2019 Côte-Rôtie La Landonne Côte-Brune Guigal

Dark, opaque colour. This has that closed, dark austerity you would expect. Gently sweet with a touch of Lapsang Souchong tea in the background - this is full-bodied with very silky tannins. It's extracted, but not over-extracted, with good tannic weight and depth. Powerful, driving, not overly rich or ripe or alcoholic. Oak at this stage appears integrated. A very good vintage, very sleek, a thoroughbred steed. From the northern part of this lieu-dit, planted in 1975 to commemorate the birth of Philippe Guigal. At the beginning of its 42 months in new French oak barriques.

As always, the 2019 Côte Rôtie La Landonne is all Syrah that was not destemmed and will spend four years in new French oak. A wine with perfection written all over it, it's one of the most impressive barrel samples to ever pass this critic's lips. Deep purple/black-hued with a massive, full-bodied, brooding style, it has classic smoky, meaty black fruits, a touch of iron, graphite, tobacco, and pepper, building tannins, and a huge finish. This is pure brilliance in Syrah, yet as with just about every vintage here, it will require a solid decade of bottle age.

The impenetrably dark 2019 Cote Rotie La Landonne represents the essence of this fabled lieu-dit, combining peppery, herbal notions with espresso and roasted meat, all carried by ample plum and black cherry fruit. It's full-bodied, concentrated, richly tannic and long on the finish—simply a superb wine that should be flirting with perfection when it is released in a couple of years.

Still very youthful, this has a deep nose of smoke, bitter chocolate and herbal liqueur. The gigantic tannin structure on the palate will need many years of further aging to completely resolve, but the tannins are fine which gives the super-long finish an extraordinary texture, like old-fashioned velvet. So much smoke and crushed rock character! A pure syrah which is then fermented with 100% whole bunches. Matured in 100% new oak for 42 months.

Inky dark in color, the wine is equally dark in its fruit profile on the nose and palate. Full-bodied, intense, powerful, balanced, refined, and stately, there is an aristocratic edge to the structure here. The intensity is off the hook. The wall of fruit is well-defined, fresh, and vibrant. The finish builds while coating your palate with its layers of deep, black, smoky fruits, roasted espresso, spice and leafy herbs.