M. Chapoutier - La Mordoree, Cote Rotie, 2006, 750ml

Ageing: 
Entirely aged in oak casks (225 liters), with a proportion of new ones between 14 and 18 months.

Vinification:
The grapes are entirely destemmed and vinified in concrete tank. Daily pumping over ensure a good extraction of the colour and tannins. The temperature of vinification does not exceed 32°C. Only the free-run juice is used.

I might be crawling out on a limb, but I think the 2006 Cote Rotie La Mordoree is the finest example of Chapoutier’s 100% Syrah Cote Rotie since his 1991. Inky purple to the rim without a touch of aggressiveness, the wine flows over the palate in a seamless way, with layers of black fruits, cherries, licorice, graphite, and some roasted meat and tapenade notes. This is a sensational, multi-dimensional Cote Rotie that I suspect will be drinkable in 3-4 years, and evolve beautifully for two decades.

Score: 96/98, Robert Parker,
Wine Advocate (175), February 2008