Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde, René Rostaing 2020

Leading off two perfect wines, the 2020 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde comes from two separate plantings going back to the 1970s and was brought up all in barrel. A legendary Côte Rôtie in every way, it offers an incredible perfume of sweet cassis, black raspberries, spring flowers, incense, camphor, and hints of cured meats. This carries to a full-bodied Côte Rôtie that has just about off-the-charts richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, beautifully polished tannins, and flawless balance. This unquestionably rivals the 1999, and while it's going to have some early accessibility, it deserves at least 4-6 years of bottle age and will last for two decades or more.

My favorite of the 2020s from Rostaing—at least until I try the wines again next year—is the 2020 Cote Rotie la Cote Blonde. Scents of crushed stone and red raspberries give the impression of seamless transmission of terroir allied to incredible fruit purity. Full-bodied, rich and velvety, it's an amazing expression of Cote Rotie that should age effortlessly for a couple of decades.

Moving to the single parcel releases, the 2020 Côte Rôtie Côte Blonde is about as pretty and seamless as they come, with gorgeous black raspberry fruit as well as spice, loamy earth, and subtle minerality on both the nose and palate. It’s concentrated and structured yet shines for its purity and finesse.