René Rostaing

René Rostaing created the family domaine that bears his name in Ampuis. He acquired less than a quarter hectare in La Landonne in 1971, in the early years of the estate. On retiring, René's grandfather-in-law, Jean Dervieux, shared his Côte-Rôtie holdings between his two children, Albert and Yvonne. Albert Dervieux-Thaize, René's father-in-law, was mayor of Ampuis and president of the Côte-Rôtie growers' syndicat after the Second World War, and his vineyards were bequeathed to René. Yvonne married Marius Gentaz, establishing Domaine Gentaz-Dervieux, whose last vintage was 1993. Those parcels were also handed down to René, reuniting the original estate of Jean Dervieux. Domaine Gentaz-Dervieux no longer exists, and its vineyards are now part of Domaine Rostaing (as of April 2020).

• Less than a quarter hectare of La Landonne acquired in 1971, two decades before René inherited the family parcels
• Albert Dervieux-Thaize: René's father-in-law; mayor of Ampuis and president of the Côte-Rôtie growers' syndicat after the Second World War
• Marius Gentaz-Dervieux: married Albert's sister Yvonne; last vintage 1993; his vineyards are now part of Domaine Rostaing (as of April 2020)

As of April 2020, René Rostaing had stepped back from the domaine after the 2014 vintage, and his son Pierre had been in charge since 2015. The domaine's site names Pierre and René Rostaing together as its contacts.

• Pierre Rostaing: in charge since 2015 (as of April 2020)
• René Rostaing: created the domaine; stepped back after the 2014 vintage

René's La Landonne holding dates from 1971. As of 2020, five vineyard-designated La Landonne wines were bottled: Guigal, Rostaing, Gerin, Delas and Gérard. Gerin's La Landonne comes from the middle of the vineyard, beneath Rostaing. Ampodium draws on 25 parcels over fifteen lieux-dits, where a few Viognier vines dotted around the vineyards barely make up 1% of the wine.

• La Landonne: one of five vineyard-designated La Landonne bottlings (as of 2020)
• Ampodium: 25 parcels over fifteen lieux-dits

The domaine lists three Côte-Rôtie cuvées: Ampodium, La Landonne and Côte Blonde. Ampodium was known as Cuvée Classique until 2008, and 2009 was the first vintage bearing the name Ampodium. It is almost pure Syrah, and as of 2020 the domaine made an average of 20,000 bottles of it a year. A Côte Brune cuvée has also been made; the 2022 is 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier. Beyond Côte-Rôtie, the domaine makes La Bonnette in AOC Condrieu, Les Lézardes red and white under IGP Collines Rhodaniennes, and Puech Noble red and white in AOC Languedoc.

• Côte-Rôtie: Ampodium, La Landonne, Côte Blonde; Côte Brune 2022 is 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier
• Condrieu: La Bonnette
• IGP Collines Rhodaniennes: Les Lézardes rouge and Les Lézardes blanc
• AOC Languedoc: Puech Noble rouge and Puech Noble blanc

As of 2020, all the domaine's wines were fermented in stainless steel with natural yeasts. The domaine used as many stems as possible; in René's words, they give the wine a 'vertebral column.' La Landonne, like all René's wines, was vinified whole cluster in roto-fermenters, which René liked for ease of breaking up the cap. Neither René's forebears nor René himself sought to use new oak barrels; René held that new oak 'hides typicity and terroir.' The estate used older barrels where possible (228 l and 600 l) for 18 to 24 months, and La Landonne spent 18 months in primarily older demi-muids. René preferred the Côte Blonde: 'For me, the better terroir is the Côte Blonde,' he explained, calling La Landonne 'more rustic . . . with bigger tannins, less refined.' Writing in Decanter in 2020, Matt Walls found that Ampodium typically develops for 10 years or more.

• Stainless-steel fermentation with natural yeasts
• As many stems as possible; whole-cluster vinification in roto-fermenters
• No new oak sought; older 228 l and 600 l barrels for 18 to 24 months

Primary source (producer's own site): https://www.domainerostaing.com/. Secondary sources: Decanter (Matt Walls, published 3 April 2020), https://www.decanter.com/premium/domaine-rostaing-cote-rotie-ampodium-vertical-2008-2012-435464/; GuildSomm (Bryce Wiatrak MW, 9 April 2020), https://www.guildsomm.com/public_content/features/articles/b/bryce-wiatrak/posts/la-landonne; Decanter wine review record for the Côte Brune 2022, https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/france/rhone/domaine-rostaing-la-cote-brune-cote-rotie-rhone-2022-76216. Last verified 2026-10-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.