TN: Dom. Rostaing - 2001 Cote Rotie - Cuvee Classique

WINE TALK
21

Yea, that hasn’t been my argument here. My argument has been that the expectation that John had for the wine was greater than what the wine could conceivably give. His notes sound exactly what the wine was.


As far as the 2010 prices for Verset from Flick, that must’ve been a close out from Fine Vines (the local distributor for Verset) that they got their hands on. Fine Vines wasn’t front lining at a price that would lead to that cheap of a price. I remember it well as they would have bottles of Verset and Jamet open at portfolio tastings and I’d be sitting there going back for pours as barely anybody would be touching them. These tastings were at the old OneSixtyBlue restaurant in the West Loop that is now an Urban Belly (and went through several other restaurants in between)

22

Some historical prices from my inventory records:

98 Clape Cornas - $38 (NY 2003)
99 Allemand - Chaillot - $32 (NY 2003)
99 Allemand - Reynard - $38 (London 2002)
99 Verset Cornas - $40 (NY 2004)
00 Verset Cornas - $42 (NY 2003)
01 Jasmin Cote Rotie - $45 (NY 2010)

23

Gotcha. This makes more sense to me and thanks for the clarification.


I think the reputation is almost solely down to who his uncle was. Obv Rostaing wasn’t his uncle, but a hell of a lot of money has clearly gone into the making of the wines and he has a strong lineage, so that likely answers for the price.

24

^and these prices are much more in line with my memory of trying them in and around NYC around the same time. Obviously people would get deals on them later on, but that’s also because these wines were almost unsellabe to almost all but a few consumers

25

Also, he was imported by Kermit Lynch originally, as I recall. He was well-established before Gentaz retired and Rostaing got his vineyards.

Was Gentaz his uncle or his father-in-law? I can’t remember. He also inherited some good Dervieux-Thaize vineyards.

26

I think it was his uncle, so I’ve just gone with that over the years. Rostaing being the SIL makes just as much sense too

27

Certainly in the 1990s, when I moved to NY, Northern Rhones were barely stocked here. Burgundy Wine Co. and Crossroads were the only sources for smaller producers. Otherwise it was Jaboulet and Guigal and other negotiants.

28

I have never drunk a Rostaing that moved me, but I did pick up a couple of cases a few years ago for $50 NZD a bottle (2005 and 2006 vintages), and to be honest at that price I am pretty happy with them as drinkers. But I 100% understand your frustration if $49 USD would have purchased better CR 12 years ago

29

You’re right. Gentaz was his uncle. It was Dervieux-Thaize that was his father in law.

30

I can’t remember exactly what Rostaing’s estate is in the Languedoc is…but the Puech one he is involved with made a very good syrah in 2001. I had it at about age 10 or 15 and it was very fine.

Maybe I just like the Rostaing style more.

It sounds like I should consume my only 01 C-R left, a St Cosme of some kind I think.

31

For another data point, I bought a couple of bottles of the 2001 Jamet from Vins Rare for $55 in 2006.

32

My people always say ‘choose your parents carefully’

Rostaing seems to have taken that advice to heart

33

2001 is not my fav. vintage in Cote-Rotie … quite rustic from the start, even sauvage … most are now milder but lacking sweetness … even Jamet is a bit mean …
Rostaing’s Cote blonde and La Landonne are clearly a step or two above the regular CR (now Ampodium), much more intense and interesting, but the latter is a good typical CR which can be outstanding in fine years like 2009, 2016 or 1999 …

34

I can’t remember exactly what Rostaing’s estate is in the Languedoc is…but the Puech one he is involved with made a very good syrah in 2001. I had it at about age 10 or 15 and it was very fine.

Maybe I just like the Rostaing style more.

It sounds like I should consume my only 01 C-R left, a St Cosme of some kind I think.<<

It was Puech Chaud … but he had to change it to Puech Noble …

35

Too bad, he didn’t follow what they preached.

36

… and WHAT did they preach?
How many wines and vintages have you tasted by Albert Dervieux-Thaize and Marius Gentaz-Dervieux?

Were they all fantastic?
(imho not …)

37

Not many. Not going to provide the count just for your sake. Not all fantastic.

38

I had to dig out some wines for a dinner party so i grabbed a 2006 Cuvee Classique to check on its evolution,
Lovely balance with restrained smokey fruit showing a hint of secondary development, fine grained tannins with a lovely trailing acidity and a finish that hummed along on my palate for 45 seconds.
I am really pleased with the wine overall

39

It sounds to me that you think René Rostaing should have made a lot better than he did in your opinion.
I wonder how many producers you can name that you think were better than Rostaing over the last 40 years … and were still working after 2000 …
? [scratch.gif]

JFWIW:
René Rostaing was one of the best 4 or 5 producers in Cote-Rotie imho (I said “was” because he retired with vintage 2014 - and his son Pierre took over in 2015, although he worked with René the years before). His 1st vintage was 1971.

René once told me that his uncle Marcel G-D was a fantastic wine-grower (a genius in the vineyards), but only a mean wine-maker (in the cellar) … he more or less let everything go … which sometimes turned out fine, and sometimes … well, less good …

40

Sounds like the disparaging remarks of the younger generation in the Langhe in the 80s and 90s about their fathers, as they started to use new barriques – as Rostaing did in the same period.

I think Rostaing may in the minority in his view of Gentaz.