2018 Cote Rotie La Mordoree
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Tasting notes
Saturated ruby. Displays intensely perfumed red and blue fruit preserves, baking spices, candied violet and licorice scents; a smoky mineral quality builds in the glass. Plush, sweet and broad on the palate, offering deeply concentrated, smoke-laced cherry-vanilla, boysenberry and fruitcake flavors that spread out and pick up a spicy nuance with aeration. Manages to be powerful but elegant as well, showing impressive balance and velvety, even tannins that shape a very long, floral- and dark fruit-driven finish. One-third new oak.
Critic scores
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Straight up stunning, the 2018 Côte Rôtie La Mordorée does everything right and is a borderline perfect Côte Rôtie readers should snatch up. Coming from the La Côte Brune and Côte Blonde lieux-dits, it’s 100% Syrah (I believe all destemmed) and was brought up in 35% new demi-muids. Incredible spice-laden black raspberry and mulberry fruits, notes of new leather, incense, and acacia flowers, full-bodied richness, sweet tannins, and no hard edges all make for a captivating 2018. It shows the ripe, sexy style of the vintage, yet it remains perfectly balanced and has an undeniable sense of elegance and nobility. Don't miss a chance to try this beauty. It offers loads of pleasure today yet is going to evolve for 20-25 years.
Deeply perfumed aromas of ripe black/blue fruits, licorice, exotic spices and olive on the intensely perfumed nose. Stains the palate with sappy black currant, boysenberry and candied violet flavors, and steadily picks up spiciness and a hint of minerality with aeration. Rich and weighty but energetic as well, finishing with excellent clarity, mounting tannins and strong, blue-fruit-driven tenacity.
The 2018 Côte Rôtie La Mordorée comes from the La Côte Brune and the Côte Blonde lieux-dits and is brought up in demi-muids, roughly 35% being new. Black raspberries, currants, cured meats, new leather, and Asian spice notes all define the bouquet. Full-bodied, powerful, and opulent on the palate, it has lots of tannins, loads of fruit, and a great finish. This was another stunning tasting with the team at Chapoutier. They’ve produced some of the wines of the vintage in both 2017 and 2018. The team here compares 2017 to 2007, which is a comparison I understand, even if I think the quality of their 2017s are a step up. Both vintages were hot and dry, and the wines have expressive, sunny profiles. I reviewed their top 2017 dry whites last year, but the 2017 reds showed spectacularly well this year, most coming in at the upper end of their barrel range. Looking at the 2018s, this is another blockbuster year at this estate and the wines reveal even deeper purple (almost blue) hues compared their 2017 counterparts as well as a touch more freshness in their aromatics reminiscent of a cooler vintage. Nevertheless, these are big, rich, concentrated wines that have building tannins and structure as well as loads of fruit, and are built for the cellar. One of the beauties of the 2018s is that the wines have a wonderful sense of freshness and purity reminiscent of a cooler year, yet paired with the fruit, depth, and richness of a warmer year. Lastly, the lineup here seems to grow each year and at present, includes two sparkling wines, three Saint-Péray, two Condrieu, two Cornas, four Côte Rôtie, six Crozes Hermitage, nine Hermitage, and six Saint Joseph. Also, there are a handful of Vin de France and IGP releases. The top “Sélections Parcellaires” cuvées range from 300 to 1,000 cases, and while they can be frightfully expensive, they’re among the greatest wines in the world. However, don’t overlook the value releases from Chapoutier, where you get serious bang for the buck.