Cote Rotie

After visiting Cote Rotie in 1787, Thomas Jefferson wrote: "Good wine is a daily necessity for me". Man, did the future third US president have it right. He traveled all over Europe, learning, tasting, discussing and  buying wine, but Cote Rotie is where he fell in love.

So, what is Cote Rotie? The words, literally mean "roasted slope", because of the multitudes of terraces, vertical slopes and their stone walls. The area, in northern Rhone, produces only red wines made with Syrah grapes. The law also allows up to 20% Viognier, a white grape used because it is very aromatic. Some producers use no Viognier, while others use the full 20% allowed. Hey, they are French, they have to be confusing!

Cote Rotie has two sub-regions, Cote Blonde and Cote Brune (gets even more complicated). The legend has it there were two sisters, one blonde and one brunette, in reality it actually has to do with the color of the soil, the Brune region having a much darker clay, making the wines fuller, containing more tannins and thus, being meant to age longer.

Buying a bottle of Cote Rotie, is where it gets trickier.The wines can range from $30 to $500, and I'm not even talking restaurant prices. Why the difference? Chateau D'Ampuis for example, should cost you anywhere from $26-27 to $35. La Moulinne $320-$350. I once had a chance to taste La Moulinne, and even though, it tasted as awesome as an afternoon on my leather couch watching football, I would rather use the $350, and buy a bunch of D'Ampuis, then spend a whole season worth of football on the couch.

They are called the three La-Las, La Moulinne, La Turque and La Landonne. They are single vineyard, or crus, and there are only about 1500 cases produced, which makes them pretty damn rare. They are produced only by Guigal, a producer once called by Robert Parker "the greatest winemaker in the world". Don't break the bank, Guigal sells 20-25 different wines, all just as delicious for a fraction of the price.

Pairing? Syrah is a peppery wine, thus any red meat will go. If you have any beef ribs, you should be in business, I like rosemary with it. Throw a steak on the grill, salt, pepper, if you have a little fresh rosemary sprinkle it on top. Then, if it's Sunday, settle on your favorite spot on the couch, pour yourself a glass, put the game on and ENJOY. Too bad this can't be an everyday occurance, because if I may quote a great man, "football and good wine, are a daily necessity for me". Thank God it's Sunday.

Next week, I will go to Washington state and try a little Pinot.