TN: 2006 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde

WINE TALK
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  • 2006 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (4/28/2014)
    Pop and pour and drank over two nights. Medium nose that starts with strong crushed white pepper note then blackberries, sour cherries, red currant, lavender, licorice, smoke and scorched earth. Also dry thyme and a hint of fresh dill. Medium concentration, silky but a bit watery/lean, strong presence of acidity and nicely integrated tannins. I would cellar a few more years as the nose will develop further. As others noted, a bit lean texturally but not in the nose. It would nicely complement a fatty meat dish. I much prefer the 04. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Kevin, thanks for the note.

BTW It was your very enthusiastic CT note about the 2004 that helped “persuade” me to buy a case of the 2004 at auction for a very good price. I find your notes are consistent with my tastes (except perhaps 2004 red burgs!) so was very encouraged by your reaction to the 2004 Cote Blonde.

Thanks for the facilitation on my WAD problem [cheers.gif]


Brodie

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Brodie,
How would rate the 04 Cote Blonde? I would love to read your take. The 06 is not as good for my palate, a bit diluted.

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Kevin, sadly have not yet tried one yet. I will post a note when I do.

I do not have a lot of the Rostaing CR’s in the cellar, mainly due to pricing relative to Jamet which has been my favourite CR (within my price range and style)

Brodie

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I recollect tasting the 2006 Rostaing La Landonne and cuvee classique few years ago and liking them. But then I have not tasted the 2004 version for comparison.

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I see both the 2006 and 2004 (CB + LL) on the same level, but of different character - and the 2006 is slightly less developed (tasted in late 2013). It´s a question of preference, 06 has slightly more acidity, is livlier, while 04 is softer on the palate, more fragrant …
Nevertheless 05, 09, 10 are stronger vintages.

7

IMO, this is where CT notes help. The 06 displays very lean palate and strong presence of acidity which will enable the wine to last for a long time. It will gain tertiary notes especially rare charred steak and smoke but I would expect the nose expression to remain subtle. I fully agree that it is a matter of preference and I prefer the expressive nose. It will be interesting to taste them side by side.

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Hi Kevin, I have finally managed to locate the case of the 04 Cote Blonde in my offsite storage and have liberated two for immediate enjoyment. We had one tonight with dinner

My impressions were as follows: a delicious elegant middle weight red fruited wine with some lovely florality and white pepper notes. Delicious now and seems ready to go. Quite Burgundian in the sense of mouthfeel and density. Elegant and perfumed with very fine tannins. Has a bit if funkiness / meatiness on the nose but not much. Lovely and very enjoyable now. Not a powerful style much more about finesse than power.

Cheers Brodie

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Anyone tried the 05 recently? I have a case in bond, I am thinking about getting out.

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Sean,
It is still very youthful and need more time.

I posted the below note on TN: Urban Heights - 03 Cathelin, 90 LP, 97 Rayas, 07 IX, 11 LPV & etc. - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers.

2005 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
A bit restraint nose to starts but opens up nicely, crushed blackberries, tapenade, strong smoke and ash notes, blood, pepper, violet, mineral and garrigue. Very good concentration, linear and precise, cool black fruit driven palate impression, bright acidity, noticeable tannins and good finish with a hint of ash. I get the impression Rostaing is considered modern but my experiences indicate otherwise. This will need another ten years to fully mature. For my palate, the style of Rostaing closely resembles to the gentaz dervieux as they mature. FWIW YMMV. Enjoyable now but great future ahead. This is a classic Cote Rotie. (96 pts.)

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Brodie,
I completely agree that the 04 is very Burgundian. It is a bit like Rayas, never too bit in the palate but vibrant and subtle and expressive at the same time.

