Cote Rotie Bassenon

Meat with a delicate yet characterful texture (e.g. roast quail with spice bread and prunes).

Origin: 1.5 ha of south-facing terraced vines on Coteau de Semons, in Tupin-Semons commune. “Bassenon” is not the district but the stream at the foot of the hill. Soil : granite and gneiss, typical of the south of this AOC area.

The wine is matured for 18 months in barrique barrels.

The grapes are picked by hand; and then sorted, crushed and partially destemmed in the cellar. Open, temperature-controlled vatting for about 3 weeks, with regular cap-punching and pumping-over. Malolactic-fermented in barriques with native yeasts.

Yves Cuilleron is described by Wine Spectator as the leader of Condrieu's new generation of winemakers. Yves represents the 4th generation of Cuilleron vignerons although he initially trained as a engineer. The lure of the vine proved too hard to resist and after a year's training at the Ecole Viticole in Macon he took over the vineyards in 1987. Since then he has built an entirely new winery at Chavany facility while at the same time he acquired additional vineyard property. The domaine now produces about 50 000 bottles annually divided between the appellations of St. Joseph Blanc St. Joseph Rouge Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu.