The classic 2003 Cote Rotie incorporates 10% Viognier and comes half from the northern portion of the appellation and half from the southern part. Ripe, textured and voluptuous, with sweet spice, forest floor and assorted meaty qualities, this mature, beautifully textured effort will be perfect for drinking over the coming 4-5 years. Located in the northern part of Saint Joseph, Pierre Gaillard fashions classic, old-school-styled reds from Saint Joseph and Cote Rotie. For this tasting, I had some bottle variation with a few of these, and a number showed excessive acidity from other bottles. As always with these older vintages, Provenance is critical, and even then, sometime you’re just unlucky.