Brune Et Blonde
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 5–15 years from vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted duck, grilled lamb chops, wild mushroom risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
M. Chapoutier's interpretation of the Côte-Rôtie appellation pays homage to the dramatic, terraced slopes of the northern Rhône, famously divided into the Côte Brune and Côte Blonde. Local legend tells of a medieval lord, the Seigneur de Maugiron, who gifted these two distinct hillsides to his brunette and blonde daughters, reflecting the dark, iron-rich schist of the former and the pale, granite-and-limestone soils of the latter. While the name 'Brune et Blonde' is a classic reference to this terroir division, Chapoutier's Côte-Rôtie wines, such as 'Les Bécasses', beautifully bridge these two worlds. Adhering to biodynamic principles and low-intervention winemaking, Chapoutier typically crafts these wines from 100% Syrah, showcasing a brilliant tension between the masculine structure of the Brune soils and the feminine, floral elegance of the Blonde soils, resulting in a wine of profound depth, smoky minerality, and vibrant black fruit.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1808 in Tain-l'Hermitage, Maison M. Chapoutier was transformed into a global benchmark for terroir-driven viticulture after Michel Chapoutier took charge in 1990. Operating on the motto 'Fac & Spera' (Do and Hope), the estate became an early, outspoken pioneer of biodynamic farming in 1991 across its extensive estate vineyards. Rooted along the granite terraces, fluvioglacial alluvial soils, and limestone outcrops of the northern and southern Rhône Valley, Chapoutier crafts transparent, single-vineyard bottlings (sélections parcellaires) alongside international ventures in regions like Portugal's Douro Valley. Winemaking favors indigenous yeasts, gentle extraction, and minimal intervention to preserve purity of origin, often eschewing new wood in favor of neutral oak casks or concrete vats. Benchmark cuvées—famed for their tactile Braille labeling introduced in 1994—include Hermitage icons such as Le Méal Blanc, De l'Orée, Les Greffieux, and Côte-Rôtie's La Mordorée, epitomizing tension, minerality, and structural longevity.
🍇 Grapes
Syrah
🍷 ABV
13-14%