Cote Rotie Bassenon

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

High-density planting (8,000-10,000 vines per hectare). No insecticides few treatments (depending on weather), small amount of organic-only fertiliser, with respect of soil and vine balance. Vigour and yield control, leaf-thinning and green harvesting to promote grape maturation.

Aged for 18 months in barriques.

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.