  • 2004 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (2/11/2015)
    Black and blue fruits, blackberry, white pepper, flowers, mineral, ash, fresh herbs and black olive. Very polished palate, silky, bright acidity and love long finish. This is more Jamet than Chapoutier. (94 pts.)
  • 2004 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (11/25/2014)
    Another exceptional showing. Black fruits, blackberries, pepper, very floral, mineral, a hint of green, ash, fresh herbs de provence and black olives. Very refine palate, bright acidity and long finish. This is all about finesse and if you are looking for La La/Chapoutier style, you will not be too happy. Really burgundian/old school northern rhone. It is an irony as some criticize Rostaing for being too modern. (94 pts.)
  • 2004 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (9/22/2013)
    A small gathering at Mark’s duck house - Grange, A shot in the dark, Rousseau, Yquem and more. (Marks duck house, Falls Church, Va): As expected, lovely wine, smoke, ash, lavender, blackberries, bacon fat, herbs de provence and tapenade. Lovely silky palate, bright acidity and nicely integrated tannins. Unfortunately the wine sort of got lost with two big new world reds and a very expressive Rousseau. If you are a big fan of classic northern rhone and find this at auction, I highly recommend. (95 pts.)
  • 2004 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (3/27/2013)
    It was not a particularly good day and I was in the mood for a Chave. I pulled a bottle out and I grab this bottle instead. Coincidently, I found out from an email offer for the 10 Rene Rostaing that Rostaing is the son-in-law of Albert Dervieux and the nephew of Marius Gentaz and he now works the Gentaz-Dervieux vines.

This being a 2004, my expectation was not terribly high but this bottle totally exceeded my wildest expectation. This was an emotional and spiritual uplifting experience. Perfectly expressive nose displaying just the perfect amount of bright blue fruits, crushed blackberries, white pepper, white flowers, only a dash of tapenade , scorched earth, bacon fat, cocoa and fresh herbs de provence. As palate goes, silky and seamless, only a hint of sweet fruit, just the right amount of acidity and nice integrated tannins, very Burgundian.

Referring to my last tasting note, I was very excited about that bottle as well. This is a great classic northern Rhone that clearly demonstrates that Syrah doesn’t have to be big. There is a lot of similarity to Chave, just less rare steak and iron. Considering the current auction average is around $82, I highly recommend this elixir. (98 pts.)

  • 2004 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (9/9/2012)
    For my palate, some wines are made to impress young and others need some time to come together. Also some wines are in your face and others grow on you, especially with complementing food.

As usual, I was curious to check Bob’s take and Bob is spot on. “The plush, elegant, exotic 2004 Cote Rotie Cote Blonde, which is the only wine that has 3-4% Viognier in the blend, boasts sweet litchi nut, honeysuckle, raspberry, and smoky cherry notes with some tapenade and spice. It is medium-bodied with tangy acidity and a layered mouthfeel. Anticipated maturity: now-2014”.

The expressive nose displays tapenade, lavender perhaps coming from 3-4% viognier that was when young perhaps expressed as lychee, blood iron, charred steak, blackberries, dray cherries, tar and scorched earth. It is Burgundian in bright acidity and delicate fruit expression then also Barolo like in tar and a hint of coarse tannins. This is a great example of syrah that tells us that the fruit in a syrah doesn’t have to be perfectly ripe to give the intensity as this has a slight hint of unripe fruits that keeps it fresh and energetic yet the intensity coexists. Although the nose is open from the start and doesn’t necessarily change significant, the complex yet not overwhelming flavors feed off each other and grows on you. It really becomes something really special with a nice piece of rare meat, the perfect marriage and the perfect experience. My rating of the wine is a bit higher than Bob at 94 pts but the experience, 100pts!. This is a youthful wine that will drink well for two decades or more for those that are not bothered by shy fruits. (94 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Kevin,

Have you tasted the Cote blonde and La Landonne side by side to assess their individual qualities?

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Sanjay,
I have not done that but I have both. Perhaps I should try pretty soon.

14

I agree with your assessment of the 06. Had it about a year ago and have a few more in the cellar!

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I have been slowly drinking a case each of '98 Cote Blonde, La Landonne, and Cuvee Classique since 2012, Cote Blonde is much much better than La Landonne. The lowly Cuvee Classique is surprisingly good though!