Domaine Jean Michel Stéphan

Coteau de Bassenon Côte-Rôtie Syrah

9.385 ratings
9.438 pro ratings
Côte-Rôtie, Northern Rhône, Rhône, France
Syrah
Lamb
Top Notes For
Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.8

Heaven. Ethereal.

Heaven. Ethereal.

Oct 10th, 2023
Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.2

Atypical vintage if this. Most fruit driven Stephan I’ve tasted.

Atypical vintage if this. Most fruit driven Stephan I’ve tasted.

Oct 9th, 2022
Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

Stunning but young. So nimble and complex. Mint, game, so delicate. So elegant. Sweet but also tannic. So complex. So elegant. No formal notes.

Stunning but young. So nimble and complex. Mint, game, so delicate. So elegant. Sweet but also tannic. So complex. So elegant. No formal notes.

Jul 2nd, 2021
LM Segal

Blew my mind. Luscious purple PnP, deep red floral nose, mineral and sleek black cherry. Enough structure for long aging but ready to go. Just wow.

Blew my mind. Luscious purple PnP, deep red floral nose, mineral and sleek black cherry. Enough structure for long aging but ready to go. Just wow.

Sep 1st, 2019
Mason Balistreri

Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits

9.6

Cool label, but can you explain what the hell "sérine" is? Apparently it's some tight clustered Syrah clone that's both "highly precise" and "vulnerable to disease". Sounds risky... Especially considering this comes from the frighteningly steep terraces of Cote Rotie. Not only that, but the wines were made without new oak or sulfur. He also picks early and uses some amount of carbonic maceration. Jean Michel Stephan uses to work for Guigal, but I guess he must of learned "what not to do" instead of mimicking the style.

The intensity is beyond belief! Cote Rotie is already aromatic, but this is amplified by the carbonic quality. Further, there's a large amount of Viognier here too, which lends a bright tropical punch in the midst of classic Syrah notes (tapenade? meatiness?). There's some similarity to the Matthieu Barret Cornas I just drank, but this has far more clarity in the aromatics - a quality both important and underrated. So striking here are the aromatics, it's hard to even move on to actually tasting the wine - but once you do, it surprises again.

This wine's balance is very strange... No oak, but the high acidity is tapered by carbonic maceration. It's soft, but lean at the same time. There's a slight oily texture which might be from the Viognier, but it's counter balanced by an amazing display of fresh fruit. Raspberry, pear, black cherry, and even pineapple. From the nose to the mid palate it's an exhilarating wine., but the finish is noticeably abrupt. The tannins are tart and bitter like the skin of an under ripe plum. Aesthetically it works. From the nose all the way into the mid palate, this wine is so "over-the-top" that a sudden, unexpected bitterness comes across as a moment of clarity instead of disappointment.

I highly recommend the wine. I hope to taste other vintages and bottlings.

#syrah #naturalwine #coterotie #northernrhone #jeanmichelstephan #syrah #biodynamic #rhone #northernrhone #rhonevalley

Cool label, but can you explain what the hell "sérine" is? Apparently it's some tight clustered Syrah clone that's both "highly precise" and "vulnerable to disease". Sounds risky... Especially considering this comes from the frighteningly steep terraces of Cote Rotie. Not only that, but the wines were made without new oak or sulfur. He also picks early and uses some amount of carbonic maceration. Jean Michel Stephan uses to work for Guigal, but I guess he must of learned "what not to do" instead of mimicking the style.

The intensity is beyond belief! Cote Rotie is already aromatic, but this is amplified by the carbonic quality. Further, there's a large amount of Viognier here too, which lends a bright tropical punch in the midst of classic Syrah notes (tapenade? meatiness?). There's some similarity to the Matthieu Barret Cornas I just drank, but this has far more clarity in the aromatics - a quality both important and underrated. So striking here are the aromatics, it's hard to even move on to actually tasting the wine - but once you do, it surprises again.

This wine's balance is very strange... No oak, but the high acidity is tapered by carbonic maceration. It's soft, but lean at the same time. There's a slight oily texture which might be from the Viognier, but it's counter balanced by an amazing display of fresh fruit. Raspberry, pear, black cherry, and even pineapple. From the nose to the mid palate it's an exhilarating wine., but the finish is noticeably abrupt. The tannins are tart and bitter like the skin of an under ripe plum. Aesthetically it works. From the nose all the way into the mid palate, this wine is so "over-the-top" that a sudden, unexpected bitterness comes across as a moment of clarity instead of disappointment.

I highly recommend the wine. I hope to taste other vintages and bottlings.

#syrah #naturalwine #coterotie #northernrhone #jeanmichelstephan #syrah #biodynamic #rhone #northernrhone #rhonevalley

Jun 27th, 2018
Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.6

Producer > Vintage

Producer > Vintage

Dec 23rd, 2017
Rajat Parr

Founder Sandhi Wines & Domaine de la Côte, Evening Lands Vineyards, Seven Springs & Maison l'Oree

9.6

Explosive and intense. Classic and natural. Great!!

Explosive and intense. Classic and natural. Great!!

2 people found it helpfulApr 20th, 2015
Brendan Baker

Violets, red fruit, slightly wild, med body, med + acid 😍

Violets, red fruit, slightly wild, med body, med + acid 😍

1 person found it helpfulDec 18th, 2022
Seth Liebman

Wine Director/Sommelier

9.4

Racing acidity. Wonderful.

Racing acidity. Wonderful.

Jun 8th, 2017
Matt

Aromatically lifted, freshness, pure with loads of bright acid and tannin finesse. Burgundian in its suave personality

Aromatically lifted, freshness, pure with loads of bright acid and tannin finesse. Burgundian in its suave personality

Apr 1st, 2017