Domaine Rostaing Domaine Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Cote Blonde 2019 750ml

Leading off two perfect wines, the 2020 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde comes from two separate plantings going back to the 1970s and was brought up all in barrel. A legendary Côte Rôtie in every way, it offers an incredible perfume of sweet cassis, black raspberries, spring flowers, incense, camphor, and hints of cured meats. This carries to a full-bodied Côte Rôtie that has just about off-the-charts richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, beautifully polished tannins, and flawless balance. This unquestionably rivals the 1999, and while it’s going to have some early accessibility, it deserves at least 4–6 years of bottle age and will last for two decades or more. (Jeb Dunnuck)

Saturated ruby. Potent, finely detailed aromas of red and dark fruit liqueur, smoked meat, potpourri and exotic spices, along with a vibrant mineral top note. Sappy, alluringly sweet and penetrating, offering intense cherry, boysenberry, allspice and star anise flavors and a potent suggestion of candied lavender. Silky, finely wrought tannins build steadily through an exceptionally long, penetrating finish that echoes the floral and mineral notes. (Josh Raynolds)

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.

My favorite of the 2020s from Rostaing—at least until I try the wines again next year—is the 2020 Cote Rotie la Cote Blonde. Scents of crushed stone and red raspberries give the impression of seamless transmission of terroir allied to incredible fruit purity. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it’s an amazing expression of Cote Rotie that should age effortlessly for a couple of decades. (Joe Czerwinski)

The most tannic of the "big three" bottlings this year, the 2018 Cote Rotie la Cote Blonde features elegant hints of mixed herbs entwined around bold boysenberry fruit. It’s medium to full-bodied, with plentiful fine-grained tannins that firm up on the long finish. Embryonic, but oh so promising, it should blossom in another five years or so.

A wine that’s going to push the upper limits of my scale, the 2018 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde has a wonderful sense of opulence and elegance paired with huge minerality and power. Giving up primordial notes of perfectly ripe currants, new saddle leather, spice, and wildflowers, it has a magical texture, huge richness and depth, loads of tannins, and a huge finish. It made my pulse jump.

Sexy, mineral-laced black raspberry, cherry compote and floral pastille aromas are complemented by exotic spice and olive flourishes. Sappy and precise on the palate, offering vibrant red and dark berry and candied violet flavors underscored by a seam of smoky minerality. Fine-grained, even tannins sneak in very slowly and meld seamlessly on the strikingly long finish, which leaves behind vibrant spice, red fruit liqueur and mineral notes.

Saturated violet. Intense dark berry, floral and exotic spice aromas pick up smoky mineral, cola and incense nuances as the wine opens up. Deep-pitched black raspberry, cherry compote and blueberry flavors reveal suggestions of candied violet and star anise. Finishes extremely long and juicy, the steadily building tannins framing lingering blue fruit and floral notes. (Josh Raynolds)

This is really packed tight, with a rock-solid core of red and black currant, plum and bitter cherry compote notes, bristling with a singed iron spine and additional pepper and lilac notes along the edges. Ends with a long tarry echo through the finish. Best from 2025 through 2038. 300 cases made. (James Molesworth)

An assertively perfumed bouquet displays an array of ripe red and blue fruit preserve, floral and spice qualities, along with suggestions of licorice, smoky bacon fat and mineral notes. Effortlessly marries depth and energy and offers sweet cherry, crème de mûre and candied violet flavors sharpened by building mineral and spice flourishes. Shows noteworthy clarity and mineral cut on a long, penetrating finish that echoes the floral and mineral notes with real authority.

Features a tender core of gently steeped plum and black cherry fruit, framed by light lavender, sandalwood and olive notes. Pepper, cast iron and savory elements dart through on the finish, which is sneakily long. Best from 2022 through 2038. 450 cases made. (James Molesworth)