2016 Cote Rotie Lancement

Vivid purple. Powerful, mineral-accented black and blue fruit liqueur, incense and floral pastille aromas take on exotic spice and licorice nuances with aeration. Sappy and deeply concentrated, offering sappy blueberry, cassis and fruitcake flavors that are given vibrant lift by smoky mineral and spice flourishes. The mineral note drives an extremely long, energetic, blue-fruit-dominated finish, where chewy tannins provide shape and solid grip. This a distinctly deep rendition of this bottling, but the usual precision is there as well.

As always, the 2016 Côte Rôtie Lancement has the most complex, exotic, singular bouquet in the lineup. Massive notes of dried rose petals, black raspberries, passion fruits (there’s almost a tropical edge), and exotic flowers all literally soar from the glass, and it continued to evolve and change as it sat in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, silky, and seamless, it’s all about elegance and nuance, while not lacking in intensity or depth. It will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and cruise for two decades.

There's something about Ogier's Lancement that strikes a chord with me. The 2016 Cote Rotie Lancement lacks a bit of power, but oh my, is it a silky, sexy mouthful of wine. Roses, black tea and raspberries set the stage on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is supple, silky and complex. Just terrific stuff that's built more on elegance than power.