John Livingstone Learmouth, arguably the world's foremost Rhone expert, describes Christophe's wines perfectly. "Nothing flash here - also good, an honest Côte-Rôtie without frills." (Trust me, from Learmouth, that's a rave) With the incredible terroir in Cote Rotie, you don't need flash - you just need the terroir to shine thorough. Christophe has plenty of that terroir and an inimitable style that appeals to just about everybody. His wines remind me of fuller bodied versions of Patrick Jasmin wines.
This is also about as tiny production as Fass Selections gets. He has 3.5 ha in Cote Rotie and another 1.5 that is classified as VDP. The Elotins is a blend of many of his parcels including Cote Rozier, Cote Baudin and La Roche which is right below La Landonne. It is aged 18 months, half in new casks and half in 1-3 year old casks. This gives it the structure to age but also affords you the ability to drink it young.
I had a wonderful visit with the charming Christophe Billon and his wines continue to be as compelling as ever. The quality of fruit that Christophe gets from his IGP/VDP wines and his Côte-Roties is some of the best I have ever tasted. There is such power and intensity when they are young and then they turn into something so utterly classically Côte Rotie and pretty you cannot believe what a beast this wine was when it is young. His Condrieu comes from granite soils which gives it a beguiling minerality and is one of the best I have ever tasted. 2014 is a very special vintage for White Northern Rhone with freshness, acids and finesse. 2013 is wonderful as well but a skoche less finesse and more depth. I think the '14s will drink great young.
The 2013 Maryline & Christophe Billon Cote-Rotie "Les Elotins" can be had for $39.99 on a 4-pack. This is a Fass 4-3-1 Plan in that it is a terrific tipple young with a 3 hour decant, but will age very well for 10-15 years. I tasted a ton of '13's when I was just in the Rhone and some as well over the past few weeks and I am really digging this vintage. It has serious depth and structure but also terrific freshness. I was thrilled with Christophe's 2013 Les Elotins. For $40 a bottle this is world class Syrah from very steep parcels from near his estate. It is treacherous, we walked the windy steep, crevasseed hills for a while. Showing me parcel after parcel and just being amazed at the poor soils and frankly the commercial look of Ampuis and the river below. It looks so industrial and yet these majestic hills creates some of the world's best expression of Syrah. The nose is gorgeous with a large helping of violets and dark berry fruit. Really super floral. I wish I knew more about flowers in order to properly convey how floral this was, but super floral will have to do. So smokey. Complex and very pure palate with extremely sweet fruit and shows the depth this vintage can achieve while also being somewhat light on its feet, compared to other vintages we tasted. The finish has oodles of sweet fruit and big ripe inviting tannins. In a word. Awesome This wine is such a ridiculous value. We also tasted '15, '12 and '10 and '12 and '13 were the ones to enjoy now (with a serious decant as these wines still have significant tannic structures) and sit on the '10's and the 15's. I cannot begin to explain what a value Billon is.
Next up is the 2014 Maryline & Christophe Billon Condrieu "Les Matisses" for as little as $37.99 on a 3-pack. You will not find a better value Condrieu anywhere in the United States. This vintage of this wine is remarkable. This is a true "Lyle wine" in that I have an irrational belief in the greatness of this wine and will back it up with even more irrational metaphor. Something about Viognier on steep hills of granite I truly love when done by an artist such as Christophe Billon. The wine has personalty for days. It's like a little Yorkshire Terrier with around eight too many bows in it but you still love it and smile at the owner, because that dog can't help it! That is this wine. It's that little Yorkie. It's Condrieu, this ain't Mosel trocken Riesling. It's fleshy, floral, rich, ripe, CUTE, and fresh Condrieu. It can't help itself. It's ostentatious because that's what it is, but get beyond that and it has freshness, purity, precision and a ton of dry extract. It's an amazing wine and Yorkie metaophors don't do it justice. Just try it.
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