1995 Domaine Jean-Michel Gerin Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places

The superb 1995 Cote Rotie Les Grandes Places boasts a dense black/ruby/purple color, and a gorgeously fragrant nose of jammy cassis, intermixed with smoky, toasty oak, and layers of ripe, concentrated black fruit (primarily black raspberries and cassis). This medium-bodied, concentrated Cote Rotie has not lost its sense of elegance and overall balance. Anticipated maturity: 1999-2015. Gerin is undoubtedly one of Cote Rotie's finest winemakers, having produced a succession of very good vintages. In 1996, he added a fourth Cote Rotie - La Landonne - to his portfolio. All the wines reviewed in this segment were extremely unevolved, but very promising when I tasted them in July. Importer: Langdon Shiverick, Cleveland, OH; tel. (216) 861-6800