Côte Rôtie is a French Syrah/Viognier blend that pairs best with Cassoulet, Beef Brisket, Venison, Duck, Beef Stroganoff, Lamb, and Rabbit. The smoky and spicy aromas of bacon fat, coffee, earth, herbs, leather, white pepper, black pepper, rosemary and game make Côte Rôtie the perfect wine for red meat dishes. With Côte Rôtie, you’ll also find refreshing and contrasting flavours of blackberry, black cherry liqueur, raspberry and cassis.
The amount of Viognier blended into Côte Rôtie can be up to 20%, and it contributes elegant floral aromatics of violet. The stems of Viognier also heighten the peppery flavours to the Côte Rôtie.
Seductive and rare, Côte Rôtie is an expensive red wine that requires at least a decade before enjoying. Thus, Côte Rôtie is not a red wine you’d pop open and casually drink out on a patio. Rather, this full-bodied red wine with medium acidity and high tannin requires a hearty and savoury meal to accompany it.
Best Food with Côte Rôtie
Cassoulet & Côte Rôtie Pairing
Cassoulet is a slow-cooked dish full of all the ingredients Côte Rôtie loves such as duck, garlic sausage, herbs, pigs feet, and ham hocks. The melding of all these flavours in your Cassoulet are easily befriended by the flavours of black pepper, tobacco, old leather, bacon fat, earth and game found in your Côte Rôtie. With medium amounts of acidity, Côte Rôtie can cut through the starchiness of the white beans, keeping your mouth refreshed. Meanwhile, the medium-high tannin of Côte Rôtie melts into the fat and protein content of the Cassoulet, allowing the wine’s charm to be on full display.
Venison Stew & Côte Rôtie Pairing
The refreshing flavours of blackberry, black cherry and raspberry in Côte Rôtie help tone down the gaminess of Venison Stew. Meanwhile, the deep notes of bacon, black pepper, game, spice, and white pepper mingle with the meat, herbs and root vegetables found in your slow cooked Venison Stew.
A hearty bowl of Venison stew doesn’t come around too often, making it an exceptional dish to pair with a rare and highly sought after bottle of Côte Rôtie.
Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb & Côte Rôtie Pairing
Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb is an elegant and flavorful dish that requires a matching wine paring, such as a silky and rich Côte Rôtie. With its notes of game, herbs and tobacco, Côte Rôtie mingles perfectly with the flavours of the lamb and herb crust. Meanwhile, the refreshing dark and red fruit flavours assist with masking up some of the gamey notes of Lamb that not everyone appreciates.
Côte Rôtie is also an excellent wine pairing with braised Lamb Shanks. Lamb Shanks have a much more gamey flavour than milder cuts of lamb, and the blackberry, plum and raspberry notes of Côte Rôtie assist in masking these flavours. Meanwhile, the game, herb, space and earth notes of the wine melt perfectly with the savoury flavours of braised lamb shanks.
Beef Stroganoff & Côte Rôtie
Beef Stroganoff is a delicious beef dish served in a sauce that consists of beef broth, brandy, sour cream, mushrooms, onions and garlic. The earthier flavours of Côte Rôtie are wonderful with the mushrooms and onions, while the black and red fruit notes of Côte Rôtie provide a fruity contrast.
With medium acidity and high tannin, Côte Rôtie has no issues cutting through the dense flavours of Beef Stroganoff. Furthermore, the medium-high tannin of Côte Rôtie has plenty of grip to lash into the meatiness found in the Stroganoff. The tannin helps denature the meat, allowing your Beef Stroganoff to taste more flavourful. Meanwhile, the protein of the beef brings out the Côte Rôtie charming dark fruit flavours.
Roasted Duck & Côte Rôtie Pairing
A savoury roasted duck is packed full of flavour due to duck being a fatty bird. Côte Rôtie’s bold fruitiness easily stands up to the strong duck flavours, while the medium acidity helps cut through the fat, keeping your mouth refreshed throughout the meal. Côte Rôtie also brings additional flavours to the mix, such as black pepper, bacon fat, worn leather, earth and tobacco, all of which complement the gamey flavours of the duck.
When cooked proper, roasted duck will be tender inside with a crisp outer skin. The elegance of Côte Rôtie goes perfectly with the duck meat, and duck skin as the rich flavours of the wine provide a silkiness that merges with the bold flavours of the meat, as well as the smoky flavours of the crispy duck skin.
Where is Côte Rôtie?
Côte Rôtie is a tiny appellation at the very top of the Northern Rhone Valley. The region is so tiny, that they only produce 80,000 cases of wine per year, with most producers only making 300 cases or less. This, along with the high quality of the wine, makes Côte Rôtie a highly sought-after red wine among enthusiasts.
Best Producers of Côte Rôtie?
Chapoutier, Cuilleron, Gerin, Guigal, Jayet, and Rostaing are all notable producers of Côte Rôtie. With Côte Rôtie being such an elusive and small batch red wine, any producer you find should be exquisite.