1991 Domaine Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places

The 1991 Cote Rotie Les Grandes Places is a spectacular Cote Rotie. The opaque purple color is followed by lavish aromas of sweet, jammy cassis, herbs, Asian spices, and black pepper. The wine possesses extraordinary richness, great density and purity, full body, and an overwhelming sense of proportion and elegance. Copious amounts of tannin are well-integrated in the wine's velvety texture. Clusel-Roch made one of the finest 1990 Cote Roties, and the 1991 appears to be as noteworthy. It will be at its plateau of maturity in 3-5 years and keep for 15-20. Wow! When I first visited Domaine Clusel-Roch over a decade ago, Gilbert Clusel's father was running the estate, and, to put it mildly, I was disappointed with the quality level I found. However, that was fifteen years ago, and recent vintages of Clusel-Roch have convinced me that this is one of the new stars of this small appellation. Importer: a Daniel Johnnes Selection, Jeroboam Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 374-9415.