2017 Cote Rotie Lancement

Up with the top wines of the vintage, the 2017 Côte Rôtie Lancement has classic Lancement complexity with its vibrant black raspberry fruits and notes of spring flowers, bacon fat, sappy herbs, and toasted spices. Rich, medium to full-bodied, with building richness and plenty of tannins, this beauty has some upfront charm (as do most 2017s with their sunny fruit), yet 2-4 years of bottle age will help the tannins integrate and it should keep for 20+ years. As I wrote last year, the running of Domaine Garon has passed largely to sons Kévin and Fabien Garon, who came on board at the domaine starting in 2003. While quality was reliable in the 2000s, since 2010, everything appears to have been on a steady upward trajectory, with the 2015 being the finest wines I’ve tasted from the estate, and magical wines produced in both 2017 and 2018. Lovers of pure, classical Côte Rôtie need to get on this estate’s bandwagon ASAP!

Opaque ruby. Intensely perfumed aromas of fresh black and blue fruits, exotic spices, potpourri and incense are sharpened by a smoky mineral nuance. Juicy and expansive on the palate, displaying alluringly sweet blueberry and cherry preserve flavors along with hints of licorice and candied flowers. The floral and spice notes repeat emphatically on an impressively long, penetrating finish that features well-knit tannins and a resonating mineral note.

Smoky, toasted oak influence on the nose. Charred meat, blackberry, pepper, garrigue scrub and liquorice – this seems in full flow, offering enjoyable complexity already. (RH)