2019 Cote Rotie Domaine des Pierrelles

The 2019 Côte Rôtie Les Pierrelles shows the house style with its medium-bodied, pretty, elegant style. Beautiful darker fruits, black raspberries, olive, and underbrush notes all define the bouquet, and it has supple tannins, some loamy earth and spicy notes on the palate, outstanding length, and the balance to evolve for a decade. While the wheels haven’t come completely off at this estate, there’s a significant drop in terms of quality starting with the 2019s and continuing with the 2020s. Whether this is simply COVID related or indicative of a larger issue is yet to be determined. To be sure, the wines are still well-made, but to have access to some of the greatest terroirs in the world and to be producing mid-weight, lean wines is disappointing to say the least.

Showing more concentration than the 2020, the 2019 Cote Rotie Les Pierrelles (Domaine) is a dark-fruited effort, with notes of espresso and black olives dominating the nose. Medium to full-bodied, it's intense and silky-textured, with a lingering finish. Give it a few years in the cellar and drink it over the following decade.

Vibrant cherry, blueberry, potpourri and allspice qualities on the highly perfumed nose. Silky, seamless and sweet in the mouth, offering juicy, spice-tinged red and blue fruit, floral pastille and spicecake flavors that deepen slowly on the back half. A smoky mineral note arrives on the long, penetrating, floral-driven finish, which is given shape by smooth, well-integrated tannins.