2013 Cote Rotie Belle Helene
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Tasting notes
The 2013 Côte Rôtie La Belle Hélène is one for the traditionalists out there – a full-bodied, concentrated, structured Côte Rôtie with high acidity and high tannins. Still youthfully purple/plum-hued, with pure dark fruits, iron, smoked meats, tapenade, and gamey, cedary notes, it stays tight and focused on the palate, with the classic austerity yet promising style of this cooler vintage.
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Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
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The inky-colored 2013 Côte Rôtie Belle Helene is another beautiful wine that shines more for its purity and elegance than overt power and richness. Black fruits, wood smoke, caramelized meats and hints of beef blood all flow from this full-bodied, mineral-laced, focused and chiseled Côte Rôtie that needs 5-7 years of cellaring and will keep for another 15+ years.
(made with 50% whole clusters and aged for 18 months in 50% new oak): Glass-staining ruby. Heady, mineral-tinged aromas of blueberry, cherry liqueur, licorice pastille and incense carry an emphatic floral overtone. At once weighty and energetic, offering deeply concentrated dark fruit preserve flavors and hints of candied violet and allspice. Shows outstanding depth as well as vivacity, finishing sweet, seamless and extremely long; a bright mineral note adds lift and cut.