Clusel-Roch Les Vergers Cotes du Rhone 750ml

"Deep, bright-hued ruby. Powerful black and blue fruit, violet, licorice, smoked meat, olive and allspice aromas are sharply focused and pick up a mineral nuance with air. Blends depth and energy with a sure hand, displaying vibrant blackberry, bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors that spread out slowly through the back half. Shows impressive energy and repeating florality on the gently tannic finish, which leaves salty olive and dark berry notes behind. Made with one-third whole clusters, this is all massale selection Serine, from the Clusel's Côte-Rôtie plantings, and raised in 228-liter barrels, 15% of them new. It's a Côtes-du-Rhône in name only." 93 Points Vinous

Based in Verenay, the northernmost village in Côte Rôtie, this tiny 3.5 hectare domaine is run by Gilbert Clusel, his wife Brigit, and their son Guillaume. Gilbert’s grandfather planted the foundation of the winery in 1935, the vineyard now known as ‘Les Grandes-Places’, using a low yielding clone of Syrah called Serine. All subsequent plantings have been selection massale from that vineyard, a rarity in the region as higher yielding material became more prevalent. The Clusel family was also early believers in the advantages of organic farming, and would become pioneers of the movement within the region as they converted fully in 1990.