2005 Cote Rotie Les Rochains

The 2005 Cote Rotie Les Rochains is a classic, backward effort that will require patience. Medium to full-bodied with notes of acacia flowers intermixed with cassis, tar, spicy oak, truffles, and licorice, it is a densely packed wine with impressive concentration and purity. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 15. These two brothers have come of age over the last decade. In the past, much of the crop was sold to negociants, but now all of it is estate bottled. The Bonnefonds farm just under 14 acres in Cote Rotie and 2.5 in Condrieu. Production is approximately 12,000-15,000 bottles of the Cote Rozier, 3,000-4,000 bottles of Les Rochains, and 2,000 cases of the regular cuvee. Everything is destemmed, and the wines are made with both pump-overs and punch-downs. The single vineyard wines see as much as 85-90% new French oak, and the classic Cote Roties see 25-30% new wood. There is no filtration. Importer: A Christopher Cannan Selection, various American importers including Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300 and Diamond Wine Merchants, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 567-9897