The Brotte Esprit Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2022 is a classic red Rhône for those who love ripe red fruit, gentle spiciness, and a supple yet serious structure. With this cuvée, Maison Brotte translates its Châteauneuf-du-Pape know-how into a prestigious Côtes du Rhône, while the name Barville refers to the family's history in Châteauneuf-du-Pape dating back to 1880. The wine carries the AOC Côtes du Rhône designation of origin. What does AOC Côtes du Rhône mean? It is the protected appellation for wines from the Rhône Valley that must meet specific origin and production regulations.
The foundation of this wine lies in the southern Rhône, where Grenache ripens excellently while retaining sufficient spiciness and tension.
- Location / Origin: The grapes come from small-scale growers in the Rhône Valley who have been working with Maison Brotte for decades. This firmly places the wine within the broad Côtes du Rhône appellation, in a region that stretches over approximately 200 km along both banks of the Rhône.
- Soil: The vineyards for this cuvée are situated on clay-limestone and sandy soils. This combination provides the Grenache with ripe fruit, while the limestone and sand help to preserve refinement and a beautiful balance.
- Climate & influences: The southern part of the Rhône is dominated by a Mediterranean climate with dry summers and winters. The Mistral plays an important role here, as this wind quickly removes moisture after rainfall, helping to keep the grapes healthy.
- Vineyard & harvest: Brotte employs sustainable viticulture, strict winter pruning, green harvesting, and leaf stripping to limit yields and increase concentration. The Grenache is picked when the grapes are fully ripe.
In the cellar, Brotte opts for a traditional approach that beautifully brings together fruit, spice, and suppleness.
- Harvest & Selection: After the harvest, the grapes are lightly crushed. This keeps the fruit intact enough to build a gentle, precise extraction.
- Fermentation: Fermentation takes place over 15–20 days in concrete tanks at 28–30 °C, with 2 pump-overs per day, delestage, and bâtonnage during alcoholic fermentation. This approach ensures a deeper color, a ripe fruit core, and fine, well-integrated tannins.
- Aging / Oak treatment: After malolactic fermentation, the wine ages for 8–12 months in centuries-old oak foudres and concrete tanks. This provides extra roundness and spicy depth while keeping the fruit beautifully expressive.
The blend here is primarily focused on Grenache Noir, supported by Syrah for added structure and spiciness.
- Grenache Noir – Côtes du Rhône: Grenache Noir forms the heart of this wine and gives it its round attack, ripe fruit expression, and warm southern signature.
- Syrah – Côtes du Rhône: Syrah adds extra grip, spiciness, and more depth to the whole, making the wine feel slightly more serious and gastronomic.
