External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.4 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 39 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by drwine2001 on 10/8/2023: Sunday Northern Rhône Survey (San Francisco): Ruby core, tawny edge. Powerful, ripe, meaty nose with a tad of alcoholic heat. You expect a bigger wine, but it is surprisingly middle weight with tart acidity and less texture than any of the other vintages poured. Tasty but simple and not nearly as meshed as the 2010 or even the 2009 for that matter. It completely skirts any hot year pruniness though. (1017 views) | | | Tasted by retired_and_roving on 12/31/2020: Decanted for 1 hour - served with New Year's Eve dinner. Was a bit concerned due to the warm vintage, but this was drinking really nicely. Fragrant nose of spiced red fruit. On the palate mature red fruit and lots of earth, spice cabinet and savory touches on the back palate. Delicious with tuscan fried chicken and charcuterie and cheese platter. (2312 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 12/15/2020 & rated 94 points: A superb wine that avoids the intensity of the heat, here you find dark, deep red fruits, herbs, smoke and crushed rocks. Lush, round and developed, with a rich, dark kirsch filled finish, this is in its prime time window. (3706 views) | | | Tasted by bopal on 10/12/2020: Bacon/smoked meat nose. Pretty deft touch for a solar vintage, with a lovely Burgundian peacock-tail lift on the mid palate. Dark just-ripe-enough fruit blends with smoky spicy tobacco notes on the finish - this still has some tannic bite. Superb match with Thanksgiving dinner: roasted goose legs with potato, acorn squash, Brussels sprout tips/leaves, and homemade elderberry preserves. (1814 views) | | | Tasted by edge on 12/22/2018 & rated 94 points: My second note on this wine....things have changed. As the last time I had this it wasn’t only bottle,I liked it so much I sourced more. Originally I rated much higher and felt that it was in the “sweet spot” for consumption. Now I feel that I will not come back for another for 5+ years. Sweet and seductive, but time will only improve this. Great showing for Rene Rostaing. (2983 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 5/16/2018: Acker Auction & Commanderie des Costes du Rhone (Zuma & Racines): This was delicious. First time with the wine, but definitely not the last. It's coffee and chocolate and maybe some graphite. A very interesting wine that continued to evolve through the afternoon. Very enjoyable. (3573 views) | | | Tasted by jhorowitz on 1/13/2018 & rated 94 points: Elegant Cote Rotie -- defines the Burgundian side of the area. Transparent ruby color, excellent acidity, floral nose, red and blue fruits, Chinese five spice, a touch of smoke, very much alive and versatile. Tonight pnp, out of the bottle at cellar temp loved smoked duck breast with huckleberries with an almond bread pudding and equally at home with more air with beef tenderloin with potatoes. Excellent. (2157 views) | | | Tasted by Rob-Rah on 10/22/2017 & rated 91 points: Similar to the last experience, although I let this one breathe longer before trying.
Very new-world in style, with lots of rich Aussie-style shiraz fruit, but high acid levels prevent the palate achieving that silkiness of style that the fruit seems to demand. It seems to be trying to be a big fat dark fruit-bomb while flirting with red-cherries, herbs, flowers and acids, and I find the result unsatisfying. Starting to show nice admixtures of poo and syrah stink along with the rich fruit. However, I do not experience the hedonism that others seem to find in this wine, nor much in the way of compelling complexity.
Enjoyed, but again disappointed given its reputation. (2395 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 10/16/2017 & rated 95 points: Elegant, refined, sweet, high toned, balanced and complex, the wine offers this great, floral note, with red berries, wet earth and spice. Soft, silky textured, sweet red fruits seal the deal. No decanting needed, this is drinking great today. (3771 views) | | | Tasted by mjdixon on 9/3/2017 & rated 94 points: Two hour decant then start drinking...one of those that's too good to drink quick!
Not too heavy yet not too light.
Nose wasn't as good as other notes but layers of flavor are excellent
Fruit and Berries were lighter than normal and definitely got strawberry.
