Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie La Landonne 2018

Domaine René Rostaing is one of the leading estates of Côte-Rôtie in the Northern Rhône, established in its modern form in 1971 when René Rostaing inherited and consolidated prized parcels from his father-in-law Albert Dervieux and uncle Marius Gentaz. Based in Ampuis, the domaine has built a reputation for producing structured, ageworthy Syrah that expresses the individuality of each lieu-dit. La Landonne comes from one of the appellation’s most celebrated single vineyards, situated on steep south-facing slopes with iron-rich clay over schist and fractured mica-schist soils, giving powerful structure and mineral depth. Viticulture is meticulous and largely sustainable, though the estate is not certified organic or biodynamic. The 2018 vintage in Côte-Rôtie was warm and sunny, yielding concentrated, ripe fruit balanced by freshness from the steep, well drained slopes.

René Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne 2018 is made from fruit sourced entirely from old vines in this historic site. Fermentation is traditional with partial destemming depending on the vintage, followed by ageing for approximately 18-24 months in French oak barrels, a proportion of which are new, to build structure while preserving terroir expression. The wine shows intense aromas of black cherry, cassis, smoked meat, violet and cracked pepper, underpinned by graphite and earthy notes. The palate is full-bodied and layered, with firm, finely grained tannins and a long, savoury finish. It pairs beautifully with roast lamb, venison, beef rib and hearty stews. While already impressive with decanting, the 2018 will benefit from further cellaring and can evolve for 15 to 25 years. Josh Raynolds of Vinous described it as “a monumental La Landonne with remarkable depth, precision and ageing potential,” scoring it 95-96 points.