2011 Cote Rotie

Inky ruby. Fresh blueberry, cherry and floral pastille scents are complemented by deeper notes of candied licorice and pipe tobacco. Offers an array of dark fruit and pungent spice flavors that gain sweetness with air and pick up a smoky quality. Finishes smooth and long, leaving juicy blue fruit and peppery spice notes behind. Lots of fruit that's normally earmarked for the Belle Helene and Lancement bottlings wound up in this wine in 2011, Ogier told me, and it shows in the wine's power.

The 2011 Cote Roties are all brilliant, and at the upper end, some of the best wines in the vintage. Perfumed and fragrant, the 2011 Cote Rotie Classique isn’t holding much back, with loads of spice, lavender, bacon fat and sweet blackberry fruit all soaring from the glass. Very pure and lively, with great acidity, medium to full-bodied depth and superb length through the finish, this knockout 2011 will have 10-15 years of longevity. (Not yet released) One of the next generation of winemakers to come up through the ranks by working with his father, the young, yet talented, Stephane Ogier (who is one of the youngest vignerons in the appellation) has been fully in control at this brilliant estate since around 2003. Covering roughly 7 acres in Cote Rotie, there are new plantings just now coming on line, both in Cote Rotie and in the surrounding regions as well. In addition, they are in the process of building a completely new cellar located on the western edge of Ampuis. There’s lots going on here, and if you’re a young wine lover today, count yourself lucky that there are young vignerons of this caliber out there. Looking at the 2011s, these show slightly more linear profiles than the 2012s, yet both vintages possess fantastic purity of fruit and overall elegant profiles. Robert Kacher Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 239-1275

Glass-staining ruby. Sexy aromas of dark fruit preserves, potpourri and smoky herbs, with a spicy topnote. Very syrah. Juicy and precise, offering sweet black raspberry and cherry flavors and a jolt of smoky minerality. Shows impressive finesse and a light touch, with a long, floral-dominated finish and silky tannins.