2004 Domaine René Rostaing Condrieu La Bonnette

(this did not go through malo) Delicate, precise aromas of white peach, pear skin and minerals. Racy and firm on the palate, with an elegant display of steely, bright orchard fruits and minerals. Concentrated but suave and brisk, with exotic finishing notes of mango and passion fruit framed by stony minerality.

One of Rostaing’s offerings that tends to be overlooked is his Condrieu la Bonnette. Fashioned from grapes grown in decomposed granite soils, the 2004 exhibits a liqueur of stone-like character along with notes of litchi nuts and tropical fruits in a full-bodied, well-delineated, mineral and floral style. It is best consumed over the next two years. Feb 2006, www.robertparker.com