Bonnefond Côte Rôtie Rochins 2020

Christophe and his daughter Léa Bonnefond make two site-specific bottlings, both of which border the famous La Landonne vineyard in Côte Rôtie. Both cuvées — Rozier and Rochins — are terrific in 2020.

Rochins is the more powerful of the two, with bigger shoulders and a longer finish. The Côte Rôtie Rochins 2020 is beautifully balanced Syrah — the one third new oak provides careful guardrails for the lush fruit, and is perfectly integrated. The nose shows cassis, blackberries, toast, smoke and spice. The mouth is extremely long, but without an ounce of heaviness. Raynolds awarded 95 points, finding “candied flowers [that] take on a smoky mineral nuance with aeration,” calling the mouth “velvety and round” with notes of “cherry-cola, olive paste, and spicecake.”