The colour is deep garnet. On the nose black cherries, prunes, coffee, chocolate, cola. In the mouth savoury and fresh, with well integrated tannins. The aftertaste is long.
La Chatillonne is the top-of-the-line wine of Vidal-Fleury.
Established in 1781 in the Côte-Rôtie vineyard, Vidal-Fleury is the oldest continuously operating winery in the Rhône valley. In 1984 it was acquired by Guigal.
The Côte-Rôtie wine region is divided into Côte Brune and Côte Blonde. The difference is due to the geological origin of the soil. To the south of the appellation, the Côte Blonde’s parcels lie atop a substrate composed primarily of gneiss. To the north of the appellation, the Côte Brune’s parcels lie atop a substrate composed of mica-schist. When these rocks degrade, they form less siliceous soils, with a higher clay content, richer in iron and dark in colour, hence the name.
La Chatillonne is a single vineyard owned by Vidal-Fleury on the terraces of the Côte Blonde. To make this wine (mainly) Syrah and (some) Viognier grapes are macerated and fermented together. Only some 4’000 bottles are produced per year.
For this bottle I paid 60 EUR directly at the winery when I visited in 2015. On the company website, the current vintage sells for 106 EUR.
Country: France
Region: Côte-Rôtie
Grapes: Syrah, Viognier
Type: Red
Vintage: 2009
Producer: Vidal-Fleury
Price range: Extra (50-100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 3/5