Domaine Rostaing, Cote Rotie, Cote Blonde 2017

Even better than last year, the recently bottled 2017 Cote Rotie La Cote Blonde was singing when I tasted it back in July. Floral and berry notes accent mocha-tinged aromas in this medium to full-bodied wine. It's silky, long and intense, with a couple of decades of life ahead of it. It's simply difficult to describe the waves of savory complexity this wine now shows, coupled with a succulent texture and tremendous length.

The 2017 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde is more finesse-driven, with tons of sexy fruit, medium to full body, and a huge, heady perfume of blackberry and black raspberry fruits, spring flowers, and a hint of minerality. This seamless, ultra-pure Côte Rôtie is going to keep for 2+ decades.

Saturated violet. Intense dark berry, floral and exotic spice aromas pick up smoky mineral, cola and incense nuances as the wine opens up. Deep-pitched black raspberry, cherry compote and blueberry flavors reveal suggestions of candied violet and star anise. Finishes extremely long and juicy, the steadily building tannins framing lingering blue fruit and floral notes.