Domaine Jean-Michel Gérin - Côte-Rôtie Champin Le Seigneur 2023

The 2023 Côte-Rôtie Champin le Seigneur is made from 11 plots—representing approximately nine of the estate’s 20 hectares—located primarily in the northern part of the appellation, on schist soils, with about 5% Viognier planted alongside the main variety. Fully destemmed and fermented in stainless steel tanks, it aged for 22 months in barrels, 30% of which were new barrels from the coopers Rémond and Ermitage. Opening with aromas of licorice, black fruit, and oak, marked by a reductive and slightly meaty note, this wine is medium-bodied to full-bodied, juicy and round yet structured, supported by firm, slightly woody tannins, and concludes with a meaty finish.

The Jean-Michel Gerin estate was founded in 1983 with the purchase of a vineyard plot in Côte-Rôtie. Jean-Michel comes from a family that has been settled in the region for six generations. The estate’s first vintage was released in 1987, following the incorporation of the family’s vineyards (those of Marcel and Alfred Guerin) into the Jean-Michel Gerin estate. In 1988, the estate carried out its first separate vinification, first from the “Les Grandes Places” vineyard, then in 1996 with grapes from the “La Landonne” plot. The winemaker undertook renovations in the early 1990s; the Jean-Michel Gerin estate was then equipped with a fermentation room and a barrel cellar. The vineyard expanded in 2003, when planting began on the “La Viallière” plot in Côte-Rôtie, on slopes ranging from 40% to 60%. The first vintages were produced in 2009. Michaël and Alexis Gerin later joined the Jean-Michel Gerin estate, which had expanded to about a dozen hectares by the 2010s.

Bright purple color. A classic Syrah aroma, peppery and slightly sweet. On the palate, lively and full of character, it then reveals a very flavorful side, with a clean finish, without ever feeling thin. A pure delight.