2022 Cote Rotie Les Grandes Places
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Powerful aromas of smoked black fruits, graphite, and crushed stone emerge from the 2022 Côte Rôtie Les Grandes Places, which comes from very old vines and a great terroir in the northern part of the appellation, situated just above Viallière. This beast of a wine offers tons of rocky minerality, full-bodied richness, and a powerful, textured mouthfeel. Serious stuff and incredibly structured, it will reward patience and cruise for 15+ years in cold cellars. Drink 2030-2045. ?Based in Verenay, Clusel-Roch farms approximately 5.5 hectares in Côte Rôtie, with vineyards concentrated in the northern part of the appellation. Their holdings include parcels in Les Grandes Places, La Viallière, Le Champon, Le Plomb, and Montmain. The Côte Rôtie Les Schistes cuvée accounts for roughly 80% of the estate's production and is sourced primarily from Viallière, with contributions from Le Champon, Le Plomb, and Verenay. The Les Grandes Places parcel, planted in 1935 by Baptiste Clusel, is the estate's oldest vineyard and is used exclusively for their single-vineyard bottling of the same name. Made entirely from Serine, an old clone of Syrah, it is aged for approximately two years in a mix of new and used barrels. The winemaking here is uncompromisingly traditional, with fermentation in concrete and stainless steel, partial destemming, and élevage mostly in used oak. These are beautiful, classic wines.
Critic scores
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Robert Parker
Jeb Dunnuck
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Pure and delicate, the 2022 Cote Rotie les Grandes Places reveals a dense, complex bouquet of violets, mulberries, licorice and spices mingled with delicate notes of chocolate, suggesting a ripe profile. Full-bodied, precise and tense, it has a firm, concentrated core of fruit, with a crystalline texture and fine-grained tannins, culminating in a long, ethereal and delicately peppery finish. This powerful, chiseled Côte Rôtie, hailing from old vines planted in the schist soils of the appellation’s upper southeastern reaches, was fermented with 20% destemmed Syrah, 30% whole bunches and 50% crushed whole bunches and then matured for two years in a mix of used barrels. It stands as one of the top wines of the vintage.
The classy 2022 Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places delivers a brooding bouquet of black cherry, black plum, licorice and cedar with dark and pronounced intensity. Full-bodied and deeply concentrated, the 2022 is meticulously sculpted with remarkable energy. The lifting freshness harmonizes beautifully with its power, ultimately leading to a complex and enduring close.