Domaine François Villard

Don’t let the name confuse you, this famous Côte-Rôtie is called after the two growers Francois Villard originally purchased the grapes from, Mr. Gallet and Mr. Blanc, to make this beautifully crafted example of Côte-Rôtie on the brune soils. 90% whole cluster, 13 days of maceration in open wood and stainless, and 18 months in French oak (15% new), this centre-cut classic weighs in at a fleetfooted 12.5% and it ages 10-15 years with ease. A blend of six lieux-dits in Ampuis and St Cyr (Le Plomb, Cote Bodin, Le Grand Taillis, Montlys, Servonnière & le Mont) with an annual production of only ~24,000 bottles. Only 35hl/ha, 7,500 vines / hectare, in Cordon de Royat and Gobelet training. Average of 20-year-old vines, south and southeast facing. Don’t let the old-school medium body alcohol deceive you: This wine has powerful, dark fruited aromatics, a beautifully ripe aroma that’s as fresh as it is textbook bacon fat. As the wonderful Matt Walls at Decanter puts it: “Generous but not heavy with clarity and intensity on the palate, and surprising energy for the vintage. Acidity is quite marked, the alcohol is far from low but it's not unbalanced. Long finish, with a mineral note. Dry, powerful, oaky but not oak-dominated.” Cellaring potential: 15 years.