Côte Rôtie Neve, Maison M. Chapoutier 2020

A wine that stopped me in my tracks was the 2020 Côtes Rôtie Nève, which comes from a single lieu-dit in the northern part of the appellation. All destemmed Syrah that spent two years in 30% new barrels, it has a hair-tingling bouquet of black raspberries, cassis, lit gunpowder, iron, and spring flowers. Pure, full-bodied, and powerful on the palate, it brings lots of ultra-fine tannins, has incredible balance, and the class to benefit from 6-7 years of bottle age and cruise for 25+ years!

The 2020 Cote Rotie Neve is really pretty stuff this vintage. Starting with a lovely mix of violets, menthol, cedar, raspberries and blueberries, it has fantastic perfume and lift on the nose, a fine, elegant, medium-bodied palate and a long, silky finish. Bravo.

How is it possible to marry this kind of syrah power with the extraordinary refinement of this Cote-Rotie? It just glides effortlessly over your palate. Then, right at the end, the power creeps up on you and inexorably pulls you into its orbit, as if this was the planet Jupiter. Amazing mineral intensity at the dazzling finish. From a vineyard at the north of the appellation on pure mica-schist soil. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.

Brilliant all the way, and possibly the finest vintage for this cuvée to date, the 2020 Côte Rôtie Nève is 100% Syrah from mica schist soils in the northern part of the appellation and was destemmed and is still resting in 30% new demi-muids. Gorgeous pure cassis fruit as well as crushed stone, graphite, and violet notes define the bouquet, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with terrific concentration, ultra-fine yet certainly present tannins, and a great finish. This structured yet flawlessly put together Côte Rôtie will benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for 15-20 years.