2013 Cote Rotie Le Combard

A good, but slightly one-dimensional effort, the 2013 Côte Rôtie Cote Rotie le Combarde is a lightly textured, mid-weight blend of 92% Syrah and 8% Viognier that comes all from the Le Combard lieu-dit, which lies in the southern end of the appellation just to the southwest of Lancement. It was partially destemmed and spent 24 months two- to eight-year-old, 600-liter barrels. Garrigue, flowers, sappy underbrush, olive and hints of sweet cherry fruit all emerge from this open knit, sexy, easy drinking effort; while it doesn’t have a huge amount of depth or richness, it still offers plenty of pleasure. Drink it anytime over the coming 4-6 years.