($200) Saturated medium ruby. Incredible nose combines black fruits, violet, meat, licorice, brown spices, cinders and tapenade. Dense and powerful, with a strong flavor of bitter chocolate and great delineation of flavor. This has the most impressive tannic structure of these '98s. Offers great breed and vivacity. Finishes with superb palate-staining persistence. The pH here is about 3.77, which is significantly lower than that of the 2000 version but higher than the '99.

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100% Syrah, 42 months in 100% new barriques. 800 c/s. La Landonne first bottled 1978. Deep garnet. A mushroomy note on the nose to begin with. Savoury and peppery turning into some sweet red fruit. But also fragrant. Mushroom is the strongest characteristic. Savoury, oak spice on the mid palate. Very, very fine grained but also has a thickness of texture. Pretty dry on the finish at the moment, definitely too young. (JH)

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The 1998 Cote Rotie La Landonne is a perfect wine ... at least for my palate. Its saturated black/purple color is accompanied by an extraordinary nose of smoke, incense, tapenade, creosote, blackberry, and currant aromas. It is densely packed with blackberry, truffle, chocolate, and leather-like flavors. The wine possesses high tannin, but perfect harmony, impeccable balance, and gorgeous integration of acidity, alcohol, and tannin. It is a tour de force in winemaking.

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Fantastic. This full-bodied, pitch-black wine caresses the palate with a thick and opulent texture, ultrasoft tannins and rich fruit, then explodes with fresh, vibrant intensity, leaving a long trail of memories on the smoke, cassis, black currant, mineral aftertaste.

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