En Coteaux Vieilles Vignes is produced only in select vintages and sources from the oldest Serine vines in Bassenon and is supplemented with 15% of old vine Viognier.

Many visits along the wine route have left significant impressions on me. At the very top of the list is surely a July 2012 visit with Jean-Michel Stephan in Côte Rôtie. My friend and I had just finished taking in our first Bastille Day celebration in epic fashion at Lapierre's annual feast in Villié-Morgon. It's fitting that only days later we found ourselves atop the steep terraces of Côte Rôtie with a vigneron who remembers Marcel Lapierre as his greatest inspiration.

Jean-Michel takes an approach to vinification in Côte Rôtie that differs drastically from its neighbors. Stephan's philosophy, coming from his time in Villié-Morgon, mean that he employs full carbonic fermentation for his Syrah—a process customarily reserved for Gamay in Beaujolais.

As he explained to us, the whole clusters are placed into fermentation tanks free of sulphur additions, he pumps in some CO2, closes the hatch, and walks away. When he returns, the intracellular or "carbonic fermentation" is complete. On one hand this gives a fruitier note to Syrah, but the addition of stems counter that with spice, tannin, and freshness.