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  • Serine Serenade: Clusel-Roch Côte Rôtie Les Grandes Places

    Serine Serenade: Clusel-Roch Côte Rôtie Les Grandes Places

    Visit any cellar filled with Northern Rhone greats like Jamet and Chave, you're likely to find a small amount of Domaine Clusel-Roch. At 3.5 hectares. small is the critical factor as to why the domaine's wines are scarcely found. But, in quality they sit atop the scale of Northern Rhone Syrah. The highlight of their range is the Les Grandes Places, sourced from 1935-planted Serine vines.

    Today, I'm happy to offer for 2012 Clusel-Roch Côte Rôtie Les Grandes Places for the lowest price in the U.S., and the 2010 Côte Rôtie, the only listing in the world.

    The small berries found in bunches of Serine planted in Côte Rôtie produce wines of both immense concentration and intense perfume. Just one hectare of 84-yr-old Serine planted on iron and mica-schist form the foundation of Les Grandes Places. Looking at Clusel-Roch's tête de cuvée, one might expect a powerhouse wine as compared to their others, however it's truly the vivid floral and secondary traits that make this wine one of most celebrated of the Rhône. 

    Violet, smoke, bitter chocolate, and roasted meats with black pepper stand out first and foremost. Blue and black fruits with licorice tones fill the mid palate, and the persistent mineral conclusion is everything you expect to find with classic Côte Rôtie, the coolest of all the Northern Rhone appellations.

    The domaine diverges from other traditionalists in their partial de-stemming and use of some new barrique. 50% for Les Grandes Places and 20% for the Côte Rôtie classique. If there was a model in the entire Northern Rhone for how best to illustrate deft incorporation of some new wood I am taken to Clusel-Roch far quicker than the other usual suspects, such as Guigal and Ogier. Clusel-Roch has really formed their following by appealing first and foremost to traditional-leaning palates, while still being admired by those who regularly chase the La La's.

    With the lowest and only price offered, respectively, this is a combo not to be missed. I've also taken things down even further by offering special pricing on mixed 2-packs. 
    Posted by Alexander Rosen

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