Rene Rostaing, Cote Rotie Blonde Vintage:2003 bouquet garni

bouquet garni

the 2009 Coutet leaps from the glass with warm apple pie

which is not surprising given the fact that the Chave family has more experience than just about anybody in the winemaking world (the domaine was founded in 1481 - nearly a decade before Christopher Columbus discovered America

the 2016 is flat-out stunning

Rene Rostaing, Cote Rotie Blonde Vintage:2003 bouquet garniThe most tannic of the "big three" bottlings this year, the 2018 Cote Rotie la Cote Blonde features elegant hints of mixed herbs entwined around bold boysenberry fruit. It's medium to full bodied, with plentiful fine grained tannins that firm up on the long finish. Embryonic, but oh so promising, it should blossom in another five years or so.