Boutinot’s love affair with the Southern Rhone spans thirty years of making wine in the region. In 2010, the relationship was sealed with the purchase of a winery and vineyards above the village of Cairanne. Domaine Boutinot’s seven vineyards are planted with classic southern Rhone grape varieties, old vine Grenache Noir and Syrah, Mourvedre and Carignan Noir, and they all sit within the Cairanne Cru boundaries, sanctioned in 2016 when Cairanne was granted its own appellation status.Working with our vigneron neighbours we are helping to revive traditional grape varieties such as Cinsault and Counoise, and in the cellar we prefer time-honoured winemaking methods such as a long cuvasion aided only by natural yeasts, gentle remontage, manual pigeage and patient maturation in a nursery of French oak barrels.
Vineyards
Common practice in the Cotes du Rhone is to bottle the best cuvees as a single, named, village wine and the rest as more basic Cotes du Rhone Villages. Boutinot’s philosophy, on the other hand, is to start with the intention of making the very best Cotes du Rhone Villages possible by sourcing wine from the vineyards of named villages, and enriching them with a small proportion of barrel-aged wine from Sablet, Seguret and Cairanne. Boutinot’s Cotes du Rhone Villages ‘Les Coteaux’ is therefore a selection of the best Grenache Noir and Syrah from some of the 17 named Cotes du Rhone Villages. We source wine from a number of growers with exceptional terroir and so have the flexibility to select only the very best fruit each vintage (rejecting parcels which do not meet our high standards).
Vinification
Mostly unoaked, a small proportion (20%) is part-aged for 22 months in a few new, but mostly older, oak barrels to bring depth and subtle notes of complexity.
Tasting Notes
Immediately impressive, this wine reveals its class from the start. Brambly fruit underpinned by subtle oaky nuances, lovely sweet spice – warm star anise with a touch of cinnamon. This classic Cotes du Rhone Villages is enriched with specially-selected parcels from the cru vineyards of Seguret, Sablet and Cairanne.
A delicious accompaniment to grilled meats, casseroles or a classic shepherd’s pie.
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