Yves Cuilleron Syrah "Les Vignes d'à Côté" 2023

Alcohol: 13,5%

Grape(s): Syrah

Localization: Nothern Rhône, France

Tasting Notes: Nice fresh red fruits and delicate spices give a lovely expression of the Syrah.

Notes: Naturel cover cropping to avoid erosion. No insecticides with respect to soil and vine balance, few treatments (depending on weather and the necessary), and a small amount of organic fertilizer. Vigour and yield control, leaf-thinning, and green harvesting to promote grape ripening. Disbudding on the spring. 7 months with 50% in barrels 50% in stainless steel tanks.

Food pairing: Charcuterie or grilled meat.

The Domain: Yves Cuilleron applies just one principle to vinification: "Keep things as simple as possible." He is also deeply attached to local traditions. His grapes are invariably hand-picked and meticulously sorted; for the alcoholic fermentation, natural yeasts only and no other oenological products, just temperature control.

For Yves Cuilleron, "making a perfect wine," a wine like every other, is inconceivable. He wants "a wine with Cuilleron’s signature!" A wine that bears the hallmarks of its terroir and vintage but also has its own, original character. This is why Yves Cuilleron prefers parcel-based vinification; why he separates old and younger vines; and why he takes account of the various vineyard districts. Only then does he blend some of his cuvées (or not), if they are sufficiently similar. For Yves Cuilleron, nothing is written in stone. And, most important of all, he does not consider his wines in terms of a "hierarchy;" rather, each wine has its very own style. And style means zero compromises: if the cuvée is fruity-led, it is vinified accordingly. If it will benefit from aging, then his approach differs.