The wine consists of a cuvée of 90 % Syrah and 10 % Viognier. The vines for this wine come from steep slopes of four plots from a total of two hectares. 10 % come from the mica schist of the Côte Brune in Verenay, 90 % from the Côte Blonde with soils of gneiss, sand and limestone. The yield was 22 hl / ha, cultivated organically since 1991. In the cellar there is a cool pre-fermentation for 24 hours, then there is a cool macération carbonique with styles and stems. Finally, half of the wine is aged in used wood and half in stainless steel. At Stephan's, there is neither fining nor filtering. The addition of sulphur is minimal.

Sparkling purple, almost black in the core with violet reflections.

The 2016 Côte Rotie offers pure and deep fruit animated by an immense freshness. Blueberry, elderberry, wild raspberry, sloe and blackcurrant juice immediately penetrate the nose. Even fresher and incredibly youthful with all this density, the wine comes across with its anlage of wild mint, eucalyptus and nettle. Violets and elderflower highlight its feminine character in the finest way.

The animating freshness of the 2016 Côte Rotie continues on the palate, you immediately get the feeling of tasting barrel samples with the winemaker in the cellar - so pure, unadorned and puristic you rarely find wines that are already filled. Even though tannin and acidity are ripe, it is definitely still in a very youthful stage and should be drunk with caution. A further storage of at least one to two years lets it win. If you don't like to be patient, the Côte Rotie is a refreshing counterbalance to game and co.