E. Guigal E. Guigal Côte Rôtie La Landonne 2013 750ml

Subtle hints of fresh pea shoots accent characteristic dark notes of roasted meat, espresso and black olives in the full-bodied 2018 Cote Rotie La Landonne. Rich, concentrated and velvety-textured, with ample length and plenty of ripe tannins on the finish, it should benefit from a decade or more of bottle age—once it gets there. It’s a brooding beast of a Cote Rotie that serious collectors will want to have in their cellars. (Joe Czerwinski)

A thunderhead of dark ganache and espresso notes slowly rolls through, while fig paste, melted licorice, warm plum and blackberry compote flavors follow. A massive beam of graphite drives the finish to a crescendo, with the fruit echoing. Best from 2022 through 2050. 63 cases imported. (James Molesworth)

The 2018 Côte Rôtie La Landonne is another wine that’s going to be up at the top of the scale, and all three of these 2018s will be candidates for perfection. Always the biggest, richest wine of the three flagships, it’s inky hued and has a primordial nose of blackberries, cassis, and currants fruits as well as huge ground pepper, cured meats, espresso, and underbrush. As Landonne as Landonne gets, it’s full-bodied, has a dense, powerful mid-palate, masses of tannins, and is going to be just about immortal.

The inky black-colored 2013 Côte Rôtie La Landonne is certainly one of the gems in the vintage, and it has more texture, depth and richness than just about every other wine out there. Charred fruits, black, black fruits, espresso, crushed rock and wood smoke all emerge from this full-bodied, concentrated Côte Rôtie that certainly shows a masculine style, yet still possesses incredible purity and elegance.