Domaine Joël Champet

La Viallière Côte-Rôtie Syrah

9.019 ratings
8.85 pro ratings
Northern Rhône, Rhône, France
Syrah
Lamb
Top Notes For
Keith Levenberg

Mind blown. How is it possible I've never even heard of this producer before? Thank you to Mannie Berk and Rare Wine Co. for putting Champet on the radar. This fully lives up to the sales pitch. It is about as ultra-classic a Cote-Rotie as I've ever had, almost like a cross between Levet and Jamet. Even the label design is retro. The material is red-fruited, savory, and succulent, with a pronounced stony/graphite streak. The stems are immediately evident giving the wine some spine and tension and a bit of a green snap. On some sips the tannic muscle is evident, on others it's fully absorbed into the wine and the texture is almost velvety. Thus, while the flavors have that meaty syrah succulence that you could sort of describe as rustic (more beefy than bacon here), the texture here is actually quite refined and civilized. No funk going on here either. It seems pretty close to straight soil-to-glass transfer Cote-Rotie.

Mind blown. How is it possible I've never even heard of this producer before? Thank you to Mannie Berk and Rare Wine Co. for putting Champet on the radar. This fully lives up to the sales pitch. It is about as ultra-classic a Cote-Rotie as I've ever had, almost like a cross between Levet and Jamet. Even the label design is retro. The material is red-fruited, savory, and succulent, with a pronounced stony/graphite streak. The stems are immediately evident giving the wine some spine and tension and a bit of a green snap. On some sips the tannic muscle is evident, on others it's fully absorbed into the wine and the texture is almost velvety. Thus, while the flavors have that meaty syrah succulence that you could sort of describe as rustic (more beefy than bacon here), the texture here is actually quite refined and civilized. No funk going on here either. It seems pretty close to straight soil-to-glass transfer Cote-Rotie.

3 people found it helpfulJun 16th, 2016
Pedro Rusk

Wine Educator Kendall Jackson

9.5

Very pure and layered

Very pure and layered

Nov 26th, 2016
Saman Hosseini

Writer Maison Abattoir

8.8

Sort of ratch in the best possible way... bacon, green pepper, cedar, black pepper, grilled herb, with fresh blue blackberry emerging with extended air time. The severe vegetal notes and burly tannins can be off-putting now, but have faith.

Sort of ratch in the best possible way... bacon, green pepper, cedar, black pepper, grilled herb, with fresh blue blackberry emerging with extended air time. The severe vegetal notes and burly tannins can be off-putting now, but have faith.

Nov 3rd, 2016
Jake Hajer

Mixed pepper (black, green, pink) and meat. Stems- hot earth.

Mixed pepper (black, green, pink) and meat. Stems- hot earth.

Sep 15th, 2016
Chris Johnson

Drinking nice as it opens up.

Drinking nice as it opens up.

Jun 14th, 2017
Nick Azrack

Funkily underwhelming

Funkily underwhelming

Dec 2nd, 2016
Nick Azrack

Kinda barnyard funky but light and awesome

Kinda barnyard funky but light and awesome

Oct 30th, 2016
Sean S
9.4

Black plum, cola, cocoa, olives, peppercorns. Really great. Got it at Table and wine

Black plum, cola, cocoa, olives, peppercorns. Really great. Got it at Table and wine

Apr 23rd, 2016
Adam Coy

Sea salt and ocean nose with crushed pepper and tobacco on the pallet.

Sea salt and ocean nose with crushed pepper and tobacco on the pallet.

Oct 24th, 2015
Joseph D'Ambrosio

2005 -- still a bit young, but with all the typicity of Côte-Rôtie. Quite lovely, a great food wine.

2005 -- still a bit young, but with all the typicity of Côte-Rôtie. Quite lovely, a great food wine.

Nov 9th, 2014