2019 CÔTE RÔTIE Maison Rouge Domaine Benjamin et David Duclaux, Lea & Sandeman

CÔTE RÔTIE

2018 Maison Rouge Domaine Benjamin et David Duclaux

IN STOCK
Grapes Syrah
Colour Red
Origin France, Rhône
District Northern Rhône
Village Côte Rôtie
ABV 13.5%

Stand in the driveway of the Duclaux domaine and lift your head up and left and you see the Maison Rouge, set on the hillside of Tupin, it is a revered site and one that Benjamin & David fashion their most classic single vineyard Cote Rotie from. 100% Syrah with 40% new oak for 20 months. Again the colour is really impressive, deep purple. There are smoky notes, mingled with a more obvious mineral note that express the steep terraces. Powerful and rich on the nose, I really like the fruit here, dark black fruits but with real energy too, lovely flow, pure, elegant, great balance, floral & silky with firm but fine and integrated tannins. Super impressive as always. L&S (Mar 2021)

*Case price discount: Mix any 12 bottles of wine (or 9 litre equivalent) or 6 bottles of Champagne, Spirits, Sweet Wine or Fortified (4.5 litres) to get the discounted 'case price' for each bottle.

From arguably the most famous lieu-dit in the southern portion of the appellation, the Duclaux brothers' 2018 Cote Rotie Maison Rouge is a showstopper. Scents of violets, stone fruit, anise-like spice and mixed berries combine to create a complex nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is concentrated yet supremely silky, smooth and charming, ending long and elegant. It's a superb example of the generally softer, more elegant style found around Tupin et Semons. Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 96 Joe Czerwinski, www.robertparker.com (May 2021)

The flagship is the 2018 Côte Rôtie Maison Rouge, which comes from the southern end of the appellation, where the soils are finer and lighter in color. This cuvée is all Syrah and was brought up in 40% new oak. The 2018 is a rich, powerful wine by this cuvée's standards and has a deeper ruby hue as well as a ripe, powerful nose of darker red and black fruits, bouquet garni, dried flowers, graphite, and lots of obvious minerality. Beautifully balanced, medium to full-bodied, and as seamless as they come, this is a classy, serious Côte Rôtie that needs 2-4 years of bottle age and will evolve gracefully for 20 years or more. Drinking range: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 96 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Nov 2020)

Domaine Benjamin et David Duclaux

Over the past decade, the quietly unassuming Benjamin & David Duclaux have steadfastly raised the profile of the region with the quality of their wines. This is undoubtedly one of the top domaines in Côte-Rôtie and if you like elegant, bright Burgundian style Syrah then there is no better estate to seek out.

Founded in 1928 by Frédéric Caillet, the great-grandfather of brothers Benjamin and David and then developed by their father Edmond, the domaine consists of 5.8 hectares of vines above Tupin et Semons, in the southern end of the Côte-Rôtie appellation, where the bedrock is gneiss and granite.

Here the brothers are aiming to make the elegant style of wine which this rocky vineyard produces - and they certainly succeed. The Chana (Syrah with 7% Viognier) is a cuvée that is simply a 'gourmandise' , supple, aromatic, fresh, pure. The Germine (Syrah with 3% Viognier) and the Maison Rouge (100% Syrah) are more structured and, while they can be drunk young, they will give their best with some age. In 2018 a new cuvée was added, Côteaux de Tupin, 100% and whole bunch with barrel ferment, these are immense wines and need patience. The Domaine has also produced a small volume of Condrieu since 2014 from a rented vineyard that they tend to.

The wine-making is gentle, there is 20% whole-bunch in the Germine , but otherwise the grapes are de-stemmed. The Chana is aged in demi-muids, the others in smaller barrels - the Maison Rouge getting 40% new wood. All the cuvées, with the exception of Côteaux de Tupin , are ready to drink after 2-3 years but will age very nicely too. Production is limited to a total of around 2000 cases a year for the whole domaine.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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