****This is offered as a pre-order. The wine is expected to be bottled in July****
if included in an order with other Pichon wines, some orders may need to be held until this is ready.
Our tasting impressions
I was enthralled by the 2018 Comtesse but Corentin's 2019 is stylistically more in my wheelhouse. It is more classically structured. If you love your Côte Rôtie to smell like BACON!, this is your huckleberry. It has such sultry savoriness. There is intensity in spades to this young Syrah. It needs cellar time but you will be generously rewarded when all of this wine's charms and attributes are unlocked.
About this wine
There are 2 hills in Côte Rôtie - Côte Brune to the north and Côte Blond to the south. The names are derived from the color of the soil Brune (darker) and Blond (lighter). This also informs their style. Brune tends to be firmer and heartier while Blond wines are softer and more elegant. Select wines that bear these names on their label tend to be among the finest of Côte Rôtie.
100% Syrah handpicked from vines planted in 1933 in schist on a south-facing slope. Yields are just 35hl/ha. Grapes are de-stemmed and pneumatically pressed. Fermentation is over 31 days in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats with pumping over and punching down twice a day. Aged 20 months in new oak. They own less than a hectare of the 12 in Côte Blonde and produce just 2300 bottles.
About the grape
Syrah is the sixth most planted grape worldwide. It thrives on steep slopes because of the dry climate and soil that enable deep root penetration. The grapes are small and dark-skinned high in acid and tannins.
About the vintage
2019 was yet another hot and dry growing season, albeit not excessively so. Rain in late August and early September was just what the winemaker ordered. Most of the region experienced good quantities of very healthy and ripe grapes. Corentin considers it a great vintage for whites and reds alike. He says the wines are more structured than 2018 and better for cellaring.
Suggested Glassware: Grassl 1855
The Pichon family is a growing force in the Northern Rhône region. Corentin, the eldest of the six children of Isabelle and Christophe, is a young, talented, 3rd generation winemaker. But this is every bit the family business as all of his 5 siblings are involved, along with Corentin's partner and mom and dad.
Based in Chavanay, the Pichons produce wines of elegance and finesse in a variety of appellations spanning more than 20 hectares. Chemical treatment of the mostly Syrah and Viognier vineyards is kept to a bare minimum. In addition to those from their own vines, they also purchase grapes for other wines.
VDLT has been visiting the Pichons for many years and is proud to include them as a foundation of the portfolio.
