Côte Rôtie La Landonne, Etienne Guigal 2016

The 2016 Côte Rôtie La Landonne shows the more elegant and classical style of the vintage. As always, it’s 100% Syrah, from a great terroir in the Côte Brune side of the appellation, that will spend 48 months in new French oak barrels. It has textbook La Landonne notes of smoked meats, black fruits, and crushed rocks as well as full-bodied richness, surprising elegance and finesse for this cuvée (but that’s the vintage), flawless balance, and a great finish. I suspect it will have some early charm, but I’d still recommend 7-8 years of bottle age.

The darkest, most concentrated and tannic of the 2016 La Las, the 2016 Cote Rotie La Landonne boasts hints of smoked meat and scorched coffee on the nose, waves of cassis fruit and hints of olives and herbs. Medium to full-bodied, this is packed with tannin, ripe fruit and intricate nuances of savory complexity. Rich and velvety, with terrific texture and impressive length, it's a sure bet to evolve gracefully for the next 20-25 years. 2025 - 2045

The 2016 Cote Rotie La Landonne is showing a bit more grip than last time I tasted it, with hints of green coffee bean on the nose alongside ripe black cherries and a heap of dried spices. Medium to full-bodied, with ample concentration and plenty of tannin, it should prove to be the longest-lived of Guigal's 2016s.