2011 Cote Rotie Cote Blonde

The 2011 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde saw 100% stems and a small percentage of Viognier. While I liked it a tad more last year, it showed beautifully here as well, with a perfumed, forward and medium to full-bodied profile to go with classic olive, garrigue and raspberry aromas and flavors. This is Côte Rôtie at its most refined and elegant, and it should be even better in another 2-3 years and evolve nicely through 2031.

Saturated ruby. Candied red and dark berries on the explosively perfumed floral, minerally nose. Stains the palate with intense blackberry and violet pastille flavors, gainingn depth and spiciness with aeration. Rich, energetic and graceful, finishing with superb clarity, power and fruit-driven persistence. One of the highlights of the vintage in the northern Rhone, with the balance to age but offering wonderful upfront appeal as well.

Opaque ruby. High-pitched aromas of black raspberry, potpourri and minerals, with a touch of Asian spices in the background. Juicy and precise, offering lively red fruit flavors and suggestions of cola and candied violet. Finishes silky and appealingly sweet, with excellent clarity and sneaky tannins. The tannins come on late here and are more smoothly integrated into the fruit than with the more masculine, brawny La Landonne.