La Viallière Côte-Rôtie

Domaine Jean-Michel Gerin is a family owned winery located in the heart of Côte Rôtie, near the village of Ampuis in the Rhône Valley. Hailing from a family of grape growers, Jean Michel established his eponymous winery in 1983, the first in his family to make wine. While he sources much of his fruit from family owned vineyards dating back to his grandfather’s time, he has also purchased land along the way, buying his first vineyard in the famed ‘Les Grandes Places’ in 1988, followed by a second purchase in ‘La Landonne.’ Today, the estate covers a little more than 30 acres in the Côte Rôtie appellation and much smaller plots in Condrieu and the northern Rhône, which Jean-Michel farms alongside his two sons, Michäel and Alexis.

La Viallière is located directly under Les Grandes Places and sits 200-230m a.s.l. 1.8 ha is owned by JM Gerin. Vines are 18+ years old and are a mix of Massale selection (15%) and clones (85%). Grown in micaschiste soil on hillside vineyards with exposure from South/Southeast.

Grapes are 100% destemmed and macerated for 30 days. Gerin uses native yeasts for all their wines. Aged 22 months in demi-muids (600L oak barrels, 40% new oak).

Beautiful notes of red fruits and spices framed by gunflint and black olives. Saturated ruby color. A complex, intensely perfumed bouquet evokes energetic dark berry, floral pastille, olive and smoky mineral qualities, while a peppery nuance slowly emerges. Sappy, penetrating and pure, showing impressive lift and appealing sweetness to the spice-tinged blueberry and cherry cola flavors.