Also menthol herbs and tar
Excellent all round! (1806 views) | | | Tasted by Rob-Rah on 2/20/2017 & rated 91 points: Less good than hoped. Poured a satisfying brown shade of red. Drinks young though, with a very new-world accent. Big wine. Lots of fruit and flavour. A bit shallow in depth. Lots of tannin and acid. Fruit even maybe a bit reluctant to express itself with any complexity, and secondary sweaty/leathery flavours not really there yet. So all somewhat superficial. I had to search too hard for what I thought might be there, but which might just as well not. Could have done with more conviction, but its issue is not one of being too graceful (it's not that kind of wine). On the evening this received an ambivalent response initially, and was blown away by a very good 2006 South African Syrah afterwards. Given its style, that seemed a fitting riposte from the cellar.
Obviously very good though. More time? Or just not as amazing as some critics think. 90-91 (1780 views) | | | Tasted by wineguy75 on 4/27/2016 & rated 94 points: Had it over 2 nights after a 2+hr decant the first night. 2nd night much better than first. black cherries and strawberry. well balanced. (2284 views) | | | Tasted by ludwigbpm on 11/16/2015 & rated 94 points: Superbe bouteille, nez un peu bretté mais pas dérangeant. Sans réelles notes mais impression d'ensemble excellente. (2532 views) | | | Tasted by Lipsman on 5/16/2015 flawed bottle: This is the second bottle lousy with volatile acidity. Other bottles over the years were blousy, flaccid, and hot with overblown alcoholic content. All to be expected from an abnormally hot vintage. Stay away. (2606 views) | | | Tasted by AV2012 on 4/30/2015 flawed bottle: It seemed that secondary fermentation was going on in the bottle, as it felt a bit spritzy and was weird in a way. Interesting nose of berries, smokeiness, salt, soy sauce and some funk of natural wines, some vegetal dirtyness. (604 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 4/25/2015 & rated 96 points: This is one sexy, exotic bottle of juice. It is has silky, erotic texture to the fresh cherries that you can only get with Cotie Rotie. The finish is long, the nose is complex and it's ready to go. If you have a bottle and you're feeling hedonistic, pop a cork. (2938 views) | | | Tasted by sunnylea57 on 9/25/2014 & rated 95 points: I figured this would be a "good but young" bottle, but it was much more than good, and it was ready for business. Such depth of character. Fruit, herbs, smoky bacon fat, all singing in pitch-perfect harmony. Luscious, complex and fully mature... and not showing any signs of the heat of the vintage. (2823 views) | | | Tasted by Kriz on 3/12/2014 & rated 96 points: Stunning! Fantastic nose of roasted meat herbs and very ripe berries. Full bodied wine with a very well balanced palate. And a finish which lasts and lasts.. Brilliant! (2563 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 8/8/2013 & rated 95 points: Drink great today, this sensuously textured, richly concentrated wine is packed with fresh, sweet, ripe cherries, black raspberries, fresh herbs, earth and minerality. Popped and poured, the wine improved over the next two hours. (3180 views) | | | Tasted by Clos & Cru on 5/17/2013 & rated 96 points: Lovely spice, earthy, aromatic, violets. Palate is concentrated, ripe but balanced, austere, forest berries, complex and long. From magnum (2644 views) | | | Tasted by Matsutake on 1/7/2013 & rated 95 points: Dark red, garnet, almost purple; no visual sign of age at all.
Needed decant. Decanted 3 hours. Should have decanted longer. Drank over 2 hours following decant. Did not show hot to us, nicely balanced actually. Definitely got strawberry and garrigue. Medium long finish.
