Stephane Montez Côte-Rotie Bons Arrêts Monopole 2018

Les Bons Arrêts spans a single hectare, nestled in the heart of the revered Côte Rôtie appellation, gracing the right bank of the Rhône. Perched upon a steep south-east-facing slope, this terroir demands laborious, entirely manual cultivation. Monteillet Estate holds sole proprietorship, cultivating Syrah and Viognier on terraces meticulously crafted from dry stone walls. Harvesting involves delicate hand-picking into small boxes, followed by rigorous sorting in both vineyard and cellar on vibrating tables, culminating in complete destemming. Fermentation, driven by indigenous yeasts, unfolds over three to four weeks, with the marc cap gently immersed without punching down. Aging then occurs in 17th-century cellars for 20 months in oak barrels.

Within Bons Arrêts, where a hint of Viognier complements the Syrah, an exquisite purity of fruit emerges alongside a complex nose boasting blackcurrant, spice, lard, and smoked nuances. Transitioning to the palate, an infinitely silky texture unfolds, where power finds equilibrium with fine acidity. A display of unparalleled elegance lingers luxuriously on the palate, a testament to its exceptional quality.

Stéphane Montez represents the 10th generation of his family in Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône. Montez is a tireless farmer, winemaker and salesman, producing a wide range of outstanding wines from his family’s 34 hectares across the Northern Rhône. Montez is planting a new, high-altitude site in Cornas, plus a new vineyard in Saint-Péray. Stéphane Montez lives on the winery property and accepts visitors and clients night and day, on Sundays and holidays, which is still quite rare in the region, or most of France, for that matter. This writer often visits him as early as 5:00 am and as late as 9:00 pm, depending on his schedule. These are highly expressive, cellar-worthy wines, which Montez acknowledges by releasing most of them a fair bit later than most of his colleagues.