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Walls: Top-quality and great-value Côte-Rôtie alternatives

With the complex and aromatic wines of Côte-Rôtie in high demand, and prices climbing out of reach, Matt Walls identifies a number of Côte-Rôtie alternatives from both the Rhône and further afield which deliver on style, complexity and price.

When a grape variety is given time to ripen slowly and gradually, it develops its aromas one by one. The grape has time to listen to those aromas, to remember them all, layering them like tints in a watercolour.

When there is no race for ripeness, a grape can meander through non-fruit aromas, the subtle tones of flowers, spices and herbs that speak more of a place than of simply a grape variety.

This is why we love Syrah from the northern apex of the Rhône Valley: Côte-Rôtie. I’d drink it every day if it wasn’t so bloody expensive.


Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for Matt Walls’ Côte-Rôtie alternatives



14 Côte-Rôtie alternatives:


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