Tasted in Romanèche-Thorins with a windswept Richard Rottiers, 19 May 2016.
Domaine Richard Rottiers
La Sambinerie
71570 Romanèche-Thorins
Tel: +33 6 63 38 16 35
www.domainerichardrottiers.com
Here is a quiet and old quarter in Romanèche-Thorins – “Yes I’m lucky to have found this place,” says Richard.
Richard says that this isn’t a family domaine, rather he started in 2007, taking on the vines from a vigneron who was retiring – 3 hectares of 40-80-year-old vines, all in Moulin à Vent. Richard had previously worked in Beaujolais at Château Thivin, but also in Chablis, Gaillac, South Africa, New Zealand and the Luberon. It was only by accident that I worked out that he wasn’t originally from the region – his mother is Lyne Marchive at Domaine des Malandes in Chablis.
Today, Richard has 5 hectares in 25 different parcels. Having started with just Moulin à Vent, there is now some Beaujolais villages too, including some white. Conversion to Bio began in 2012 and the domaine has been certified since 2015 – “Actually I began right away in 2007, but only very slowly because of the old vines,” he says.
The wines…
Mainly very young wines here – but very tasty wines…
2015 Beaujolais Villages Blanc
From 60 yo chardonnay vines ‘on quite a clay soil but not limestone which I think is needed…’ All fermentation barrel.
Round, some freshness to the ripe nose, faint vanilla. Quite a floral fruit, decent energy, the fruit is bubble-gum style but this has nicer flavours than many for me, but there’s also a minerality here that’s not at all austere.
2015 Beaujolais Villages La Samibiniere
Sitting right next to Moulin à Vent. 60 yo vines, always hand harvested and triaged in the vines – ‘I need people who know what they are doing. I Never destem.’ 35 hl/ha…
A fine wide and fresh nose – this is very attractive indeed. Big, with a hint bubblegum flavour, huge with lots of growing intensity, round and with great layers of flavour. This is yum! And the flavour holds very well in the finish too!
2015 Moulin à Vent
Less than 30 hl/ha, in bottle for just 1 month. This spends some time in barrel, but it’s designed to be fruity and accessible. Here with ‘grillage’ – the grill in the tank to keep the cap from floating during fermentation.
Fresh, wide, this has a silky dark nose – fine! Wide and with growing volume, soon filling every corner of the mouth. A velvet texture and with very attractive fruit too – this us really lovely – indeed excellent. Mouth watering finish, adding a floral note to the flavours…
2014 Moulin à Vent Champ de Cour
‘An area with plenty of material but also with finesse – like Chambolle!’ 80 yo vines.
A bright nose, freshness and a modest pyrazine note. Big in the mouth but without the gras of the last wine, lots of fresh floral complexity, just a suggestion of vanilla – beautifully floral finishing.