Vinous

• By Josh Raynolds
  January/February 2010, IWC Issue #148 (link)

  (Domaine Clusel Roch Cote Rotie Les Grandes Places) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  2/16/2011 (link)

  (LES GRANDES PLACES Clusel-Roch) Cote Rotie Dear Friends, This is one of the finest wines I tasted on my recent trip to France and it reaffirms my belief that traditional Cote Rotie can surpass just about any wine from anywhere. It may not be the biggest or ripest example but it is a splendid bottle of wine that continues to impress each time I taste it (this is my third encounter and it is better with each passing month). If you consider yourself a classicist and disdain the over-use of oak and extract, today’s your lucky day... From a grape by grape selection of fruit that they actually think is better than a preponderance of their high-sugar material in 2009 (which should receive very high scores despite its bursting ripeness), Clusel-Roch has demonstrated once again that terroir is the difference. Where others struggled to find adequate fruit in 2008, they had a plan from day one – to produce a feline and traditional Cote Rotie, much like you would find in the early 1970’s. The vintage gave them the perfect excuse to go for broke with a style that has become out of favor since 1991 – low alcohol and low extract aligned to scintillating aromatics of a cured carnivorous nature. I also found gorgeous minerality, blood, perfume and a touch of rosemary that lazily float on a bed of the most elegant and weightless Syrah. After 2-3 hours of air, the wine really comes into form with a satiny coating of cracked pepper meshed with delicate dusting of freshly roasted Punjabi spices – all delivered in an unfussed and feminine way that (like yesterday’s Chianti) reminds more of Burgundy than Hermitage. A side note: do not expect this to show like the N.V. Elegie from last year (a wine that has been immensely frustrating as bottle variation seems to plague every other bottle I open – some are lovely and others just a notch above acceptable - more on that to come as I await an explanation from St. Cosme) - this is a classic wine in every respect from a producer that gave their very best in a vintage that could have been easily overlooked. To Clusel-Roch, the very aspect that separates Cote Rotie from every other bottle of Syrah in the world is the ultra-pure reflection of the “roasted slope” and its relationship to the Syrah grape. That relationship is spread out for your enjoyment in this wine - a sumptuous treat of divine elegance that I could drink several times per week. While this will not be a long-term ageing wine, we all need something of complexity and quality while we wait for our more structured vintages to come around - the 2008 Clusel-Roch is the perfect choice (while I wish it was $20 (so I could afford to drink it more often), it’s now fairly priced at instead of the original ). Here is Josh Raynolds’ review – please try to read the verbiage as it is quite well-written, the score does not indicate the potential enjoyment of this wine whatsoever. What the has done is lower the price by $15-20/bottle. In addition, this wine is still improving, as it should for another 2-3 years...as I said above – lucky you: This parcel is directly from the winery cellar with impeccable provenance. FIRST COME FIRST SERVED at this price up to 24/person until we run out: 2008 Clusel-Roch Cote Rotie - (compare at 40+ in Europe, $50-60 in the US) ...we also have a small amount of the Les Grandes Places but I found it far too influenced by wood and the hand of man versus the supreme delicacy (and similar spice/floral profile) of the regular wine above... 2008 Clusel-Roch Cote Rotie “Les Grandes Places” - STRICT LIMIT 6/person To order: niki@garagistewine.com This parcel is set to depart the cave – it will arrive in April (please check OARS for local pick up after April 10th). It will ship during the Spring shipping season. Out of state orders will be held for free under ideal storage conditions (56 degrees/70%humidity) until shipping is possible. Locals may pick up at their leisure. For current local pick up and arrival/ship information, please see your OARS link below (at the bottom of this offer) - don’t know how to access your OARS? Simply click the link and see your account. You can also paste the link into your browser. If you are having trouble with your link or your account, please contact: support@garagistewine.com NO SALES TO RETAILERS OR WHOLESALERS Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Rhone7791 Rhone7792 Click here to view the status of your orders in O.A.R.S.