2023 Ferraton Pere & Fils Cote Rotie Lieu Dit Montmain - 750ml
Wine With Bok - 9.25/10 Stars
Produced from a tiny 1.5-hectare plot with only 1,300 bottles made, this is a rare and refined Côte Rôtie. Aged for 16 months in French oak with only 20 percent new barrels, it shows beautiful restraint. Aromas of fresh raspberries, red berries, and rose petals rise from the glass. The palate is silky, earthy, and classically styled, offering elegance rather than heaviness. The 2023 vintage is particularly expressive and authentic, delivering excellent value for a wine of this pedigree. (01/2026)
Lobenberg - 97 Points
Montmain is located in the northern part of the appellation with a pure south-facing exposure, close to Les Grandes Places. It is therefore neither Côte Brune nor Côte Blonde. The soils are 100% slate. Montmain is farmed biodynamically but not biodynamically certified, as Ferraton works here with a contract grower. The plot covers approximately 1.5 hectares.
Whole clusters are lightly crushed by foot, followed by spontaneous fermentation in concrete. As is now standard at Ferraton, the wine is aged only on fine lees and, since 2022, almost without sulfur, in mostly used oak barriques and tonneaux for 16 months. In 2023, around 20% new oak was used. Production is extremely limited, with only about 1,300 bottles made.
By reducing sulfur use to an absolute minimum—adding only tiny amounts after many months in barrel—winemaker Damien achieves markedly greater precision and elegance. After malolactic fermentation, the wines are also racked off the full lees rather than remaining on them in concrete. This change, new in 2023, makes the vintage finer, more centered, and more mineral than previous years. The wines come across as slightly less voluminous and fleshy.
Jeb Dunnuck - 94 Points
Coming from a steep site with schist soils near Viallière and Grand Place, the 2023 Côte Rôtie Lieu-Dit Montmain offers bigger, richer notes of red, blue, and black fruits intermixed with peppery herbs and violets. Round and classy on the palate, with medium to full-bodied richness and plenty of mid-palate depth, this beautiful 100% Syrah is going to require short-term cellaring.
Specifications
| Country | France |
| Region | Rhone Valley |
| Sub-Region | Hermitage |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Bok Rating | 9.25/10 Stars |
| ABV | 13.5% |
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