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Tasting Notes
Medium plus bodied with matching tannin and acidity, the wine is impeccably balanced with blackberry, raspberry, and cherry fruit, followed by violets, garrigues, mineral and licorice spice that lingers in the layered finished.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Compelling in its youth, the 2020 Le Champon by Clusel Roch exudes elegance, complexity, and length.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Syrah
100%See-RA
Syrah is widely planted throughout the world, but that was not so until the late twentieth century when Syrah was principally grown in the Rhone Valley and, as Shiraz, in Australia. Stylistically, the Palate Character of Syrah can vary depending on ripeness from a rich Round & Fleshy, Tone & Backbone, to a Powerful & Extracted. The flavors and aromas can also vary with a dark, sometimes sweet, fruit character, varying amount of spice, floral, and earth, and smoke, and meaty aromas and flavors.
Clusel-Roch makes its home in Verenay on the cliff-like granite hillsides of Côte-Rôtie. Making wine on these steep slopes is not for the meek, as the slopes require everything to be done by hand.
Clusel-Roch was founded in 1935 and now this tiny 3.5-hectare domaine is run by Gilbert Clusel, his wife Brigit, and their son, Guillaume. The Syrah grapes planted are low-yielding and result in intense fruit, then wine that is distinctly of the terroir.
The Clusel family were early pioneers in organic farming, converting fully in 1990. Everything in this vineyard is the result of incredible care, hard work, and respect for the terroir, and it shows.
Blackberry
Violet
Garrigue
Organic
