Rene Rostaing 2017 Cote Rotie "Cote Blonde" 750ml

Even better than last year, the recently bottled 2017 Cote Rotie La Cote Blonde was singing when I tasted it back in July. Floral and berry notes accent mocha-tinged aromas in this medium to full-bodied wine. It's silky, long and intense, with a couple of decades of life ahead of it. It's simply difficult to describe the waves of savory complexity this wine now shows, coupled with a succulent texture and tremendous length.

Score: 98 points -- Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate, 2019