2020 Domaine Olivier Merlin Saint-Veran La Cote-Rotie

Based in the village of La Roche Vineuse, Olivier Merlin and his wife Corinne founded their domain in 1987 after taking over the 4.5ha of vineyards of the 200-year-old Domaine du Vieux Saint-Sorlin. Since then they have grown to now include 26 hectares of vineyards stretching across Saint-Véran, Pouilly-Fuissé, Viré-Clessé, Moulin à Vent, along with their home in Macon's La Roche Vineuse. While not certified organic, from the beginning they have shunned the use of chemicals in their vineyards and maintain their soils with tilling between the rows. Winemaking is traditional with the handpicked grapes pressed as whole clusters before fermentation and maturation mainly in cask, where new oak use is decreasing year on year.

Other Reviews....
The 2020 Saint-Véran Côte-Rôtie comes from soils with a high level of active limestone, prompting Merlin to describe the wine as almost Chablis-like. It has a taut and direct, minimalist, flinty bouquet where you can almost smell that limestone. The palate is tense and very mineral-driven, plenty of salinity here…it just cries out for some fruits de mer! Drink 2023-2035.
93 points
Neal Martin - Vinous

This superb lieu-dit in the village of Davayé in the St-Véran appellation faces due south on steep, rocky soils at the base of the rock of Vergisson. It is among the first parcels to ripen. Grapes were picked on 27 August and they delivered a wine of concentration and depth, with aromas of ripe apricot and peach, accented with a saline minerality and a hint of spice from the oak élevage. This substantial wine is eminently ageworthy. Drink 2023 - 2033.
94 points
Charles Curtis MW - Decanter