Côte-Rôtie La Viallière Jean-Michel Gerin 2020

Lot presentation

Côte-Rôtie La Viallière Jean-Michel Gerin 2020

The wine

La Viallière was produced for the first time in 2009, following extensive work on the parcel in which it is grown: clearing, path and wall building work, and finally planting in 2003 and 2004. The wine comes from vines growing on the slopes, in an area of barely 2 hectares, with a south-south-easterly exposure. Elevage in the cellar takes place in new 500-litre demi-muid barrels for 18 months. The same barrique barrels are also used for the malolactic fermentation. The Syrah grape expresses its full refinement here, producing subtle aromas of spices and red berries.

About the Producer Domaine Gerin

The Gerin family has lived in Ampuis in the heart of the Côte-Rôtie for six generations. Jean-Michel Gerin established his own vineyards in 1983 with plots in the Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu appellations and two very fine parcels in La Landonne and Les Grandes Places. His vines are tended the traditional way, by hand and without the use of chemical fertilisers or herbicides with organic conversion starting in 2020. Extraction is a priority throughout the vinification process and the wines are aged in low-capacity oak barrels. Jean-Michel's wines are concentrated and impressively velvety. His 17-hectare property takes in the Condrieu and Saint-Joseph appellations and the Collines Rhodaniennes IGP. Along with his wife, Monique, he represents the new wave of Côte-Rôtie producers even though his considerable experience gives his wines plenty of depth and finesse. In 2002 he also embarked on an additional venture, much further south in the sunny Priorat wine region, alongside friends Laurent Combier and Peter Fischer.

Detailed characteristics