Domaine Champet
La Viallière Côte-Rôtie Syrah
Côte-Rôtie, Northern Rhône, Rhône, France
Pretty barley notes upon opening, before all the blackberry fruit bursts forth. Mocha, smoke, hay and lots of primary fruit on the palate, cut with sharp minerals and acid. On the finish, it turns to notes of fresh cut herbs and fresh green peppercorns. Great length but chalky, gritty tannins dry the finish and this is still embryonic. Needs 6-7 years to loosen up.
Pretty barley notes upon opening, before all the blackberry fruit bursts forth. Mocha, smoke, hay and lots of primary fruit on the palate, cut with sharp minerals and acid. On the finish, it turns to notes of fresh cut herbs and fresh green peppercorns. Great length but chalky, gritty tannins dry the finish and this is still embryonic. Needs 6-7 years to loosen up.
Dec 24th, 2021Opaque unlike other champet vintages. I can see why people are excited about 2019 n Rhône’s. Heavily structured and needs lots of time. Dense and very good.
Opaque unlike other champet vintages. I can see why people are excited about 2019 n Rhône’s. Heavily structured and needs lots of time. Dense and very good.
Jun 15th, 2021
Dark violet. Spice- and mineral-accented black and blue fruit aromas show excellent definition and pick up olive, smoky bacon and candied violet notes with air. Sappy and concentrated but energetic as well, offering palate-staining blackberry, bitter cherry and boysenberry flavors that become spicier as the wine opens up. Melds power and finesse with a sure hand and finishes impressively long and sweet, with chewy tannins building steadily. All whole clusters and 10% new oak, a combination of foudres and demi-muids. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, April 2020)
Dark violet. Spice- and mineral-accented black and blue fruit aromas show excellent definition and pick up olive, smoky bacon and candied violet notes with air. Sappy and concentrated but energetic as well, offering palate-staining blackberry, bitter cherry and boysenberry flavors that become spicier as the wine opens up. Melds power and finesse with a sure hand and finishes impressively long and sweet, with chewy tannins building steadily. All whole clusters and 10% new oak, a combination of foudres and demi-muids. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, April 2020)
Delicious and pure. Drinking well but needs time.
Delicious and pure. Drinking well but needs time.
Feb 19th, 2020
Lovely Côte Rôtie, charming in its rustic appeal, soul, and local feel. Equally distributed nose of brambly fruit, smokey meat, flowers, leather and pepper spice. Lots of mulberry and blackberry compote, fresh leather, violet, woodsmoke, fermented charcuterie, pastille, rich spices like allspice and cloves, roasted peppercorn and herbs. Very mineral, steely almost, matches to this wine’s more acid driven and edgy style. I sense WC but its very integrated, smart use of stems here. Textural persistence with its young ‘15 tannin, granular, chewy/sinewy presence. I’m enjoying its youthful tightness and slight reduction quite a bit now, there’s verve and freshness. 95 SY 5 VIO 100 WC
Lovely Côte Rôtie, charming in its rustic appeal, soul, and local feel. Equally distributed nose of brambly fruit, smokey meat, flowers, leather and pepper spice. Lots of mulberry and blackberry compote, fresh leather, violet, woodsmoke, fermented charcuterie, pastille, rich spices like allspice and cloves, roasted peppercorn and herbs. Very mineral, steely almost, matches to this wine’s more acid driven and edgy style. I sense WC but its very integrated, smart use of stems here. Textural persistence with its young ‘15 tannin, granular, chewy/sinewy presence. I’m enjoying its youthful tightness and slight reduction quite a bit now, there’s verve and freshness. 95 SY 5 VIO 100 WC
1 person found it helpfulJun 16th, 2019Owner and founder of C. T. Bucklin Wine Advising
Great character, structure, and length. Touch of funk. Tighter than the 2017. This is northern Rhône Syrah!
Great character, structure, and length. Touch of funk. Tighter than the 2017. This is northern Rhône Syrah!
Mar 9th, 2019
Took so much time to open up but charming on day 2 after a recork in the fridge. Violets, fresh blue-cran-strawberry, fine lardons. Soft texture and lacy tannins.
Took so much time to open up but charming on day 2 after a recork in the fridge. Violets, fresh blue-cran-strawberry, fine lardons. Soft texture and lacy tannins.
Mar 11th, 2021
Very dark, dense. Very bright for Northern Rhone Syrah. Totally traditional and slightly low in refinement but preferable to many modern Cote-Rotie producers making over-polished wines. Super-authentic complex but the low-quality cork might hinder its development.
Very dark, dense. Very bright for Northern Rhone Syrah. Totally traditional and slightly low in refinement but preferable to many modern Cote-Rotie producers making over-polished wines. Super-authentic complex but the low-quality cork might hinder its development.
Aug 18th, 2020