Rhone Valley
Domaine Mouton, Condrieu and Côte Rôtie
As proprietors of the landmark Auberge du Rozay since the 1700s, the Mouton family may well have been the best known innkeepers in the Northern Rhône. But after 37 years at the helm, Janette Mouton sold the historic inn as the family began to establish a new reputation as quality vignerons right across the street.
Janette’s son Jean-Claude heads up Domaine Mouton. With his wife Françoise, he tends 6.5 acres of vines on the slopes of Condrieu and just under 5 acres in the southern portion of Côte Rôtie. And business savvy Mom runs the domaine’s office.
The Moutons produce two versions of Condrieu and one Côte Rôtie. The fresh and fragrant Condrieu Côte Bonnette is vinified half in stainless steel and half in neutral barrels, and bottled in the June after harvest. The Condrieu Côte Châtillon is a richer Viognier, fermented in barrel and then aged on its lees in a combination of one-third new oak, one-third year-old, and one-third two-year-old barrels before being bottled in September. Domaine Mouton’s Côte Rôtie shows the typical refinement of wines from the southern portion of the appellation with textbook raspberry, violets and white pepper characteristics.
Domaine Facts
| Vines: | 6.5 acres of Viognier in Condrieu appellation 4.94 acres of Syrah in three sites in southern part of Côte Rôtie near Condrieu zone Note: Only 3 acres in Côte Rôtie are currently in production with young-vine parcel coming on line. |
| Wines: | Condrieu Côte Bonnette – 4.94 acres (2 hectares) Condrieu Côte Châtillon – 1.6 acres Côte Rôtie (100% Syrah) |
| Soil: | Decomposed granite in both appellations |
| Harvest: | Steep slopes require harvesting by hand using shallow bins |
| Yields: | 30 hectoliters/hectare on average for both Condrieu and Côte Rotie |
| Vinification & Elevage: |
All fruit is destemmed. Condrieu Côte Bonnette vinified half in stainless steel and half in neutral barrels, left on its lees and bottled in the June after harvest. Condrieu Côte Châtillon fermented in barrel and aged in one-third new oak, one-third year-old, and one-third two-year-old barrels. Left on lees with bâtonnage until bottling in September. Côte Rôtie fermented in open vat with manual pigeage and pumping-over for minimum three week maceration period. Aged 18 months in barrels, with up to 50% being new. |
| Annual Production: | 36,000 bottles /3000 cases |