Modest floral and stemmy notes add nuance to the blueberry fruit on the nose of the 2019 Cote Rotie les Essartailles, a blend of fruit from the lieux-dits of Combard, Lancement, Grandes Places and C?te Rosier. It's medium-bodied and fresh-tasting, with silky tannins and a soft finish. I'd drink this one on the young side.

The dark-fruited 2015 Cote Rotie les Essartailles develops notes of espresso and black olive to go along with plum and attractive peppery spice notes. It's medium to full-bodied yet remains creamy, supple and elegant through the lingering finish.

The 2012 Cote Rotie Les Essartailles shows the house style with its medium-bodied, fresh and pure character. Plum, violets, hints of underbrush and bacon-like qualities flow from this medium-bodied, supple and mid-weight effort. There’s lots to like here and it should evolve gracefully for over a decade. Coming from the schist soils located just north of the town of Vienne (close to Cote Rotie), in the Seyssuel region, and with a slightly similar southern exposure to its more well-known neighbor, the team of Pierre Gaillard, Yves Cuilleron and Francoise Villard are, along with a few other dedicated growers (Stephane Ogier being one of them), showing the potential of this “new” (in the Roman times, it was more famous than Cote Rotie) region. Playing in the more elegant, finesse side of the spectrum, these efforts have beautiful, energetic and lengthy profiles, with solid potential. In addition, they release a number of other cuvees from all of the northern Rhone (and some southern Rhone) appellations. Looking specifically at the efforts from the Seyssuel region (which is north of the town of Vienne and comprised of schist soils), they release two cuvees; the Sotanum, which is a rich, more full-bodied release; and the Heluicum, which is more finesse-driven. Importer: DHI Selection, New York, NY; tel. (516) 869-9170

The 2011 Cote Rotie Les Essartailles is meaty, earthy and borderline herbaceous, with notions of olive tapenade, wild herbs, underbrush and sweet blackberry and kirsch-styled fruit. Medium-bodied, lively and fresh on the palate, it won’t make old bones but will drink nicely for 8-10 years. Coming from the schist soils located just north of the town of Vienne (close to Cote Rotie), in the Seyssuel region, and with a slightly similar southern exposure to its more well-known neighbor, the team of Pierre Gaillard, Yves Cuilleron and Francoise Villard are, along with a few other dedicated growers (Stephane Ogier being one of them), showing the potential of this “new” (in the Roman times, it was more famous than Cote Rotie) region. Playing in the more elegant, finesse side of the spectrum, these efforts have beautiful, energetic and lengthy profiles, with solid potential. In addition, they release a number of other cuvees from all of the northern Rhone (and some southern Rhone) appellations. Looking specifically at the efforts from the Seyssuel region (which is north of the town of Vienne and comprised of schist soils), they release two cuvees; the Sotanum, which is a rich, more full-bodied release; and the Heluicum, which is more finesse-driven. Importer: DHI Selection, New York, NY; tel. (516) 869-9170