Rene Rostaing spent his working lifetime defending the idea that Côte Rôtie should taste like Côte Rôtie, not like Hermitage, and certainly not like new world Syrah – and making wines to justify the claim. The winemaking here has always been deeply rooted in local tradition, not to mention some extremely well-sited old vines. The domaine began with parcels inherited from two of the region’s greatest pioneers. Rene’s father-in-law Albert Dervieux, and his uncle Marius Gentaz-Dervieux. Rene stepped back from the family domaine he created after the 2015 vintage; his son Pierre now manages everything, very much in his father’s vein.

Currently the domaine holds 7.5 hectares of vines across 15 lieux-dits, and Ampodium blends fruit from them all. As Rostaing père put it, it is the Ampodium that speaks most articulately of Côte Rôtie’s history and tradition as a blended wine. A significant proportion of stems are used, to give the wine a ‘vertebral column’. The use of new oak is discreet, and the blending in of a small amount of Viognier vines bring an extra layer of aromatic depth. (NT 08/04/22)