One of the biggest names in Cote Rotie, René Rostaing is a quiet giant. Known for producing tiny quantities of extraordinarily refined fine wines which, according to Robert Parker Wine Advocate are, “a bastion of traditional winemaking”. Retired in 2015, his son Pierre has picked up the gauntlet and continues to propel the wine into the 21st century.

Rene Rostaing (who, prior to becoming a viticulturist full-time, was an estate agent) began working with wines in 1971. He began from the bottom up, first purchasing two half-acres in Cote Blonde and Cote Brune. Twenty years of trial and error followed before things really took off: his father in law Albert Dervieux-Thaize retired in 1990, followed by his uncle Marius Gentaz three years later. Both legendary fine wine estates, Rostaing quickly acquired over ten acres of very old vines in some of the appellation’s top sites. He now owns roughly 20 acres of prime terroir, spread across 14 lieux-dits and 20 separate plots. Since 1996, he has produced three separate Cote Roties; the Classique (which is now labelled Ampodium), the La Landonne, and his personal favourite, the Cote Blonde. Making it his leitmotiv to make Cote Rotie that tastes like Cote Rotie (which is more texturally elegant), he was considered one of the region’s great classicists; that is to say a winemaker with traditional values who encapsulates the purity and elegance of the terroir while respecting modern technology.

Pierre Rostaing is 100% on board with his father's way of thinking and since 2015 his wines have scored very highly: 98 for Côte Blonde 1997 and Côte Brune 2016, and 97 and 96 for 2016 Côte Blonde and La Landonne respectively. Under Pierre’s management, 87% of the wine is exported, with the UK being the biggest market followed by Switzerland, and then Germany. The Cote Blonde remains rarest to find (just 350 cases are produced annually) and is allocated prior to going on sale. Good news for collectors and investors of fine wine, if you are lucky enough to find a case or two the wine becomes more expensive and harder to find, rather quickly.