I find remarkable and amusing the number of responses here that reference Chambeyron-Manin. Five or six years ago before I was ITB, I bought the 2006 & 2007 from my now partner at silly low prices. In fact, looking at CellarTracker, I was the majority share holder of the 2007 by by a wide margin. I drank through more than a case and was impressed by most of them (except for a few during a run where it seemed to be in a dormant phase. I was amazed that despite showing little in the way of tannins, they continued to evolve nicely.
A few years ago, I was in a very nice, small grocery and prepared foods shop in Ampuis called Les Jardins de la Côte Rôtie. It is owned by the Chambeyron family. In addition to their small wine production, they farm other products extensively. I noticed that their Côte Rôtie was selling in this shop for a higher than expected price.
I recall checking Wine Searcher and elsewhere to find the wine in the US at impressive prices as well. My partner hasn’t been in contact with them for years. Anyone know if there was a change in winemaking or perhaps marketing? I am very happy for their apparent success. I still have a bottle of each vintage.
Honestly, I have not tried the wines and bought them on a retailer recommendation that was corroborated by Livingston-Learmonth’s notes on the domaine. Specifically, I was intrigued by the domaine’s traditionalism - low intervention, wild yeasts, whole bunches/stem inclusion, etc. - and its old-vine holdings (1970s) on the Côte Brune. I have a little 2015 and 2019, and the case purchase of the 2017 was a bit of an extravagance but the price was right.
I’m not a subscriber anymore, but the Vinous coverage has a small producer profile. As mentioned above - traditional methods, tiny vineyard site, prime location (all Cote Brune). Question above about a change in winemaking. I believe a fairly recent (2010s) change in winemaking to the daughter (?) and upswing in quality associated with it.
