Domaine Christophe Billon
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8 products
Why can't a wine have both the boldness of the Parker era while simultaneously being supercharged with the energetic lightning bolt of acidity and minerality we so dearly love? Well, both those worlds are embodied by the wines of one Christophe Billon: a riveting, lifted and airy range of Cote-Roties with perfectly-integrated new oak.
With vines atop the hill of Cote-Rotie in Ampuis dating back to the mid-40s, Christophe Billon started his still-humble domaine in 1991 while still carrying a day job at Guigal. In 2007, the domaine had become successful enough for Christophe to devote all of his energy to it; today four different cuvees from the roasted slope are crafted, brimming with personality and energy, rewarding that devotion.
Primarily from the Cote Brune portion of Cote-Rotie, the earliest plantings are from 1942, in Cote Rozier. Still generating stunningly complex fruit at the advanced age is reflective of the risk-reward of the steep slopes: due to the steep inclines, one must work these vineyards by hand which does limit the size of production one small domaine can take on. However, because of the hands-on methods necessitated, the vines are shown great care and any maladies seen in an up-close fashion.
In the cellar, the grapes are selected by hand and at least partially de-stemmed before fermentation, which is fully temperature-controlled. Because of the tannin structure of Cote Brune grapes, this is helpful in crafting more delicate and balanced wines. After a long, slow fermentation the wines are aged in barrels, a large portion of which are new each vintage.
