Rich and dense, but velvety and nicely detailed, with sleek-edged cassis, blackberry and plum fruit woven with white pepper, mulled spice and dark olive notes. A strong, tangy, iron edge takes over on the finish, with lots of latent grip. Best from 2013 through 2022. 900 cases made. –JM

As for the negociant northern Rhone selections, the dense purple-hued 2009 Cote Rotie reveals lots of black olive, bacon fat, black raspberry and blackberry fruit notes intertwined with hints of charcoal and underbrush. This impressively endowed, medium to full-bodied Cote Rotie should drink well for 10-15 years.

Bright purple.  Classic syrah aromas of cherry, boysenberry and violet, complicated by smoked meat, pipetobacco and licorice.  Vibrant and sweet, showing impressive depth to its dark fruit preserve, anise and floral flavors.  Tangy acidity and silky tannins give lift and shape to the long, floral finish.

100% Serine (Syrah)

Soil : Schistes

Aged for 15 months in new oak (70%) and one-year old barrels (30%)

With this Cote Rotie 2009 coming, it looks like the 2007 is back ! How similar ! We find everything we like in a Côte Rôtie : freshness, balance, serine’s relief, the deep and complex aromas which allies finesse and purity of the fruit. The strength and the terroir are easy to understand, simply because it is obviously nice. The colour (blood) is characteristic, the tannins are feminine, the structure is not « over-weighted », the aromas are so easy to identify on a blind.

When you taste a great Côte-Rôtie, just think about the work achieved over the centuries to organize this crazy slope. Think about those who tried to control the speed of the water (which tends to destroy the slope by running down). Think about all the stones removed from the fields to build the « chaillées ». The beauty of this place comes from a long and hard work. Just taste this place.

Cheminee soot, bacon, violet, graphite, cold ash, ancient roses.

Bottled without filtration. - Winery