Jean-Michel Gérin : La Landonne 2023

Characteristics and tasting notes for La Landonne 2023 Jean-Michel Gérin

Tasting

Colour
The glass reveals a deep red colour with purple hues, enhanced by violet highlights.

Nose
Wonderfully complex, the nose evolves with aeration. It first reveals aromas of mocha, violet, Sichuan pepper and tapenade, before opening up to notes of smoky earth, game and fresh coconut.

Palate
Voluptuous and endowed with a fine saline minerality, the palate shows a noble tannic structure, both firm and elegant. It expresses flavours of black fruits such as blackberry and blackcurrant, complemented by touches of cocoa, liquorice and tapenade. The whole is underpinned by a minerality with hints of smoked bacon and earth, stretching towards a remarkably long finish.

Food and wine pairing

The estate recommends pairing this wine with a fillet of venison in a cocoa nib crust, with truffle-reduced jus and truffled mash. More generally, it will pair perfectly with feathered game, red meats in sauce (such as duck with cherries or beef with morels), as well as with matured cheeses.

Service and storage

This 2023 vintage requires patience to reveal its full potential. Its peak will begin around 2028-2029, and it can be cellared for enjoyment until approximately 2053. Aerating the wine in the glass is recommended to allow its full aromatic palette to express itself.

The authentic expression of a great Côte-Rôtie terroir

The estate

Founded in 1983 by Jean-Michel Gérin with the acquisition of a first plot, the estate is located in Ampuis, at the heart of the Rhône Valley in France. Historically rooted in the region for six generations, the family has significantly contributed to the appellation's renaissance. Today, the estate spans approximately 17 hectares and is led by the founder's sons, Michaël and Alexis Gérin. They carry on the family philosophy centred on the authentic expression of terroir, while also having guided the vineyard towards organic certification, achieved in 2023.

The vineyard

Hailing from the Côte-Rôtie appellation, this cuvée comes from the renowned lieu-dit La Landonne. The estate cultivates a micro-plot of 0.4 hectares here, characterised by extreme slopes reaching 58% gradient, which requires exclusively manual work and harvesting. The vines flourish on dark mica-schist soils, particularly rich in iron oxide and manganese, giving the wine its structure and distinctive aromatic profile.

Winemaking and aging

For this wine, the grapes are fully destemmed. Maceration lasts four weeks, followed by fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, carried out using indigenous yeasts. The wine is then aged for 18 to 20 months in oak barrels, with about 40% new wood, the remainder consisting of used barrels to preserve the identity of the terroir.

Grape variety

Syrah (100%).