2016 Cote Rotie Lancement

The terroir always seems to yield a complex, aromatic style of Côte Rôtie, and the 2016 Côte Rôtie Lancement is just that. Fabulous notes of black raspberries, blackberries, rose petals, decayed flowers, and cured meats all flow to a medium to full-bodied, seamless 2016 that’s all about grace and elegance. It has fine tannins but is beautifully balanced and already approachable. This is another estate that’s slowly passing to the next generation, with sons Kevin and Fabien taking more of a lead role these days. Winemaking is largely traditional, with small amounts of destemming, a long maceration, roughly 18 months in 20-25% new oak (which is both shorter and less new oak than in the past), and bottling occurring with no fining or filtration. While both vintages reviewed here are incredibly strong, the 2017s are the finest wines I’ve tasted from the domaine.

More and more, Lancement is a lieu-dit cropping up on individual bottlings. Garon's 2016 Cote Rotie Lancement is a terrific example, showing off flamboyant aromas of violets, cracked pepper and dried herbs layered atop blackberry fruit. Medium to full-bodied, with a ripe, plush texture, it's drinking well at the moment, but it should easily hold through 2030.

(50% new oak and 50% whole clusters) Vivid purple. Candied cherry, blueberry, Moroccan spices and olive paste on the exotically perfumed nose. Silky, seamless and sweet on the palate, offering juicy, spice-laced black and blue fruit, floral pastille and spicecake flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. A smoky mineral note comes up on the strikingly long finish, which is framed by smooth, well-integrated tannins.