DOMAINE ROSTAING


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René Rostaing is known as a Côte Rôtie Specialist, renowned for producing tiny quantities of extraordinarily refined Côte Rôtie wines, which in the words of Robert Parker are "reminiscent of Grand Cru Burgundy in their delicacy, elegance and sublime qualities." René started out in 1971, with less than half a hectare of Côte Rôtie vineyards split between the Côte Blonde and La Landonne. His breakthrough was in 1990 when he inherited highly prized vineyards from his father-in-law Albert Dervieux-Thaize followed by his uncle Marius Gentaz-Dervieux (both legendary growers in the area). With the newly acquired vineyards René was able to quit his day job and devote himself full time to his passion of wine. Today the estate comprises over 7.5 hectares of Côte Rôtie, including several plots of ancient vines and a precious 0.2 hectare plot of vines in Condrieu. In 2015, the reins were passed to his son Pierre who continues his father’s legacy. Both are champions of terroir and typicity. In the quest to produce regionally representative wines the winemaking utilizes both a portion of destemming and whole cluster pressing. The percentage of which varies from vintage to vintage. Picking is done earlier than many domains with an eye towards elegance and balance rather than overt ripeness. New oak is used only for a small portion of each vintage, never more than 25%. The estate uses a blend of barriques and old 600L demi-muid.

Reviews for this winery

Wine Advocate

"A bastion of traditional wine making, Rene Rostaing (who previously worked in real-estate) has been working the vineyards of Cote Rotie for the past 40 years, yet didn’t really switch to wine full time until the 1990s. He now owns roughly 20 acres of prime terroir, spread across 14 lieux-dits and 20 separate plots (there can be multiple plots within a lieu-dit). Since 1996, he has produced three separate Cote Roties; the Classique (which is now label Ampodium), the La Landonne, and his personal favorite, the Cote Blonde."

December 2013

Vinous

Now under the watch of René Rostaing’s son, Pierre, the quality of the wines here has not missed a beat. Pierre Rostaing shares the same fastidious character, curiosity, wry wit and occasional philosophic traits of his father. A visit here always provides plenty of insight because both Rostaings are strongly opinionated and refreshingly frank when discussing vintages and their likes and dislikes. Fast-talking salesmen they are not.

Josh Raynolds, December 2022

British Columbia