L'Aventure L'Aventure Côte à Côte 2020 750ml

The 2020 Côte a Côte is a beautiful blend of 45% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 25% Mourvèdre and one of the most successful wines I tasted from the challenging 2020 vintage. Deep ruby-purple, it offers pure aromas of blackcurrant, boysenberry, tar and pipe tobacco, continually unfolding with each return to the glass. The full-bodied palate offers wave after wave of perfumed fruit and tremendous spicy accents. It’s powerful yet harmoniously structured with powdery tannins and seamless acidity, and it offers a very long, detailed finish.

I love the depth and the mineral quality of this. Dark cherries, black licorice, iodine, graphite, oyster shells and hot stones. Quite vertical yet broad, with super fine but present tannins. Long, seductive yet quite focused, too. A stunner from L’Aventure. 45% grenache, 30% syrah and 25% mourvedre. Drink or hold. (James Suckling)

The 2021 Cote a Cote checks in as nearly equal thirds of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. It’s a killer bottle of wine revealing full-bodied richness, an expansive, layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a complex bouquet of blackberries, savory herbs, peppered meats, and hints of violets. This concentrated, powerful wine stays just about weightless, has ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. The élevage here was 14 months in 30% new French oak, with 16% in amphora and 18% in concrete, and the balance in once-used barrels. (Jeb Dunnuck)

The 2021 Côte a Côte is a blend of 37% Grenache, 32% Syrah and 31% Mourvèdre that combines power and elegance, concentration and weightlessness. The glass reveals a deep well of aromas—maraschino cherry, blueberry, licorice, rooibos tea and autumn leaves emerge from the glass and are made even more complex by undertones of earth and spice. The full-bodied palate is plush, supple and generous, though its chocolaty, floral fruit is perfectly ripe. It has a foil of mouthwatering acidity, flinty accents and a long, very latent finish. It will take several years in bottle to fully unfurl.

Dark, shimmering ruby. A highly perfumed, expansive bouquet evokes ripe red/blue fruits, along with suggestions of licorice, mocha, pungent flowers and smoky minerals. Concentrated, palate-staining blueberry, cherry cola and candied lavender flavors are given spine and lift by a core of juicy acidity. The mineral and floral notes drive a strikingly persistent finish that leaves cherry liqueur and exotic spice notes behind.

Blackberries, peppery herbs, graphite, iron, and liquid violet notes all emerge from the 2020 Cote A Cote, a pure, brilliantly textured, full-bodied blend based on 45% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 25% Mourvèdre. It has a touch of grippy tannins on the finish (which are common in the vintage), but it’s balanced and offers beautiful fruit as well as serious length. It’s going to keep for 15 years or more. It’s a gorgeous wine. (Jeb Dunnuck)