2008 Côte-Rôtie Champon's

The Pichats have been making serious investment in their vineyards recently and are now holding back more of their limited production for estate-bottling. The family owns some serious real estate in Cote-Rotie as well as a small piece of Condrieu, and early tastings suggest very good potential here. Based on a 2007 Cote-Rotie Les Grandes Places and some 2010 barrel samples I tried, as well as on the wines noted below, quality here is on a smooth upswing. Stephane Pichat makes wines that I'd call semi-modern in style, raised in about one-third new barriques, with deep, sweet fruit but without severe tannins. He told me that he's trying to make wines "that are polished but not too obvious, that show well young and that can be drunk in the mid-term. We're still finding our way and who knows how my style will evolve? I do prefer elegance over richness so that's the direction I'm going in now."