Garnet, bricking. Surprisingly developed bouquet of candied red fruits, leather, barbecued pork. Full bodied, mature, viscous and integrated, with ripe red fruits, a touch of herbs, cured meat, leather soaked in brandy. Excellent finish with acidic lift and those gamey aromas coming back. Perhaps not the greatest of vintages, it seemed pretty advanced for its age, but this showed good character and spirit with developed tertiary aspects.
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Much better with the additional time in bottle. Oak is now nicely integrated. Dark berry and raisin fruits, black pepper, some black olives, herbs and a touch of meatiness. Lovely palate, good acidity, feels soft and fruity on the attack. Bit sufficient backbone to go another couple of years or more.
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Popped & poured just a couple of glasses. Dark fruit, white pepper and roasted game aromas. Medium-bodied with softened tannins and flavors of white pepper, red currants and spice. Has a slight meaty component to the finish. Very nice.
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Decanted and drank over 2 hrs at a restaurant. Despite the lack of a discernable color fading, this wine has an aroma of a much older northern syrah -- a combination of raisiny fruit and a rusty iron smell that would not dissipate with decanting. The fruit finishes sweet and round, complex, with hints of orange rind and clove. Perhaps it is a storage issue, but this bottle seems to have had matured a good deal faster than indicated by the underlying fruit.
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roasted beef, black pepper, tapenade, herbes de provence. delicious. nicely balanced, tannins rounding out nicely. great now, but could even wait another year or two
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I concur that this was a little more feminine as N. Rhone Syrah goes. The nose was floral, some roses and lavendar, and a little sous bois. (Could be we were standing under redwoods at the time.) ON opening, this was a little more tart, less gamy, a little towards the St Joseph end of things. It blossomed nicely and added some blackberry in moderation, a hint of leafiness, and more gamy notes and finally some olive. It had a nice spine of firm, fine tannins, but could have played that aspect up a little more. I opened it at about 8 a.m., transferred to a carafe and stuck it in a cooler with the remnants of the ice we had brought up, so it was a tad chilled when we first poured but came to perfect temperature by the second glass. A good showing, a very good to excellent wine, but not the best Syrah or N. Rhone I've had. Still this is Cote Rotie at a price and nothing to sneeze at. My drinking partner was thoroughly captivated and wished he could buy some.
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Absolutely beautiful. A very feminine, (dare i say) burgundian cote-rotie. Gorgeous nose of black plum, smoked meat, tar, and flowers. Great acid balance and a medium-long finish. I could drink this every night. Shockingly good for the price.
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Cool and sophisticated perfumes on the nose - roses and violets. Aromas of tart red currants, blackberries and lingonberries, with a brushstroke of tar, salty liquorice, spicebox and a few mushrooms. Nice terroir aspects of fresh forest herbs, roast beef and granite minerals. Light to medium body, acid driven taste with good midpalate fruit and an interesting aroma spectrum. Light white-peppery tannins, no bacon fat, instead a hint of tomato with stems. Elegant, stylish and refreshing - barely out of the tunnel yet, should improve in a few years time. No doubt this is outstanding and totally burgundian in style, but we were certainly more enthusiastic upon release. Perhaps in weaker vintages, some syrah are best drunk young? Anyway, better keep the rest for like 2-3 years more. Northern rhône syrah has the power to transform and surprise.
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Really lovely wine. Upon opening a note of raw oak takes control (maybe that's why Parker gave it higher marks than most Northern Rhone wines from this vintage) but it blows off quickly. The wine is fresh, elegant, full flavored without weight, and classically Côte-Rôtie: little red fruits, flowers, bacon, etc. Even more, there's a powerful sense of wet dirt intermixed in the flavor profile. With time it develops a completely alluring, musky scent that one could smell for hours. This is drinking very well now and probably will continue to for the next 5-7 years at least.
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Spice, red fruit, hint of a sweetness characteristic of grenache (though there is no grenache in the wine), but the nose lacks definition; garrigue on palate, lighter fruits, perfect structure; nice medium finish. 91
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Have to agree with rloomis on this one. I found it very woody in character, and whilst there was some damson fruit in there, it was masked and not concentrated at all. Slightly disappointing and lacking in real depth or complexity. Given it the benefit of the doubt as it might improve once the wood has integrated.
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Pale garnet red core to light purple at the rim with medium legs in the glass. The nose on this wine is pretty special with a gorgeous mineral streak and stunningly complex aromas of crushed rock, wet earth, tea, stewed-stemmy black cherry & raspberry, sour tart, licorice, and pine sol; really quite haunting. The palate comes across as somewhat lean but it is seductive, savory, and plush with ample mineral laced acidity. The flavors consist of cherry, blood orange, minerals, and cinnamon leading into a long lifted finish. I would like to see a little more fruit concentration in this wine but it is so complex and fresh that it is hard not to like. Maybe I use these clichés too much but this wine drips terroir all over the place.
