Description
“Yves Cuilleron is a superstar of the Northern Rhône” thewinedoctor.com
“Since I can remember, I’ve always loved tastings and good food. Wine has been part of my family’s history for four generations. The estate wasn’t destined for me, but my passion for winemaking drew me back to my roots, and in 1987 I took over my father’s estate.” Yves Cuilleron
“In the space of a decade, Yves Cuilleron has established himself as one of the leading lights of France’s Northern Rhône region. He’s a modernist, but not overly so: his wines straddle neatly the divide between traditionalists and the new-wave, in the sense that they retain their sense of place, but express their site in a slightly more approachable, immediate way. There’s purity to the fruit, and where new oak is used it isn’t excessive.” Wineanorack.com
Yves Cuilleron represents the 4th generation of Cuilleron vignerons even though he started his career as a mechanic. He caught the wine bug when he did is military service in Alsace and after a year’s training at Lycée Viticole de Mâcon, Yves took over his uncle estate in 1987. Since then he has built an entirely new winery in Chavanay and acquired additional vineyard in St. Joseph, Côte Rôtie and Condrieu. Yves is also very implicated in the community: he set up the ‘Vins de Vienne’ in 1996 with Pierre Gaillard and Herve Villard to re-introduce vines on the forgotten terroir of Seyssuel (located a few kilometres north of Vienne).
The top Cuilleron wines are planted 8000-10000 vines per hectare. There are no insecticides (for the last 20 years) or herbicides used in the vineyards. Yves Cuilleron rejects off-the-shelf ideas. His vision of vine cultivation is highly personal: not conventional, not organic, not biodynamic. And his philosophy is simple: “Produce the best possible grapes”. He practises “viticulture raisonnable”, an integrated, eco-friendly approach in which observation is key. All vine work vital to grape quality is conducted: planting of Viognier vines deriving solely from the family’s own yards (“selections massales”), and of Syrah vines from high-quality clones and from “selections massales”
An old vine cuvee (20 to 40 year old) coming from some of the steepest terraces on the domaine. This vineyard is more akin to Côte-Rôtie than your average St. Joseph.
On the nose, ripe, pepper-accented cherry and plum. In a lush, round, distinctly ripe style. Closes smooth and long, with slow-building tannins and a whiplash of rich dark fruits and spices.
Driven, pure and concentrated…. This fine offering is a treat
91-93 points, Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media : “(aged in 25% new oak for 18 months): Saturated ruby. Ripe cherry and blackberry on the deeply perfumed nose, complicated by notes of pipe tobacco, violet and candied licorice. Smoky and focused on the palate, offering gently sweet dark berry and floral pastille flavors sharpened by zesty acidity and a peppery nuance. Finishes sappy, gently sweet and very long, offering slow-building tannins and a late hint of cola.”
RRP: $73
