2018 Domaine de la Côte Pinot Noir La Côte

Medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir La Côte offers aromas of tar, licorice, iron, blood orange peel and earth with a core of red and black berry fruits. The medium-bodied palate is super spicy, silky and light on its feet, finishing very long and layered. 581 cases produced.

The 2018 Pinot Noir La Côte is a dark, somber wine. Huge swaths of tannin wrap around a core of blue and purplish fruit. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2018 is not at all forthcoming. This is an especially brooding, potent style. Time in the glass brings out hints of lavender, sage and dried herbs, but the 2018 is in no mood of showing all its cards right now.

I tasted the 2018 Pinot Noir La Côte in barrel from the two main components that will form the finished wine. The first emerges from the bottom part of the hillside, where the soils are rich in alluvial deposits. Here, the aromatics are soaring in intensity. The second parcel sits on diatomaceous earth and yields a wine with a much darker fruit and a more powerful, tannic profile. Both are superb. This is another hugely promising wine in the range.