Rene Rostaing produces around 5,000 bottles of gorgeous Condrieu La Bonnette. The 2010, which is just being released, is completely tank-fermented and aged and does not go through malolactic fermentation. Bottled about six weeks before my visit, it exhibits plenty of apricot marmalade, white peach and honeysuckle notes. Full-bodied and unctuously textured with good minerality and precision, it should drink well for 2-4 years.
P.S. Readers should not forget Rostaing’s brilliant 2009 Coteaux de Languedoc Puech Noble, which received a score of 90 last year. I retasted it this year and rated it identically. It is a sleeper selection from Rostaing, and if you can not find or afford his Cote Roties, this wine (70% Syrah and the rest equal parts Mourvedre and Grenache aged in a combination of tank and older wood) is a brilliant 30,000-bottle cuvee that represents great value. Rene Rostaing believes the finest vintages in Cote Rotie have been 1971, 1991 and 2010. I would add 2009 as Rostaing made spectacular wines in that vintage, although I understand that for his personal taste they are at the limit of extreme ripeness. A perfectionist, Rostaing has made exceptionally strong wines in both 2011 and 2010.
Importer: Manny Berk, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484
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