2020 Cote Rotie La Landonne
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Tasting notes
Moving to the single vineyard 2020 Côte Rôtie La Landonne, this beauty is 100% Syrah that spent 16 months in a mix of new and used barrels. It's similarly deep purple/plum-hued yet has a more mineral-laced, focused, full-bodied style as well as classic La Landonne notes of smoked meats, liquid violets, creosote, blueberry, and black raspberries, with a gorgeous, sappy, floral character that you don't find in every La Landonne out there. Deep, rich, and seamless, I love its overall balance, and it has perfectly ripe, integrated tannins, good acidity, and a blockbuster of a finish. I followed this bottle for multiple days, and it gained richness and depth and, even after three days of being open, didn't show a hint of fatigue or oxidation. Nevertheless, it's a modern-day Côte Rôtie that already offers incredible pleasure yet will have 25+ years of overall longevity if well-stored. Bravo.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Dark purple. A highly complex bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, incense and potpourri; olive and exotic spice nuances build in the glass. Offers palate-staining cassis, bitter cherry, olive, licorice and violet pastille flavors that show superb delineation and a spicy snap of cracked pepper on the back half. Closes extremely long and smoky, with repeating mineral and floral notes and gripping tannins that build steadily.
The Delas parcel of this fabled vineyard is under one hectare in size, reliably yielding 22–28 hectoliters each vintage. The 2020 Cote Rotie La Landonne offers forward raspberry and herb notes underscored by hints of roasted meat. Medium to full-bodied, it's silky and long on the finish. Not a huge, blockbuster vintage, but it is one that nicely expresses the site and should be approachable young.
Cask sample. Deep crimson. Toasty and meaty on the nose. Chewy, dark. Embryonic. Powerful tannins, very dark-fruited, but fresh and surprisingly moreish for a wine that is so not ready. Firm, chewy, dark and meaty. Clearly much more to come. (JH)