2015 Cote Rotie La Vialliere
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Tasting notes
Matching the power of the fruit with the tannins and waves of complexities produces a wine that is equally concentrated, fresh and dense. The lift and aromatics shine here. The finish, with its multi-layered wall of stone, spice and red fruits goes on and on. But this demands at least a decade in the cellar before it is ready for its prime time drinking window.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
More reviews and scores
Bright purple. An exotically perfumed bouquet evokes dark fruit preserves, spicecake and incense. A sexy floral element builds with air. Impressively energetic on the palate, offering intense blueberry, cherry pie and floral pastille flavors that deepen steadily on the back half. The floral note comes back strong on the impressively long, youthfully tannic finish, which leaves a lively mineral accent behind.
The 2015 Côte Rôtie La Viallière isn’t part of the single vineyard boxed set and will be released on its own. After tasting it, I certainly understand why as it’s an incredible wine. Possessing awesome purity in its blackberry, blackcurrants, charcoal, meat, and dried flower aromatics, it’s full-bodied, concentrated, and sexy, yet also perfectly balanced, seamless and elegant. It’s a complete, classic Côte Rôtie that will benefit from 3-4 years of cellaring and keep for two decades. I was able to taste the 2015s from the incredibly talented Stéphane Ogier twice, once during my visit at the estate, which was just after bottling, and then again from bottles shipped to my office in Colorado. These are ripe, polished, sexy wines from Stéphane that show the purity as well as the opulence of this great, great vintage. The 2016 vintage was compared to 2006 by Ogier, which was a solid, under the radar vintage from the northern Rhône. The barrel samples all showed terrific purity of fruit and balanced styles, and should check in near the top of the vintage. This estate is certainly at the top of its game and readers looking for some of the most profound Côte Rôties out there are advised to get on this estate’s bandwagon.
Bright purple. A complex, highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, violet and savory herbs, while a sexy floral note adds complexity. Broad, fleshy and appealingly sweet, offering intense black currant and boysenberry flavors and a refreshing jolt of juicy acidity. Blends richness and vivacity with a smooth hand and finishes very long, sweet and youthfully tannic, leaving a floral pastille note behind.