for wearing reading glasses has never been greater. I hope you are forgiving and can read between my lines.

Post #: 1

RE: Need some help. Going to Cote-Rotie. - 4/12/2024 3:27:31 AM

Echinosum

Posts: 604
Joined: 1/28/2021
From: Buckinghamshire, UK
Status: offline

I hope the day you have available is a weekday, as wineries and tasting rooms seem to be closed in Ampuis at the weekend. Also recall it is normal for them to close over lunchtime. I trust you realise that Ampuis is the village that the Cote-Rotie vineyard is centred on.

You will be Europe where there is a popular alternative to the car called public transport, which can be especially useful if you wish to consume alcohol. In this case, you'd take a train (about 20km) from Lyon to Givors Ville, and then take bus 134 or a taxi the rest of the way (about 15km) to Ampuis. Journey planning tools are available, to ensure you get a decent connection, etc.

Guigal has a tasting room in the village centre, so that will be easy if you want it.

A couple of wineries that are popular to visit, and also highly recommendable wines are Ogier and Burgaud.

Ogier is also in the village centre. Ogier has become a bit of a star of late, and their wines were a bargain 10-15 years ago or something... I have drunk some and enjoyed it, but it's now got too expensive for me.

Burgaud is in the vineyards, about 3km uphill from the village. For me that would be a nice walk, but maybe that's a taxi for many. Burgaud is the Cote-Rotie I mostly buy these days, and is modestly priced by CR standards. It's not going to compare with the Guigal single vineyards, but I'd definitely prefer it to Guigal's basic Brune-et-Blonde. In fact even Burgaud is less of a bargain than when I started buying it, and I might be moving my allegiance.

Another place I'd be very interested to visit would be Domaine Bott, who have a place in the village centre. They've been making waves, for example trying to recreate the former famous vineyards at Seyssuel just north of Ampuis. I've just bought some of their wine, but haven't tried any yet.

_____________________________

A discriminating palate can be a curse.

(in reply to champagneinhand)

Post #: 2

RE: Need some help. Going to Cote-Rotie. - 4/12/2024 6:19:57 AM

DoubleD1969

Posts: 3601
Joined: 8/19/2008
From: New Jersey
Status: offline

Hey CIH,
A group of us stayed at Tain-l’Hermitage which would a perfect spot for a day of tasting. It’s an hour by train from Lyon, and everything is walking distance. You have the famous Hermitage hill and the famous vineyards. Chapoutier, Jaboulet, Marc Sorrel, and a few smaller producers with tasting rooms. Valrhona Chocolatier is there. A day may not be enough but definitely leave Lyon early to maximize your time.

(in reply to Echinosum)

Post #: 3

RE: Need some help. Going to Cote-Rotie. - 4/12/2024 6:35:07 AM

KPB

Posts: 4663
Joined: 11/25/2012
From: Ithaca, New York
Status: offline

I’ve done poorly on visits to that area… but if it were me I would rent a car at the train station, limit to two tasting rooms and spit the wine, and drive around the vineyard roads to take photos. There is a good restaurant for lunch right at the water’s edge in Tain l’Hermitage.

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Ken Birman
The Professor of Brettology

(in reply to DoubleD1969)

Post #: 4

RE: Need some help. Going to Cote-Rotie. - 4/12/2024 7:10:59 AM

DrBad

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Joined: 5/4/2018
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We were in Cote-Rotie last March, it's amazing. Definitely Stephane Ogier, the best tasting of my life tasting their 2020 Lieu-Dit, recent scores came out with 99-100s. But their more affordable wines are very good too. E. Guigal of course. I'd recommend Cuilleron and Montez for smaller, excellent vineyards.

Clairefontaine is a Michelin Star restaurant but their Le Cottage is affordable and excellent.

(in reply to Echinosum)

Post #: 5

RE: Need some help. Going to Cote-Rotie. - 4/12/2024 8:01:11 PM

jmc167

Posts: 81
Joined: 12/30/2015
From: Portland, Or
Status: offline

CIH -

There are great suggestions here and if you are committed to going on your own, then the train to Tain-l'Hermitage is probably the best bet.

If you are open to working with a former wine-maker who worked at Guigal, knows the producers in the area (well known and under the radar)and now does tours and owns a wine shop in Condrieu where he will open a number of different bottles for you, then reach out to Vincent Pontet at https://lyon-oenotourisme.fr/en/ to set something up.

He will come pick you up in Lyon and take you back at the end of the day as well.

_____________________________

Just a guy trying to drink as much as I purchase, and losing this battle brilliantly!

(in reply to DrBad)

Post #: 6

RE: Need some help. Going to Cote-Rotie. - 4/12/2024 9:23:26 PM

champagneinhand

Posts: 10282
Joined: 5/30/2011
From: Upstate New York, California born.
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: jmc167

CIH -

There are great suggestions here and if you are committed to going on your own, then the train to Tain-l'Hermitage is probably the best bet.

If you are open to working with a former wine-maker who worked at Guigal, knows the producers in the area (well known and under the radar)and now does tours and owns a wine shop in Condrieu where he will open a number of different bottles for you, then reach out to Vincent Pontet at https://lyon-oenotourisme.fr/en/ to set something up.

He will come pick you up in Lyon and take you back at the end of the day as well.

Wow this seems up my alley. Ogier as well in the village

I did know Ampuis but just failed to correctly write as my brain was stuck on Guigal labels.

There is a lot of great information here and thanks for giving me starting points. Yes, we too have public transport, but it’s horribly inefficient at best and almost non existent in the rural wine country closest to where I live though plenty of tours and such.

I’ll work on this as our departure approaches. The girls might want to sightsee and shop many more days than I, where I’m fine locating a nice spot, a fine bottle, some fromage et pan. I could let them go to Geneva, and Annechy and just follow the Rhône southwards on meetup with them before heading back to the West.

We all enjoy traveling, I just go slow and follow how things seem to form. The girls live with daily schedules, must see things already in their heads. We can Paris together. They can Taylor together.

Thanks everyone.

_____________________________

As I age my finger tips seem to be bigger, my iOS keyboard seems to be less kind, and my need for wearing reading glasses has never been greater. I hope you are forgiving and can read between my lines.

(in reply to jmc167)

Post #: 7