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 | On complexity, layers, and depth, it easily competes with a premier cru from the… More (+) On complexity, layers, and depth, it easily competes with a premier cru from the Côte de Nuits – the meaty character reminded us of an old-vine Nuits-St-Georges. Those mostly run $120-$150 these days; while not exactly a by-the-glass candidate, Bonnefond’s Rochins doesn’t even crack $80.Rochins comes from 60+ year old vines in a parcel just next to the famous Côte Blonde and Côte Brune. The nose is dark and woodsy with an irresistible mixture of spices, wild cherries, smoke and violets. The mouth is velvety and beautiful, still with plenty of material but beginning to put on a smooth patina now five years after harvest. Less (-) Free US Shipping | |
 | 2019 was the fifth in a string of wonderful vintages in the Northern Rhône… More (+) 2019 was the fifth in a string of wonderful vintages in the Northern Rhône. As Vinous’s Josh Raynolds reported, “2019 was a hot and dry year, but the wines look extremely promising and show an uncanny blend of depth and vivacity.”“Les Rochins” is at the same level as Rozier (V 94-96), but in a different mode. The wine is very dense and chewy right now, promising a long life. Vinous praised its “powerful spice- and mineral- accented cherry and blackberry scents, along with suggestions of smoked meat, incense, licorice and exotic flowers.” Less (-) Free US Shipping | |
| | In recent years the Northern Rhône valley has become a source of unusual value… More (+) In recent years the Northern Rhône valley has become a source of unusual value. As prices in Burgundy have skyrocketed, and prices in Bordeaux have whipsawed back and forth, Côte Rôtie and Cornas have maintained a steady, modest rise. The wines have never been better, and suddenly they seem like bargains.Rochins comes from 60+ year old vines in a parcel just next to the famous Côte Blonde and Côte Brune. The nose is dark and woodsy with an irresistible mixture of spices, wild cherries, smoke and violets. The mouth is velvety and beautiful, still with plenty of material but beginning to put on a smooth patina now six years after harvest. Less (-) Free US Shipping | |
 | Patrick and Christophe Bonnefond’s wines somehow keep getting better. They’ve enjoyed a string of… More (+) Patrick and Christophe Bonnefond’s wines somehow keep getting better. They’ve enjoyed a string of excellent recent vintages in the vines, but they also seem to be hitting their stride in the cellar. Once firmly in the ripe, oaky, “extroverted” camp that made them a darling of Robert Parker, the domaine has shifted towards subtler expression in recent years: less time in oak, larger barrels, and earlier harvests. The Bonnefonds now achieve an extraordinary subtlety in their wines -- it’s still bold, brooding, inky-dark Northern Rhône Syrah, but somehow also with subtlety, grace, and lift.Côte Rozier will also benefit from bottle aging, but was already soaring and magnificent from barrel this spring. The nose is beautiful, a blend of violets, olive, and raspberry; the mouth is seamless and long; the ¾ whole cluster fermentation gives the texture an exquisite clarity and definition. Vinous’s reviewer writes; “framed by bright acidity and delightful purity of fruit, the 2023 is shaping up to be a distinctively elegant Côte Rozier.” Less (-) Free US Shipping | |
| | Patrick and Christophe Bonnefond’s wines somehow keep getting better. They’ve enjoyed a string of… More (+) Patrick and Christophe Bonnefond’s wines somehow keep getting better. They’ve enjoyed a string of excellent recent vintages in the vines, but they also seem to be hitting their stride in the cellar. Once firmly in the ripe, oaky, “extroverted” camp that made them a darling of Robert Parker, the domaine has shifted towards subtler expression in recent years: less time in oak, larger barrels, and earlier harvests. The Bonnefonds now achieve an extraordinary subtlety in their wines -- it’s still bold, brooding, inky-dark Northern Rhône Syrah, but somehow also with subtlety, grace, and lift.“Côte Rozier,” which borders La Landonne, adds a note of toasty oak to the mix. It is denser than Couzou, and a bit quieter aromatically for the moment. Its tannins are ripe and very fine-grained, and as its elements melt together over the coming few years it should be quite special. This is always the most refined of Bonnefond’s cuvées, and given a few years in the bottle approaches Burgundian levels of finesse. Less (-) Free US Shipping | |
| | 2019 was the fifth in a string of wonderful vintages in the Northern Rhône… More (+) 2019 was the fifth in a string of wonderful vintages in the Northern Rhône. As Vinous’s Josh Raynolds reported, “2019 was a hot and dry year, but the wines look extremely promising and show an uncanny blend of depth and vivacity.”Côte Rozier is particularly complex – a mineral line mingles with the fruit – and super intense. Raynolds found it “chewy and subtly sweet, offering concentrated dark berry preserve, licorice pastille and spice cake flavors that show noteworthy energy and tension.” This wine shows a lighter touch than Colline de Couzou or Rochins, sporting elegance and poise on par with a Chambolle-Musigny. Less (-) Free US Shipping | |
| | VINOUS 93-95 pointsBright violet. High-pitched, mineral-accented aromas of black raspberry, cherry pie and violet… More (+) VINOUS 93-95 pointsBright violet. High-pitched, mineral-accented aromas of black raspberry, cherry pie and violet are complemented by a suave suggestion of exotic Asian spices. Sappy, pliant and alluringly sweet, offering palate-staining black and blue fruit and spicecake flavors and a subtle hint of mocha. Finishes sweet, focused and extremely long, displaying impressively delineated mineral and floral pastille notes and silky, harmonious tannins. Less (-) Free US Shipping | |
| | Vinous’s Josh Raynolds called Bonnefond's 2018s “the single most impressive set of bottlings I… More (+) Vinous’s Josh Raynolds called Bonnefond's 2018s “the single most impressive set of bottlings I have had here since I started annual visits in 2005.” The 2018 Rozier is very concentrated and intense, with sweetly lush dark fruit blended with a violet floral side, exotic spices and smoky minerality.Josh Raynolds, 95 pts: “impressively concentrated but surprisingly energetic, courtesy of its spine of smoky minerality;” Less (-) Free US Shipping |