Second day not as impressive as first (40% left: poured back in bottle, stored in fridge), started to get hot/oxidative/stewy. (3176 views) | | | Tasted by edge on 10/13/2012 & rated 96 points: My first Rene Rostaing Cote Blonde, and unfortunately the only bottle in my cellar....In a blind tasting this would fare very well against the single vineyard La La's. After 30 minutes the secondary fruit started to come out and balanced very well with the fine tannins, pepper and spice. This will ultimately last for another 10 years but why wait! (2790 views) | | | Tasted by Lipsman on 9/13/2012 flawed bottle: Overwhelming volatile acidity really sucked the life out of this bottle. The last bottle wasn't very good either. I hope this isn't a trend. (2701 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 6/14/2012 & rated 96 points: A beautiful, deep ruby red hue, with a perfume that reminds me of pure kirsch, licorice, bacon fat, and garrigue splashed over rocks and gravel. In the mouth, concentrated layers of pure, fresh, spicy black and red cherries, lush, sensuous textures and pure, ripe fruits. This is drinking great now! The wine improved in the glass for at least 2 hours. It might have continued getting better, but I could not stop tasting it. This flamboyant Rostaing Cote Blonde will only get better over the next decade or longer. (3038 views) | | | Tasted by Lipsman on 3/27/2012 & rated 87 points: This is just a little too hot with alcohol, just a bit unbalanced. There are plums, white pepper, dark fruits, a hint of licorice, a touch of strawberry and tar. It is medium to full bodied. The flavor is long. But the heat throws it out of balance. This may gain complexity with age, but it will never out run the vinosity. Very different from the bottle I sampled a year ago. (2436 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, January/Feburary 2005, IWC Issue #118
(Domaine Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie Cote Blonde) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (11/24/2004)
(René Rostaing, La Blonde Côte Rôtie Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JancisRobinson.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Rene Rostaing Producer website - Read more about Rene Rostaing wines
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)Syrah Varietal article (Wikipedia) | (Wines Northwest)
Note that some producers in the Northern Rhone distinguish between simply Syrah and "Serine", the latter described as ‘an ancient clone of Syrah, the berries of which are more oval-shaped and less deeply pigmented than Syrah’ by producer Tardieu-Laurent. Côte Blonde On weinlagen-infoFrance Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comRhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Rhone Valley The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
### Wine Scholar Guild's Rhône valley vintage charts & ratings ###Northern Rhône Guide to the wines and appellations of the Northern Rhone Valley -
The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
Regional History:
Phocaean Greeks established viticulture in the Rhone as far back as 600 BC, but until the 14th century the wines were not seen outside the region. The establishment of the Avignonese Papacy (1305-1377) brought fame to the region's wine-so much so that their Burgundian neighbors to the north banned wines from the Rhone in 1446, a measure that effectively cut off trade with England and other Northern European markets for over 200 years. Stretching southward from Lyon to just south of Avignon, the Rhone produces a wide variety of wines, with the appellations north of Valence producing the least (in volume), and the towns south of Montelimar producing prodigious amounts. As in other regions, the most interesting wines come from small farms. Saint-Joseph, in the northern Rhone, extends for some distance between Condrieu in the north to Saint-Peray in the south. The reds are made from Syrah and the rare whites from Marsanne and Roussanne, and Viognier.
### 2017 vintage ###
"The first red wines already tasted in the Northern Rhône promise a beautiful vintage, with a quality close to the 2015 or even the 2009 vintage" - NEWRHÔNE MILLESIMESCôte-Rôtie Guide to Cote Rotie - Read about the Northern Rhone Valley
• The Appellation cover three communes - Saint-Cyr-sur-Rhône, Ampuis and Tupin-Semons - on the right Rhône river bank, within the Rhône "département".
• Soils : In the northern part of the vineyard, the Côte Brune, consists of extremely steep, terraced slopes of ferruginous mica schists which are covered with schist sand (arzel).The Côte Blonde has a varied geology with gneiss and granite predominating at the most southern side of the appellation.
• Climate : tempered continental. Dry, hot summers and frequent rainfalls during the other seasons. History : one of the oldest vineyards in France, first developed by the Romans. It is said that during the Middle Ages, "The Seigneur de Maugiron" bequeathed a hillside to each of his daughters, one was brunette and the other fair. Thus, were born the names of "Côte Brune" and "Côte Blonde".
• Area planted : 230 hectares (568 acres), for an annual production of 8,400 hectoliters (93,333 cases). Authorized maximum yield is 40 hectoliters/hectare (2,3 US tons/acre).
• Grape Varieties : Syrah (80% minimum). An addition of up to 20% of Viognier grapes in the crop is allowed.
Single vineyards on weinlagen-info |
|
