2009 Cote Rotie
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Tasting notes
Intensely perfumed and fragrant, the 2009 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Cuvée Classique Ampodium, 100% Syrah and formerly labeled as the straight Classique, sports a vivid semi-translucent purple color to go with notions of sweet raspberry and blackberry fruit, cedar, black pepper, pine sap, and intense floral aromas on the nose. Beautifully fresh and energetic, this medium to full-bodied Côte-Rôtie is silky and polished on the palate, with racy acidity, fantastic purity of fruit, and a vivacious texture that coats the palate and carries into the finish. Needing lots of air to shine, this will ideally be give 2-3 years of bottle age, at which point it should evolve gracefully for upwards of a decade.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
(the first vintage in which Rostaing's classique bottling will carry this name): Dark ruby. Ripe cherry and dark berry aromas are complemented by notes of anise and allspice, with subtle smoke and black pepper nuances in the background. Then brighter on the palate, offering vibrant cherry and bitter rhubarb flavors and a late note of candied licorice. Shows very good energy and a touch of licorice on the intensely spicy, persistent finish.
The 2009 Cote Rotie Ampodium (a name change for the Classique starting with this vintage) exhibits sweeter, riper fruit as well as abundant raspberry and cherry notes intermixed with bacon fat and spice. This is 100% Syrah with no Viognier co-fermented. There is some tannin to shed, but the overall impression is one of flesh and intensity. Rene Rostaing’s elegant style is well-displayed in both 2010 and the riper, more fleshy, exuberant 2009 vintage. Always the sexiest wine in Rostaing’s cellar is the Cote Rotie Cote Blonde. It includes 3-4% co-fermented Viognier and is always the most seamless wine resembling haute couture. Importer: Manny Berk, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484
Deep ruby. A highly aromatic bouquet of black raspberry, licorice, smoky Indian spices and dark chocolate. Chewy and deep in dark fruit flavor but possesses impressive energy, with a zesty kick of minerals on the back end. Finishes spicy and long, repeating the licorice note. Rostaing told me that about 20% of this blend comes from the prime La Vialliere vineyard.