Côte Rôtie Blonde La Chatillonne, Vidal-Fleury 2015

The 2015 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde La Chatillonne checks in as a blend of 88% Syrah and 12% Viognier, all from the La Chatillonne lieu-dit in the northern part of the Côte Blonde lieu-dit, that spent two years in barrel. This heavenly Côte Rôtie is blockbuster stuff on every level and boasts a killer nose of black raspberries, cured meats, graphite, and dried flowers. Full-bodied, beautifully concentrated and voluptuous on the palate, it has sweet tannin, no hard edges, and incredible length. It’s a tour de force that’s going to keep for two decades or more.

This single vineyard "lieu-dit" wine is made from a 0.8 hectare parcel of vines within the Côte Blonde. It is planted with 88% Syrah and 12% Viognier. The wine spends over three years in oak, much like Guigal's top Cote Roties, before being bottled. The result is an expressive, opulent nose of sweet vanilla, liquorice, black olive and bramble fruits. The palate is rich, rounded and soft, with sweet and succulent tannins framing a ripe core of black fruits. Layers of sweet spice come through on the mid palate which is bolstered by some sappy oak tannin. Savoury, lightly meaty notes come through in tandem with the fruit, leaving a long, hedonistic finish.

Showing a bit toasty and cedary at the moment, the 2015 Cote Rotie la Chatillonne Cote Blonde should come into its own in just a couple more years. It's medium to full-bodied with ample concentration, a fantastic, velvety texture and grace notes of vanilla and baking spices. It just needs some time to absorb its oak. 2020 - 2035