Description
Yet another second time bottling, this is, for all intents and purposes, a Côte Rôtie in Côtes du Rhône clothing that should resultantly offer an outstanding value proposition. It is comprised of a smidgen of young vines (10+ years old) that sit just besides their Grand crus les Grandes Places and la Viallière, with the vast majority from the high elevation, iron-rich micaschist bedrock of le Plomb above their home village of Verenay. Guillaume now has some 4.5ha! of this vineyard, by way of his father-in-law. I am told that at the time of classification, the family already had enough Côte Rôtie and thus didn’t propose this parcel to be included in the appellation, as they didn’t want to have to pay the higher taxes required……Particularly as the prices of Côte Rôtie, both at this house and elsewhere, continue to rise, one should pay attention to overachievers like this that offer all of the substance, just not the label licker appeal……
“Syrah (late 2000s) from plateau at 300-310 metres above Verenay, Syrah (1960s) on schist, sanded soils on Le Plomb outside the Côtie-Rôtie appellation, purchased harvest, 50% organic for now, 70% destemmed, 3 week steel vat vinification, wild yeasts, pumping overs, cap punching, aged 4-7 year 228-litre & 600-litre oak casks 9-10 months, unfiltered, first year 2019, 17,000 b” John Livingstone Learmonth
“Dark red robe; this has a bold, iron-blood filled bouquet, intensity in the red fruit, smoky fissures, rose petals on the premises. The palate presents an appealing flow of red cherry fruits, has flair, and a tight line of tannin, clear tannin. It finishes with a lightly floral precision, is most harmonious, gives cool, crystalline drinking, on the naked side, very pure. There are notes of the scented Lapsang Souchong tea on the palate. “I judged the harvest date just right this year,” Guillaume Clusel. From 2024. 2035-37 July 2021″ 4.5 Stars John Livingstone Learmonth
