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One of Autard’s top wines, La Côte Ronde comes from a parcel of vines that are between 75 and 90 year old. They are planted in stony, fossil-rich soil on a dome-shaped hill (hence the name “Côte Ronde”), in the Le Mourre de Gaud lieu-dit, on the plain between the village of Châteauneuf and Courthézon. The blend is 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah (from sandy soil). The Côte Ronde parcel is vinified separately and is aged 16 months in 100% new French oak barrels. It is an intensely concentrated, lush-textured wine with vivid dark fruit, spice, chocolate and oak flavors. Autard only makes this cuvée in top years. It has consistently received 90+ scores from Parker since its inception. Jean-Paul Autard carries on the tradition established by Paul Autard when he founded the domaine in the village of Courthézon in the 1970's. He took over very early, at 17 year old, after his father passed away. Autard has 26 hectares of vines, of which 12 are in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and 14 in Côtes-du-Rhône (located at the border of the Châteauneuf appellation in Courthézon.) The aging cellar is a massive, vaulted cave cut into sandstone rock, housing the domaine’s barriques. The Autards feel privileged to have inherited a domaine in which the plantations of different varieties are perfectly adapted to the soil types - ranging from galets roulés, pebble and clay, to sandy-clay. They aim to get the most out of each variety by vinifying separately and then blending judiciously. The grapes are destemmed and fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts. After the malolactic fermentation, the wines are transferred to barriques for aging, about one third of which are new for the regular cuvée of Châteauneuf and 100% new for La Côte Ronde and Juline. Since 2004, Jean-Paul has been working in his new state-of-the-art winery, which allows him greatly enhanced control over all phases of winemaking, and a concomitant increase in quality. His unique style, fusing elegance, balance and generously expressive Châteauneuf-du-Pape flavor, has won his wines an international following.