RJonWine.com

• By Richard Jennings
  8/7/2010 (link) 92 points

  (Cédric Parpette Côte-Rôtie Le Montmain) Dark red violet color; tart plum, dried plum, pepper nose; nice tart plum, pepper, herbal palate; medium-plus finish

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  11/25/2008 (link)

  (Cedric Parpette Cote Rotie "MONTMAIN") Cote Rotie Dear Friends, This is my first special holiday offer of the season (a few days early, I know) and, from my perspective, it's a doozy - if you want to go inside, really inside the iron curtain of the hottest producers in Europe - look no further than Cedric Parpette - Cote Rotie's master of the moment. From one of the tiniest properties in Cote Rotie, Parpette only produces a few hundred cases, maybe 300-500 in a voluminous vintage from some of the steepest, impossible to farm terrain on the prized hillsides above Ampuis - if this were Alta, it would be Baldy Chutes. After a few experimental vintages from 2000-2002 (with mixed results), in 2003 he held back the best material from his Montmain parcel (that use to go into Guigal's stew for La Turque) and decided to start building his own legacy, with his own wine, that would ascend to the top of the heap solely on the basis of the rare raw material that he was so fortunate to possess. His method was simple - vinify the finest single vineyard fruit in Cote Rotie and charge what most do for their basic bottling - a smart approach but someone forgot to tell him that "cult" wines have a tendency to be the most expensive entrants, not the cheapest. So much for Parpette's business acumen. In all my travels this year, Parpette's Cote Rotie "Montmain" was one of the most talked about underground wines and it was the toughest to get. In the sea of retailers, importers and distributors bumping into each other on the wine road, this was one of those secrets you didn't discuss (although it seemed like everyone was trying to secure the rights). The French press (not Bodum, I mean the actual journalists) have gone bananas for Parpette and there is literally no wine to be had (the 2006 is already sold out and it's barely been released - the 2007 is fully allocated and it's a year away from release). I'm not sure how big of a deal to make of this as you will certainly read enough about Parpette in upcoming English speaking publications but (to give you an idea of the Beatles-like fervor over this micro-producer), here's the new review of the 2006 Montmain from the Guide Hachette: "2006 CÄdric Parpette Cote Rotie "Montmain": Do you want a sensation? Serve this Montmain signed by a newcomer. A Montmain...the color is almost black. Because it does not come from a 1er Cru of Chablis, but from near Ampuis. Its author, who started in 2003, makes his first appearance in this guide in a big way. His 2006 provoked excited praise: the tasters praised its elevage, its well integrated wood, its nobility and complexity, speaking of it as a "vin rare". The nose, elegant and profound, of great maturity, deploys aromas of concentrated black fruits and spice. The mouth is concentrated, full, long and rich, supported by integrated tannins. Already remarkable, this bottle will improve over the next two or three years and can keep for ten years. A domaine to watch. Coup de Couer" ...and you thought the 2006 was good? The 2005 is even more powerful, tannic and deep (in keeping with the vintage) with the most gorgeous purple Syrah fruit that is somehow still acutely feminine and finely detailed (the few points of Viognier certainly add to the grace of the wine). Parpette had so little of the 2005 that he sold the last bottles instead of opening them for the press (he doesn't care about scores) - that's why there was no Guide Hachette review of the 2005 but he claims it is far more ageworthy than the 2006 and I wouldn't disagree. While I realize this isn't cheap, for Cote Rotie at this price, I doubt anyone will split hairs over which is preferred 2005 or 2006 - both are great in their own way (like 1989 and 1991). An amazing debut from a new star that still has has his pride and joy single vineyard bottling priced like an entry-level Cote Rotie - something tells me you'll need to add a "1" as the first digit in the price before too long (as in $148.91)... EXTREMELY LIMITED - VERY RARE 2005 CÄdric Parpette Cote Rotie "Montmain" Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Rhone7480