Domaine Yves Cuilleron Côte-Rôtie 'Madinière' Syrah Viognier 2024

Domaine Yves Cuilleron Côte-Rôtie 'Madinière' Syrah Viognier is a fleshy, velvety red taken from the appellation's northern end.

Five hectares of schist looking south and south-east make up the holding, with a few per cent of Viognier lifting the aromatics. Picking is manual, the must stays three weeks on skins in open cuves under wild yeasts, and the plots come together after eighteen months of oak.

Flesh and weight define the palate, carried by velvety tannins and enough freshness to keep the long finish clean. Serve at 16°C with roast pork, mushroom risotto or a plate of cured meats.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: Red Wine
Style: Full-bodied, dry
Grape Varietal: Syrah with a small share of Viognier
Tastes Like: Côte-Rôtie, the northern Rhône's benchmark for Syrah
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Côte-Rôtie AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée: France's protected appellation system; Côte-Rôtie, the 'roasted slope', is the northernmost red appellation of the Rhône, where Syrah may be blended with a little Viognier)
Region: Côte Brune, Côte-Rôtie, northern Rhône, France
Terroir: A blend of parcels on the Côte Brune in the north of the appellation, on schist soils facing south and south-east
Aging: In barriques
Serving Temperature: 16-18°C

Domaine Yves Cuilleron is a family estate at Chavanay, in the northern Rhône valley between Condrieu and Saint-Joseph. Yves's grandfather Claude Cuilleron founded it in 1920 and began bottling the wines in 1947; Yves's uncle Antoine took over in 1960, and Yves took charge in 1987 with just 3.5 hectares in Condrieu and Saint-Joseph. He made his first Côte-Rôtie in 1988, bought vines in Saint-Péray and Cornas in 2006 and in Crozes-Hermitage from 2012, and the domaine now makes wine across six of the northern Rhône's appellations. In 1996 Yves also co-founded Les Vins de Vienne with two neighbouring growers, Pierre Gaillard and François Villard.

Madinière takes its name from a stream (it is not a single vineyard) and gathers parcels from the Côte Brune, the appellation's northern slope of dark schist, facing south and south-east. It is almost all Syrah, with a little Viognier in the blend, and it is aged in barriques. A Côte-Rôtie for the charcuterie and pastry-wrapped dishes of the Lyon bistros.

Charcuterie: Hot pork and veal pâté in pastry
Poultry: Roast quail with grapes and bacon
Beef: Beef fillet with a red wine sauce
Vegetables: Baked onions stuffed with mushrooms

Saint-Marcellin: Soft cow's milk cheese, a Lyon bistro favourite
Comté: Firm, aged Alpine cheese
Fourme d'Ambert: Gentle blue from the Auvergne
Mont d'Or: Rich, spoonable cheese for the cooler months

Pâté Chaud (Hot Pork and Veal Pâté in Pastry)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 2 sheets butter puff pastry (about 400g)
• 300g pork mince (not too lean)
• 200g veal mince
• 100g chicken livers, trimmed and finely chopped
• 2 French shallots, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tbsp Cognac
• 1 egg, plus 1 yolk for glazing
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley and 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 1 tsp salt, pepper and a good pinch of quatre épices (or allspice)

Instructions:

1. Mix the pork, veal, livers, shallots, garlic, Cognac, egg, herbs, salt, pepper and spices thoroughly. Fry a teaspoon to check the seasoning.
2. Heat the oven to 200°C. Lay one pastry sheet on a lined tray and shape the filling into a long loaf down the centre, leaving a 3cm border.
3. Brush the border with yolk, lay the second sheet over and press the edges to seal. Trim, crimp with a fork and cut a small steam hole in the top.
4. Glaze with yolk, decorate with the trimmings and bake for 20 minutes, then lower to 180°C for 25-30 minutes more, until deep golden and the filling is cooked through (70°C in the centre).
5. Rest for 10 minutes and serve warm in thick slices, with a green salad dressed with mustard vinaigrette.

The pâté chaud, a pâté baked in pastry and served hot, is a starter you still find in the bouchons of Lyon and the inns of the Rhône valley. Côte-Rôtie is Lyon's own great red, and its Syrah has the structure for the rich pork filling while its freshness cuts through the buttery pastry.