Tasted in St.Amour with Richard Rottiers, 22 February 2024.

Domaine Richard Rottiers
La Sambinerie
71570 Romanèche-Thorins
Tel: +33 6 63 38 16 35
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www.domainerichardrottiers.com
More reports with Domaine Richard Rottiers

Richard on 2022:
“Fortunately, in 22 we had rain when we needed it so I made 45 hl/ha which I’m very happy with – the wines are balanced and I think will bring a super vintage. After the frost of 2021 we had a lot of grapes in 2022 – but they were small ones so I think the relative dryness helped because the volumes could have exploded – I have 7 cuvées in 22 – a hot summer but with enough mm of rain in August, 10 days before he harvested, to get us over the line in maturity. ”

His wine bar – opened in Romanèche in 2023 – has worked well. It will re-open in April for 2024 – he found it was best to open Thursday to Saturday as there were too few visitors outside this time – but he’s happy – and I think it is important as there was so little in the old centre of Romanèche- I hope it helps start a boost to what is possibly the most important/visible cru of Beaujolais.

The wines…

Just ultra-drinkable wines – it’s Richard’s calling card…

2022 Beaujolais Villages La Sambinerie
2 of Richard’s 10 hectares are here.
A cushioned and pretty red fruit. Hmm – fresh and intense, a little direct – I like the intensity and there’s a slight salinity. This finishes very easily and nicely clean – yum! There’s a very elegant and mineral style to this wine.

2022 Brouilly
Always a contract and Richard does the harvest – first made in 2016 when his MaV was hailed and he’s made it ever since. ‘I chose it because it was so different to Moulin à Vent – near Chateau Pierreux’
A broader, more textured nose. Larger scale with a little more structural shape, faintly grained with tannin – but not dry. Some nice zesty finishing bitters in the mouth-watering finish – yum!

2022 Moulin à Vent
The first of 5 cuvées from here – this the largest cuvée an assembly of most of his parcels.
Perfumed with a little more depth to these aromas. Mouth-filling with juicy energy – a certain delicious sucrosity and complexity. The finish is simply delicious – but still with a hint of finishing structure – yes!

2022 Moulin à Vent Mortperay
Not a well-known climat – because it was mainly owned by one vigneron for a long time – but they have now retired. On the limit with Fleurie next to Roilette. There’s more clay here
A little more colour. A good width of fresh, slightly dark-red fruit. Ooh, but that’s more open in the flavour, melting over the palate – more concentrated but fresh – there’s a little creamy oak in the finishing flavours then a hint of salinity. Wait a year, perhaps two for the oak

20222 Moulin à Vent Dernier Souffle
Named because it’s near the cemetery! All on granite. Richard’s first parcel in Moulin
A good vibrancy of aroma here – darker-red fruit again. Extra freshness and energy – a wine with tension. Finishing clean and finer – more mineral than fruit – it’s not a concentrated finish but it’s a lovely one.

2022 Moulin à Vent Champ de Cour
Some alluvial soil here over the granite.
A little more direct fruit here. Large in the mouth – full of energy and more overt concentration. Ooh, that’s a super finish – the merest suggestion of barrel – you probably won’t notice in a year…