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One of the greatest wines of the world is the Syrah-based C\\xf4te R\\xf4tie, from the northernmost appellation in the northern Rh\\xf4ne. Named "roasted slope" after the sun that bathes the south-facing slopes, the region is less than 25 miles south of Lyon near the town of Ampuis, and is at the cool-climate limit for growing Syrah.

This week we explain what makes these wines, from this tiny, historic area, so very fascinating and why they truly are one of the greatest wines in the world.\\xa0

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I think the best thing to do in the show notes this time is to list the things that are hard to catch on the show. Rather than a lengthy recap, this time I\'ll list the regions and producers mentioned!

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Sub areas

\\xa0Ampuis: The area that lies above Ampuis town contains the\\xa0best sites. The Reynard River serves as the geological dividing lie between the schist soils of the northern part of the appellation, and the granite soils in the south.\\xa0

Schist:\\xa0

• Cote Brune \\u2013 Schist soils make\\xa0 powerful, tannic, darker
• Chavaroche\\xa0\\u2013\\xa0Borders Cote Brune. Bernard Levet produces a single vineyard Cote Rotie from here
• La Landonne\\xa0\\u2013 Famed for Guigal\\u2019s La Landonne but Gerinn, Rene Rostaing, Delas and\\xa0Xavier Gerard also make wine from here
• Cote Rozier-\\xa0some of the steepest sites in Cote Rotie. Great wines include Ogier\\u2019s\\xa0Belle Helene, and wines from Jamet, Guigal, Bonnefond and Gangloff

• Cote blonde \\u2013 Vastly different soils and more Viognier. The soil is granite and the wines are more aromatic and lighter. The famed La Mouline vineyard is here

The village of Tupin\\xa0 has no single vineyards but makes some great wine

The Village of Verenay\\xa0is the next village upstream from Ampuis, and producers full, rich, long-lived wines. The vineyards of interest are\\xa0Grandes Places, and\\xa0Vialliere (10 hectares makes it quite variable in quality)