2016 Cote Rotie Seigneur de Maugiron

The 2016 Côte Rôtie Seigneur De Maugiron is all Syrah and spent 16 months in new and once-used barrels. It offers a more four-squared profile compared to the la Landonne and gives up tons of black fruits, scorched earth, graphite, and ground pepper, with hints of violets and flowers emerging with time in the glass. Nicely textured, with good acidity and moderate tannins, it needs short-term cellaring but will keep for 15+ years. It's another beautiful wine from this team. Owned by the Louis Roederer/Deutz Champagne firm, Delas Frères is another largely negotiate estate that is fashioning brilliant wines from throughout the Rhône Valley. The incredible quality has been led by Burgundian Jacques Grange, who joined Delas Frères in 1997, and he’s assisted by the talented Claire Darnaud. The 2015s, reviewed last year, are some of the finest wines ever from this estate (same league as the 2009s and 2010s). They’ve done a fine job in 2016, with the wines showing more elegant characters, missing the density or structure of a top year, yet offering balanced, very drinkable profiles. The 2017s should surpass the 2016s, but also have upfront charming characters. It’s worth noting that this estate has seen a progression in style since 2005, where the wines were more extracted and oaky, to the 2016s and 2017s today, which could be seen as more mid-weight and elegant.

Mocha, black olive and plum notes appear on the nose of the 2016 Cote Rotie Seigneur de Maugiron. It's medium to full-bodied, with a rich, plush feel and a long, velvety finish. It doesn't have the complexity of the La Landonne, but it still makes for a very satisfying glass of Côte Rôtie to drink over the next decade.