| Region of production: | Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu |
| Winery Location: | Verenay (Ampuis) |
| Year Established: | 1969 |
Vineyard Holdings
6.48 ha
4 ha total
Côte-Rôtie: 3.5 ha; soil is mica schist
- La Viallière: 1.3 ha, planted in 1958 and 1985
- Les Grandes Places: 0.7 ha, planted in 1935
- Champon: 1 ha, planted in the 1960s, 1986 and 1987
Condrieu:
- Chéry: 0.5 ha, planted in 1984 and 1985
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Côte-Rôtie: 96% Syrah, 4% Viognier
- Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places: 100% Syrah, exclusively from old vines in named vineyard. Inaugural vintage 1988.
- Côte Rôtie La Viallière: 95% Syrah, 5% Viognier, mostly from the oldest vines in named vineyard. Inaugural vintage 2009.
Average Total Production
- 15,000 bottles
Summary
Founded in 1969 by René Clusel, the domaine assumed its present form upon his retirement in 1989. At that time, René’s son Gilbert took over with his wife Brigitte – her surname, Roch, was appended to the domaine name. Clusel-Roch has been certified organic in the vineyard since 2002, and they’re big proponents of the older selections of local Syrah known as Sérine. They began their own personal nursery in 1991, selecting cuttings from their older vines with the goal of better expressing the terroir of Côte-Rôtie. Clusel-Roch’s vineyards are primarily in the northern sector, and their wines display power and grip, often needing significant bottle aging to show their best.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Clusel-Roch reds are made with partial whole clusters and no yeast additions; they are fined with egg whites but not filtered. The top wines are aged in barriquesfor 24 months, and the percentage of new oak used today is between 10-30% each year (their new oak usage has decreased since the mid-2000s). The red wines are firm in structure and usually require time to show their quality. The whites are vinified one-third in tank and two-thirds in oak, and all wines are pressed with a wooden, horizontal basket press.
Producer Website: Clusel-Roch