Les Becasses
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 5-15 years from vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted game birds, grilled ribeye steak, wild mushroom risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
M. Chapoutier's 'Les Becasses' is a sublime expression of the legendary Cote-Rotie appellation in the northern Rhone Valley. Named after the woodcock ('la becasse'), a migratory bird that frequents the region during autumn, this wine pays homage to the local hunting heritage and the wild, untamed nature of the steep, terraced granite slopes where the vines cling. Crafted from Syrah harvested from both the Cote Blonde and Cote Brune sub-regions, the grapes undergo traditional fermentation in concrete tanks before the wine is aged for 14 to 16 months in oak casks, mostly of previous use to preserve the purity of the fruit. This meticulous process yields a wine of profound elegance, characterized by its deep ruby color, intense aromas of ripe black fruits, violet, and characteristic cracked black pepper, all supported by a mineral backbone born from the decomposed granite soils.
🍾 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%