Michel Tardieu's future might have seemed perfectly mapped out, when he was working as a civil servant and tending vineyards in the Rhone Valley in his spare time. But in 1996 he decided to take a giant leap and concentrate on his passion by going into partnership with Burgundy wine négociant Dominique Laurent. Together, they established Maison Tardieu-Laurent in Loumarin in the heart of Michel's native Provence. Since then, they have both worked hard to track down the best vineyard plots in the Rhone terroir. And thanks to a meticulous and skilful barrel-maturing process they produce wines with excellent ageing potential. Today, Michel Tardieu still works as a négociant and consultant oenologist but has been joined in the business by his children Bastien and Camille.

This Côte-Rôtie comes from several localities of the appellation, notably that which is as renowned as la Landonne. The fifty-year-old vines have been planted on shaly soil. Two thirds of the harvest will not be destemmed. The wine is aged for twelve months in new barrels which have held one wine. (Tronçais and Allier), then twelve months in foudres. Neither fining nor filtration is used.