Producer
René Rostaing
René Rostaing retired after the 2014 vintage, leaving the estate in the capable hands of his son Pierre. René had spent 40 years building a reputation as the patriarch of the Northern Rhône, and Pierre’s handling of the 2015s and 2016s showed a seamless handover has taken place. For the 2017 vintage the house recipe remains unchanged: old vines from the region’s greatest sites, a high proportion of whole bunch vinification,...Read more
René Rostaing retired after the 2014 vintage, leaving the estate in the capable hands of his son Pierre. René had spent 40 years building a reputation as the patriarch of the Northern Rhône, and Pierre’s handling of the 2015s and 2016s showed a seamless handover has taken place. For the 2017 vintage the house recipe remains unchanged: old vines from the region’s greatest sites, a high proportion of whole bunch vinification, long macerations, and restrained use of new French oak. Pierre has continued his father’s inimitable style in Condrieu, fermenting the wine in stainless steel. The estate is known for its unique use of Rototanks for its red fermentation – closed horizontal tanks with internal plunging mechanisms. René started using these in 1985 and believes they give much gentler pigeage than what can be achieved by hand. The closed tanks also help protect the wines from oxidation. This enables long maceration times, and the resulting wines are typically deep in colour, full of flavour, and abundant in tannins.Read less