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black dampened wood oak and a little vanilla, a surprising topnote of artificial cinnamon gum flavor, red berry-mulberry fruits and maybe a hint of mild licorice. Côte-Rôtie´s a bit north for me to pick up much garrigue. A boarderline insipid mix of dark wood and indistinct fruit. But, would have enjoyed a lot more and possibly scored at bottom of excellent range if it weren´t for that bubble-gummy element which stood out rather sorely.
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Oh, what a lovely nose! Tar pastilles, salty liquorice, matchbox, muscovado sugar, corinth raisin, spices, high quality vanilla, almond oil. And last but not least, the perfectly perfumed syrah fruit with red currants and blackberries. Only exquisite notes... A midweight palate of perfect balance and harmony, all about finesse and elegant aromas. Spicy, soft, rich, fresh fruit with hints of garrigue. Totally enjoyable and open for business right now. Winemaker Jacques Grange, we love you!
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Clear, beautiful ruby hue. Nice tears. Elegant nose with salty character of tar and liquorice, somewhat herbal with tomato plant and tomato purée. Slender, stylish palate, yet round and viscous. Pronounced "saltiness" with shining red fruit: tar, perfumed red currants and white pepper. Long, delicious aftertaste with sweet fruit and cherry cores. Subtle and elegant wine, not the biggest of bodies or tannins. It might be overrun by more powerful things at tastings, but at the dinner table it is absolutely gorgeous right now. Côte-rôtie for burgundy lovers!
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1/14/2017 - moods wrote: 91 Points
This is drinking beautifully right now. Has a dense core of dark berry fruit, some mocha and a touch of spice too. Smooth palate, still feels fresh.
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3/19/2016 - moods wrote: 90 Points
Soft, fleshy, berry fruit. Sanguineous. Black olive tapenade, cola. Good core of ripe solid fruit. Peppery and spicy. Drinking very well.
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2/13/2016 - KeithAkers wrote:
Nose: The nose is demure and understated with black cherries, violets, black olives, leather, black tea, and some bacon fat.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and silky tannins. The feel is refined with black cherries, black olives, bacon fat, and violets.
Overall: This is lovely with a classic backdrop. It's drinking beautifully right now on pop and pour.
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8/1/2015 - loloFR Likes this wine: 94 Points
wow! absolutely stunning cote rotie. burgundy elegance, silky, meaty, red fruit, length, perfect time to be drunk. great bottle for this vintage
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7/2/2015 - Tavastgatan wrote: 92 Points
@Fred_Lund: This is surprisingly good. Light yet concentrated, sweet yet acidic. Wish I bought a case. 92p
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12/9/2014 - Timbalimba wrote: 91 Points
Garnet, bricking. Surprisingly developed bouquet of candied red fruits, leather, barbecued pork. Full bodied, mature, viscous and integrated, with ripe red fruits, a touch of herbs, cured meat, leather soaked in brandy. Excellent finish with acidic lift and those gamey aromas coming back. Perhaps not the greatest of vintages, it seemed pretty advanced for its age, but this showed good character and spirit with developed tertiary aspects.
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8/28/2014 - moods wrote: 90 Points
Much better with the additional time in bottle. Oak is now nicely integrated. Dark berry and raisin fruits, black pepper, some black olives, herbs and a touch of meatiness. Lovely palate, good acidity, feels soft and fruity on the attack. Bit sufficient backbone to go another couple of years or more.
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7/14/2014 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Popped & poured just a couple of glasses. Dark fruit, white pepper and roasted game aromas. Medium-bodied with softened tannins and flavors of white pepper, red currants and spice. Has a slight meaty component to the finish. Very nice.
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2/24/2014 - swapdoc wrote:
Decanted and drank over 2 hrs at a restaurant. Despite the lack of a discernable color fading, this wine has an aroma of a much older northern syrah -- a combination of raisiny fruit and a rusty iron smell that would not dissipate with decanting. The fruit finishes sweet and round, complex, with hints of orange rind and clove. Perhaps it is a storage issue, but this bottle seems to have had matured a good deal faster than indicated by the underlying fruit.
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12/8/2013 - moveablesirkus wrote:
roasted beef, black pepper, tapenade, herbes de provence. delicious. nicely balanced, tannins rounding out nicely. great now, but could even wait another year or two
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11/25/2013 - 5laton wrote:
Very oaky. There's some good, classic material beneath but it's a struggle to get to it through the lacquer of wood.
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9/28/2013 - Not647f wrote:
I concur that this was a little more feminine as N. Rhone Syrah goes. The nose was floral, some roses and lavendar, and a little sous bois. (Could be we were standing under redwoods at the time.) ON opening, this was a little more tart, less gamy, a little towards the St Joseph end of things. It blossomed nicely and added some blackberry in moderation, a hint of leafiness, and more gamy notes and finally some olive. It had a nice spine of firm, fine tannins, but could have played that aspect up a little more. I opened it at about 8 a.m., transferred to a carafe and stuck it in a cooler with the remnants of the ice we had brought up, so it was a tad chilled when we first poured but came to perfect temperature by the second glass. A good showing, a very good to excellent wine, but not the best Syrah or N. Rhone I've had. Still this is Cote Rotie at a price and nothing to sneeze at. My drinking partner was thoroughly captivated and wished he could buy some.
