2015 La Rosine Syrah VDP

Bottled in March, the 2015 Collines Rhodaniennes La Rosine tastes like a Côte Rôtie from the southern end of the appellation. Spices, cured meats, dried herbs, and ample blackberry and currant fruit gives way to a ripe, sexy, full-bodied beauty that has ripe tannin and a great finish. This is another terrific value readers should snatch up. I was able to taste the 2015s from the incredibly talented Stéphane Ogier twice, once during my visit at the estate, which was just after bottling, and then again from bottles shipped to my office in Colorado. These are ripe, polished, sexy wines from Stéphane that show the purity as well as the opulence of this great, great vintage. The 2016 vintage was compared to 2006 by Ogier, which was a solid, under the radar vintage from the northern Rhône. The barrel samples all showed terrific purity of fruit and balanced styles, and should check in near the top of the vintage. This estate is certainly at the top of its game and readers looking for some of the most profound Côte Rôties out there are advised to get on this estate’s bandwagon.

The 2015 Syrah la Rosine Vin de Pays is atypically concentrated and tannic, deserving of short-term cellaring. This medium to full-bodied wine delivers aromas and flavors of roasted meat, black olives, blackberries, black tea and espresso.

Incredibly perfumed nose – violet, meat and absolutely pristine black fruit – what a wine! This is something to really enthuse about. It is absolutely prototypical for cooler climate Syrah, and reflects an excellent vintage really well. So perfumed, so complex, so delicious. (RH)