![Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie "Cote Blonde" 2019 (Northern Rhone, France) - [JD 97] [VM 95-97] [WA 95+?] [DM 94]](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0481/8940/7391/products/fn19JWvGQMmCnM5GQmLmbA_pb_x960_092c6f7a-5250-4709-a77d-a5ec58fad336_{width}x.png?v=1642642383)
Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie "Cote Blonde" 2019
(Northern Rhone, France) - [JD 97] [VM 95-97] [WA 95+?] [DM 94]
Regular price $225.00 Sale price $189.97 Save $35.03
About the winery:
The Rostaing estate dates to 1971 when René Rostaing– a Notary by trade – began tending a few plots of family vineyards. He had the perfect role model to guide him into a career of classical winemaking: Marius Gentaz, his uncle. Over the next few years, René took advantage not only of his uncle’s mentoring, but of historically low vineyard prices, to acquire a prized half acre each in the Côte Blonde and La Landonne lieux-dits. And when he married, he acquired a second traditional role model, his father-in-law, Albert Dervieux. Dervieux retired in 1989 and Gentaz followed three years later, giving René a further ten acres of very old vines in some of the appellation’s top sites. This treasury of vineyards launched René’s estate into the stratosphere.
The vineyard expansion also enabled René to quit his day job and to devote himself full time to winemaking. Over the next 25+ years, he crafted a sequence of masterful wines that honored the legacy of his illustrious forebearers. In 2015, René’s son, Pierre, took the reins at an estate that boasts 20+ acres of the finest vineyards in and around Côte Rôtie.
About this wine:
Made from 98% Syrah and 2% Viognier from two organic parcels of 40+ year-old vines. The wine is aged in a mix of 225 and 500 liter barrels (about 7% new).
Ratings & Reviews
95-97 Points - Vinous Media:
"An assertively perfumed bouquet displays an array of ripe red and blue fruit preserve, floral and spice qualities, along with suggestions of licorice, smoky bacon fat and mineral notes. Effortlessly marries depth and energy and offers sweet cherry, crème de mûre and candied violet flavors sharpened by building mineral and spice flourishes. Shows noteworthy clarity and mineral cut on a long, penetrating finish that echoes the floral and mineral notes with real authority." - Josh Raynolds (May 2020)
"Is it really fair when a wine rated 95+? is a bit of disappointment? Yet I confess that's how I felt upon tasting Rostaing's 2019 Cote Rotie la Cote Blonde—perhaps a victim of my own overly high expectations? It was a bit closed on the nose, only to explode with vibrant red raspberries and cherries in the mouth. Full-bodied, concentrated and plush, with a long, mocha-tinged finish, it did begin to show a bit more aromatic range and complexity as it sat in the glass, so perhaps I'm being too tough on it." - Joe Czerwinski (Jan 2022)
94 Points - Decanter Magazine:"A more subdued nose than you'd normally find at this stage. On the palate there is a lovely generosity of rich, ripe, juicy berry fruit with beautifully bright acidity. Tannins are massy and fine-grained. Elegant, with a long finish and slightly higher alcohol than usual. Four weeks in tank, 18 months in oak, limited new oak, natural yeasts, and as many stems as possible." - Matt Walls (Oct 2020)