Côte-Rotie La Viaillère
2019
René Rostaing is known as a Côte Rôtie Specialist, renowned for producing tiny quantities of extraordinarily refined Côte Rôtie wines, which in the words of Robert Parker are "reminiscent of Grand Cru Burgundy in their delicacy, elegance and sublime qualities." René started out in 1971, with less than half a hectare of Côte Rôtie vineyards split between the Côte Blonde and La Landonne. His breakthrough was in 1990 when he inherited highly prized vineyards from his father-in-law Albert...
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Beautifully detailed, floral, violet-scented nose; totally classic, tender and charming. Medium- to full-bodied, with cooling, fresh blackberry fruit. Super-fine, plentiful but elegant tannins and the little bitter kick is classic Viallière. This is exceptional and will provide a lot of pleasure. Four weeks in tank, 18 months in oak (limited new oak), with natural yeasts and as many stems as possible.
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Glass-staining ruby color. Smoke- and mineral-accented cherry and blackberry scents show superb clarity, and licorice and olive nuances build in the glass. Gently sweet, penetrating dark berry, bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors are underscored by a smoky mineral element and pick up an exotic spice nuance with air. Fleshes out slowly on the fabulously long well-delineated finish, which is framed by solid (but in no way severe) tannins that blend very slowly into the wine's deep, dark fruit. Note that there is no 2020 bottling of this wine as there was too little quantity; thus, it was all blended into the Ampodium, much to that wine's benefit.
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Stylish, floral nose, partly from the whole bunch, party from the site. Very pure, gentle and velvety with dark fruit and tight tannins. Good acidity, alcohol feels just about balanced and overall great finesse - straight and elegant. Touch of menthol and pine needles on the finish. The barrel I tasted might end up being blended into Ampodium - so this cuvée might never see the light of day! Let's hope it gets its own bottling.
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Inky ruby. Intensely perfumed dark berry, cherry compote, incense and floral aromas are sharpened by suggestions of smoky minerals and peppery spices. Chewy and focused on the palate, offering impressively concentrated bitter cherry, blueberry and violet pastille flavors that show outstanding clarity and mineral lift. Densely packed but energetic as well, showing superb closing thrust, building tannins and powerful, mineral-driven persistence.
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While this vineyard suffered immensely from frost in the spring of 2021, the 2020 Cote Rotie la Viaillere looks amazing. Marked by vibrant, intense notes of purple raspberries and violets, this is full-bodied, rich and velvety, with wonderfully fine tannins and a nearly never-ending finish. While La Viallière is not my favorite lieu-dit, this is truly special.
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From a great terroir in the northern part of Côte Rôtie, the 2020 Côte Rôtie Le Viallière is another perfumed, mineral-laced 2020, offering a beautiful nose of darker raspberries, camphor, violets, woodsmoke, and grilled bread. Possessing huge minerality, it's medium to full-bodied, has a tight, compact mouthfeel, lots of tannins, and a great finish.
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