Producer Article
Clusel-Roch
Last edited on 9/26/2015 by Jeff Leve
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Producer website - Read more about Clusel Roch wines
Founded by René Clusel in 1969, the winery is now run by his son, Gilbert. In 1989 the domaine changed its name to Domaine Clusel-Roch, borrowing the name of Gilbert's wife, Brigitte Roch, and giving the newer, larger winery its own identity.
Today the property is still tiny: just 3.5 hectares in Côte Rôtie and just half a hectare in Condrieu. The vines are planted on terraces along the Côte Rôtie, with two wooden stakes tied above each vine to help protect against the region's occasionally howling winds. Having officially converted to organic farming practices in 2002, most work in the vineyards is done manually, without the use of any chemical fertilizers.
In order to even better express the tradition of the vineyard, the domaine only uses vines from their own selection of Syrah plantings, which are grafted in their own small nursery. According to Gilbert, these traditional Ampius vines are less productive and give more complex aromas than available modern selections. When harvest time comes, the grapes are manually selected, and fermented with indigenous yeasts, furthering the site purity in each wine.
With annual production hovering at about 1250 cases per year, Domaine Clusel-Roch is able to focus all their attention on each aspect of the winemaking, from vine to bottle, and it shows!
Founded by René Clusel in 1969, the winery is now run by his son, Gilbert. In 1989 the domaine changed its name to Domaine Clusel-Roch, borrowing the name of Gilbert's wife, Brigitte Roch, and giving the newer, larger winery its own identity.
Today the property is still tiny: just 3.5 hectares in Côte Rôtie and just half a hectare in Condrieu. The vines are planted on terraces along the Côte Rôtie, with two wooden stakes tied above each vine to help protect against the region's occasionally howling winds. Having officially converted to organic farming practices in 2002, most work in the vineyards is done manually, without the use of any chemical fertilizers.
In order to even better express the tradition of the vineyard, the domaine only uses vines from their own selection of Syrah plantings, which are grafted in their own small nursery. According to Gilbert, these traditional Ampius vines are less productive and give more complex aromas than available modern selections. When harvest time comes, the grapes are manually selected, and fermented with indigenous yeasts, furthering the site purity in each wine.
With annual production hovering at about 1250 cases per year, Domaine Clusel-Roch is able to focus all their attention on each aspect of the winemaking, from vine to bottle, and it shows!