Côte-Rotie “Tupin’s” 2018

Wine description for Côte-Rotie “Tupin’s” 2018 by Du Coulet

Colour & appearance

Deep ruby red with violet reflections and an almost black core — a glass that promises density before the nose even approaches it.

Nose

Wild and spicy yet fragrant at once: raspberry, blackberry and elderberry meet juniper, black pepper and allspice. Alongside notes of smoke and iron, there is a shimmer above like summer heat over tarmac — the earthy, untamed breath that distinguishes great northern Syrah.

Palate

The attack belongs first to the tannins, which present themselves aristocratically: dense and fine-grained, yet so silky that they caress the rounded body. Fruit follows in its wake — clear, fresh and bright red, radiant against the darkness of the palate. The acidity cuts through this grand canvas like a brushstroke.

Finish

Long and taut, carried by that vibrant freshness which defines Tupin’s year after year. Spice and mineral weathering linger as a final echo.

Terroir & origin

The grapes come from Tupins and Semons on the Côte Brune, grown on pure granite. It is precisely this rock that lends the wine its elegance and luminous fruit. Behind it stands Matthieu Barret of Domaine du Coulet, who works the steep terraces in Cornas as the seventh generation of his family — with mules rather than tractors and Demeter-certified since 2002.

Grape variety & vinification

Pure Syrah, fermented in stainless steel and matured for 15 months in Flextank eggs. No wood — Barret’s creed is concrete and neutral vessels instead of barriques, to reveal the fruit unadulterated.

Food pairing

A wine for hearty, spiced fare: squab pigeon with Sauce Rouennaise and smoked beetroot, eel in red wine sauce or roasted aubergine with pomegranate dressing, yoghurt and almonds.

Special characteristics

Tupin’s is among the few, extremely rare Côte-Rôties without oak ageing — a pure granite interpretation in which Syrah shines entirely without cask influence. A stylistic choice that demands courage in this historic vineyard site, and here it succeeds convincingly.