2005 Condrieu La Bonnette

The 2005s are intense, rich, structured, tannic, and backward. Like so many Northern Rhones, they possess considerable structure and tannin which gives the sense that the wines are going to age for a long time. Yet in the eternal struggle in a wine’s evolution between the fruit and the tannin, the tannins win out 90% or more of the time.A limited production wine (only around 3,000 bottles), but superb, is the 2005 Condrieu La Bonnette, which exhibits plenty of peach, apricot, and honeysuckle notes in a medium to full-bodied, opulent style, but in 2005 the good acidity of the vintage has given the wine more definition and freshness than usual. P.S. The least expensive wine Rostaing makes, which comes from the Coteaux du Languedoc, is the 2004 Puech Chaude. A blend of 80% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, and 10% Grenache, aged 50% in tank and 50% and barrel, it is a beauty and ideal for drinking in its first 3-4 years of life. 2004 is a classic vintage for Rostaing, who succeeded in a tough year in the Northern Rhone by performing severe crop-thinning measures during the growing season. Nevertheless, these wines are dwarfed by his freakishly rich 2003s and his beautiful 2005s, which he claims are “the best vintage I’ve made.” Importer: Manny Berk, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484