2022 Domaine René Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde
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Tasting notes
The 2022 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde is a stunning, flawless effort offering a complex array of red, blue, and black fruits intermixed with graphite, crushed stone, and wildflowers. Full-bodied, silky, and multidimensional on the palate, it has incredible depth, perfectly ripe tannins, and remarkable purity of fruit. This profound, age-worthy wine deserves 7-10 years of bottle age and will have 30+ years of prime drinking. The floral, perfumed, exotic, and incredibly seductive character here is reminiscent of Guigal's Côte Rôtie La Mouline. Don't miss this wine. Drink 2032-2062. One of the reference points for Côte Rôtie, Domaine Rostaing is now firmly in the hands of Pierre Rostaing, who continues the legacy of his father René. Farming is sustainable, and winemaking remains traditional, with full destemming (there might be a stem or two in some of these) and élevage in a mix of larger older and new French oak, with the new wood kept to a minimum. The range includes the classic Côte Rôtie Ampodium, which blends multiple parcels, as well as single lieu-dit bottlings from La Landonne, Côte Blonde, Côte Brune, and Le Viallière. A Condrieu and a Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah (Les Lézardes) round out the lineup.
Critic scores
Alistair Cooper MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2022 Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde reveals intense aromas of cedar, blackberry, black cherry, graphite and a slice of orange rind. Full-bodied and structured by firm tannins with a hint of vanilla, the 2022 provides marked wood tannins that slightly detract from its elegance. Built like a brick wall, the Côte Blonde will require the most time to come around among Rostaing's 2022s. Fermented with 100% whole clusters, it promises great complexity with patience.
Cask sample. Not hugely expressive but showing some sweet spice, dark fruits, blood and fruit cake. The palate is chewy and intense with firm tannic backbone and meaty spice – some fleshy breadth on the palate but always with taut structure. The wood is well integrated and the meaty game elements come through towards the long finish. (AC)