2009 Cote Roties (and a few others)

Last night my tasting group met to taste 2009 Cote Roties. This is a step up for this group which tends to look more for values. Its hard to find those in Cote Rotie. That said, I think we all were blown away by the quality. While we might not be drinking these wines every day, it does make sense to buy a few for the cellar.

In general, I was surprised by how open the wines were. Of course, young, but they all had vibrant fruit, especially on the palate, and drank wonderfully. They also had a great acidity. Very bright, it helped bring out the fruit expression of the wines. Our host threw in a couple of bonus 06's to the group as well as the starter.

All the wines (except the last one) were served blind and consumed over 3 hours or so. Breads and great cheeses were served.

• 2010 E. Guigal Condrieu 87 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

  Golden in color. The nose is great. Waxy, honey and lemons. On the palate, this starts out slightly bitter and then is followed by a burning oak astringency. I seem to be more susceptible to this than some as only about half the group agreed with me on this. I am not a fan of these wines. Perhaps the oak integrates with time, but then a lot of the fruit is lost. I love that nose though. Anyway, having had this more than a few times, I was able to nail this one blind.

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• 2009 Bernard Burgaud Côte-Rôtie 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  This was mine and the groups last place wine. It is still an outstanding wine. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is earthy, meaty, and with slight black raspberries. There is a fair amount of oak on the palate. Also some boysenberries.

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• 2009 Mathilde et Yves Gangloff Côte-Rôtie La Barbarine 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Purple/ruby in color. The nose is meaty, slight mint notes. Also a bit of black olives and black raspberries. This is thinner in body but really good. It has this bright acidity with black raspberry fruit that is delicious. Long finish. This improved with food even more. And the label has a naked woman on it.

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• 2009 Domaine de Bonserine Côte-Rôtie La Viallière 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Ruby/purple in color. The nose is meaty with black raspberries and a slight mint note. Nice acidity. Lots of tannins. Black raspberry fruit. This got three first place votes (not mine), so there was something there.

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• 2009 François Villard Côte-Rôtie Le Gallet Blanc 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Purple/ruby in color. There is a lot of stink here. Serious barnyard. Also some earthy/scorched earth notes. Nice texture for the most part although there are slightly drying tannins. Nice black raspberry fruit. Very interesting wine.

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• 2006 M. Chapoutier Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Purple/ruby in color. Slight barnyard nose here. Also black raspberries. This is tight. Great texture. Lots of tannins. With time and air, it opens to show depth and nice boysenberry fruit. This needs more time than most.I was surprised to see this was an 06.

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• 2009 François Villard Côte-Rôtie La Brocarde 94 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  I liked this more than most. Purple/ruby in color. There is a barnyard note that some described as fecal. I didn't find it that bad. Also plenty of black raspberries and a slight tarragon. Medium bodied. This is young with firm tannins. Nice boysenberry fruit. Very food friendly. I loved how spry it is with bright acidity and great fruit.

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• 2009 Patrick & Christophe Bonnefond Côte-Rôtie 95 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  This was my WOTN although not the groups. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has black raspberries and tarragon. Great texture. Very smooth. Black raspberries. Great acidity. Long finish. Loved this.

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• 2009 Domaine de Bonserine Côte-Rôtie La Sarrasine 95 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  The group's WOTN (my #2). Purple/ruby in color. The nose is black raspberries, scorched earth with a dusty quality. I wondered if this might be Californian. Great texture. Firm tannins. Nice acidity. Black raspberries with precision and depth. 6/9 of us had it in first or second place.

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• 2009 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Cuvée Classique Ampodium 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Purple/ruby in color. I thought this was the most backward of all the wines. Very tight on the nose eventually showing black raspberries, black olives and some mint. This is a big wine on the palate. Black raspberries with big tannins. Nice acidity helps to break it up.

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• 2006 François Villard Côte-Rôtie La Brocarde 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  The most obviously older wine in the group. Probably drank and certainly looked older than I thought it should. Ruby/purple/brown in color. The nose has black raspberries, camphor and anise. On the palate, a sweet-tart note of black raspberries. Great acidity. Open and drinking well right now. This got a couple of first place votes.

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• 1999 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis 96 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  This was opened after the tasting was over to see how well Cote Roties can age. Pop and pour. This is still very youthful and not yet at peak. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is expressive with black raspberries, black olives and very deep. It is amazingly smooth. Drinks so easily. Great depth and complexity but packed very tightly. Black raspberries. Not the acidity that the 09's have but well balanced in its own right. Beautiful wine.

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One of the best tastings this group has held. The 09 Cote Roties are the real deal and worth buying as much as your budget will allow.