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10/24/2012 - Neurowine1 wrote: 93 Points
Absolutely beautiful. A very feminine, (dare i say) burgundian cote-rotie. Gorgeous nose of black plum, smoked meat, tar, and flowers. Great acid balance and a medium-long finish. I could drink this every night. Shockingly good for the price.
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6/5/2012 - Finare Vinare wrote: 92 Points
Cool and sophisticated perfumes on the nose - roses and violets. Aromas of tart red currants, blackberries and lingonberries, with a brushstroke of tar, salty liquorice, spicebox and a few mushrooms. Nice terroir aspects of fresh forest herbs, roast beef and granite minerals. Light to medium body, acid driven taste with good midpalate fruit and an interesting aroma spectrum. Light white-peppery tannins, no bacon fat, instead a hint of tomato with stems. Elegant, stylish and refreshing - barely out of the tunnel yet, should improve in a few years time. No doubt this is outstanding and totally burgundian in style, but we were certainly more enthusiastic upon release. Perhaps in weaker vintages, some syrah are best drunk young? Anyway, better keep the rest for like 2-3 years more. Northern rhône syrah has the power to transform and surprise.
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1/6/2012 - Chomsky wrote:
Really lovely wine. Upon opening a note of raw oak takes control (maybe that's why Parker gave it higher marks than most Northern Rhone wines from this vintage) but it blows off quickly. The wine is fresh, elegant, full flavored without weight, and classically Côte-Rôtie: little red fruits, flowers, bacon, etc. Even more, there's a powerful sense of wet dirt intermixed in the flavor profile. With time it develops a completely alluring, musky scent that one could smell for hours. This is drinking very well now and probably will continue to for the next 5-7 years at least.
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10/8/2011 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Spice, red fruit, hint of a sweetness characteristic of grenache (though there is no grenache in the wine), but the nose lacks definition; garrigue on palate, lighter fruits, perfect structure; nice medium finish. 91
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1/30/2011 - Tavastgatan wrote: 92 Points
This is way better than I expected. Expressive nose with wonderful dark berries and herbs. Dense mid-palate and fine length. Delicious.
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7/30/2009 - moods wrote: 85 Points
Have to agree with rloomis on this one. I found it very woody in character, and whilst there was some damson fruit in there, it was masked and not concentrated at all. Slightly disappointing and lacking in real depth or complexity. Given it the benefit of the doubt as it might improve once the wood has integrated.
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10/24/2008 - Badfish wrote: 92 Points
Pale garnet red core to light purple at the rim with medium legs in the glass. The nose on this wine is pretty special with a gorgeous mineral streak and stunningly complex aromas of crushed rock, wet earth, tea, stewed-stemmy black cherry & raspberry, sour tart, licorice, and pine sol; really quite haunting. The palate comes across as somewhat lean but it is seductive, savory, and plush with ample mineral laced acidity. The flavors consist of cherry, blood orange, minerals, and cinnamon leading into a long lifted finish. I would like to see a little more fruit concentration in this wine but it is so complex and fresh that it is hard not to like. Maybe I use these clichés too much but this wine drips terroir all over the place.
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5/29/2008 - rloomis wrote: 85 Points
black dampened wood oak and a little vanilla, a surprising topnote of artificial cinnamon gum flavor, red berry-mulberry fruits and maybe a hint of mild licorice. Côte-Rôtie´s a bit north for me to pick up much garrigue. A boarderline insipid mix of dark wood and indistinct fruit. But, would have enjoyed a lot more and possibly scored at bottom of excellent range if it weren´t for that bubble-gummy element which stood out rather sorely.
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11/2/2007 - pederwelander wrote: 85 Points
örtig, kryddig, lite stallig med mycket frukt. Hög syra med mjuka tanniner
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9/26/2007 - Finare Vinare wrote: 92 Points
Oh, what a lovely nose! Tar pastilles, salty liquorice, matchbox, muscovado sugar, corinth raisin, spices, high quality vanilla, almond oil. And last but not least, the perfectly perfumed syrah fruit with red currants and blackberries. Only exquisite notes... A midweight palate of perfect balance and harmony, all about finesse and elegant aromas. Spicy, soft, rich, fresh fruit with hints of garrigue. Totally enjoyable and open for business right now. Winemaker Jacques Grange, we love you!
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8/20/2007 - Finare Vinare wrote: 92 Points
Clear, beautiful ruby hue. Nice tears. Elegant nose with salty character of tar and liquorice, somewhat herbal with tomato plant and tomato purée. Slender, stylish palate, yet round and viscous. Pronounced "saltiness" with shining red fruit: tar, perfumed red currants and white pepper. Long, delicious aftertaste with sweet fruit and cherry cores. Subtle and elegant wine, not the biggest of bodies or tannins. It might be overrun by more powerful things at tastings, but at the dinner table it is absolutely gorgeous right now. Côte-rôtie for burgundy lovers!
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