2016 L'Aventure Cote A Cote
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Côte a Côte is blockbuster and one of the wines of the vintage. A blend of 55% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre, and the rest Syrah, brought up in a mix of 30% new French oak, 28% once used barrels, and the rest in amphora and concrete tanks, it offers a heavenly perfume of blueberries, blackberries, crushed violets, wild strawberries, ground pepper, and spring flowers. About as pure and seamless as it gets, this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a multi-dimensional texture, no hard edges, and a huge finish. I finished my note on this wine with “Killer stuff!” You can drink this today or cellar it for 10-15 years. Consistently thrilling wines come from l’Aventure, which is run with incredible talent and passion by St. Emilion native Stephan Asseo. His 2016s are incredible efforts, and the 2017 more Rhône blends are certainly in the same ballpark. Due to the heat spikes at harvest, Bordeaux varieties were much more difficult and hit or miss.
Critic scores
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Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
Deep bright-rimmed ruby. Intensely perfumed red and blue fruit, floral pastille, cola and allspice aromas are sharpened by a powerful mineral note. Juicy and densely packed on the palate, offering sappy black currant and cherry-vanilla flavors that take on a spicy nuance with aeration. Finishes sweet, smooth and impressively long, displaying lingering spiciness and smooth, well-knit tannins.
The 2016 Cote a Cote from L'Aventure offers up aromas of black cherries, clove, anise and dark chocolate. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, rich and expansive, with a broad attack, a sweet, rounded mid-palate and a firm, chewy finish that shows a bit of stem tannin. There's a nice juiciness and purity to this large-scaled, powerful effort that's a blend of 55% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre and 20% Syrah.
Intense aromas of black fruit, uncooked meat and some bay leaf. Medium to full body with round, creamy tannins and a juicy finish. Creamy texture here. 55% grenache, 25% mourvedre and 20% syrah. Delicious now.
About the producer
L’Aventure is one of the leading wine estates in Paso Robles, California. It was founded by Stephan Asseo and his wife Beatrice who left their native France in 1997 in search of a place to make wine without the restrictions of France’s appellation system.
Product details
Mourvedre/Monastrell/Mataro, Syrah / Shiraz, Grenache/ Garnacha
Red
Dry