Yves Cuilleron - Syrah, 'Les Vignes d'à Côté', IGP Collines Rhodaniennes, Rhône, France (2021)

TASTING NOTES

A classic expression of Northern Rhone Syrah - violets, green olive, cracked black pepper, wild red & black berry fruit, fairly light coloured but medium bodied with gentle tannins, noticeable granitic minerality, brambly, savoury.

100% Syrah from vines planted on a mix of granite and alluvial soils. Benchmark producer who releases everything up thru high end Cote Rotie, Crozes Hermitage, and Saint Joseph. 

The grapes are handpicked and then sorted crushed and partially destemmed in the cellar. Fermented in open-top temperature-controlled vats for about 3 weeks, with regular cap-punching and pumping-over. Alcoholic fermentation in vats with native yeasts and malolactic fermentation in barrels. The wine is then aged eight months in a mix of stainless and barrel before being bottled. 

Yves Cuilleron has a strong and unique vision of wine and vines. A legitimate point of view because Yves started from almost zero in 1987. And today he represents one of the most important winegrower/producers in all of the northern Rhône.