Côte Rôtie is a strip of vineyards stretched over dauntingly steep slopes along the the western riverbank of the Rhône Valley, as terraces carved into granite hillsides. This area has become famous only in the recent past, although the first vine stocks of the region date back to Ancient Roman times or possibly even beyond. Up to the 19th century, locally produced wine was sold in the so-called vase, a container holding 76 liters, adding up to the volume of two clay pitchers. For a long period of time, Côte Rôtie was one of the best kept secrets of France. In 1971, the entire winegrowing region totaled only 70 hectares; with the price of local wine being barely enough to cut the costs of production. With its discovery by the rest of the world, the prices have since skyrocketed (200 hectares currently).    

As its name suggests, these south-facing slopes, (with inclines up to 60%) are practically roasted (rôtie) in the summer heat; the plantings, stretching but a mere 500 meters, are exposed to the baking sun from dawn to dusk. The rocky shale characteristic of the area retains every bit of the heat. 
 
The southern and northern borders of the Côte Rôtie region have been subject to centuries long debates, however; it is commonly agreed that the original plantings have stretched on the slopes of the two most prominent hills above Ampuis: Côte Blonde with its pale, limestone-speckled sand and slate soil, while the other being Côte Brune with a sturdier, clay soil, tinted dark from iron, and producing more robust wines with a deeper tannin than the former. Although matching in quality, they greatly differ in styles. Old-time wine merchants created Côte Rôtie by blending wines originating from these two areas.