1998 Cote Rotie Belle Helene
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Tasting notes
The 1998 Côte Rôtie La Belle Hélène is a step up over the 1997 and is a deeper, richer wine with more density. Black fruits, truffle, saddle leather, ground pepper, and some meaty, bloody nuances all give way to a medium-bodied, bright, racy 1998 that has good mid-palate depth yet surprisingly high acidity, which gives it a slightly disjointed feel. Nevertheless, it's certainly an outstanding Côte Rôtie drinking at point.
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Robert Parker
Robert Parker
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Ogier's luxury offering, Cuvee Belle Helene, is a Cote Rotie that sees 100% new oak, and emerges from his holdings near La Landonne in a vineyard called Cote Rozier. This wine spends a whopping 30 months in new oak prior to being bottled unfiltered. There are 125 cases of the 1998, of which 20 are allocated for the United States! The wine is sumptuous, but it will obviously be almost impossible to find. This wine enjoys malolactic in barrique. The 1998 Cote Rotie Cuvee Belle Helene boasts an opaque black/purple color as well as a tight but promising nose of new saddle leather, roasted meats, dried herbs, black fruits, and minerals. It is extremely full-bodied, super-concentrated, ferociously backward and tannic, and possesses sufficient extract, fruit, and depth to balance out the wine's structure. This classic, gorgeously proportioned Cote Rotie will last for a generation. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083
Ogier's luxury offering, Cuvee Belle Helene, is a Cote Rotie that sees 100% new oak, and emerges from his holdings near La Landonne in a vineyard called Cote Rozier. This wine spends a whopping 30 months in new oak prior to being bottled unfiltered. There are 125 cases of the 1998, of which 20 are allocated for the United States! ||The wine is sumptuous, but it will obviously be almost impossible to find. This wine enjoys malolactic in barrique. The 1998 Cote Rotie Cuvee Belle Helene boasts an opaque black/purple color as well as a tight but promising nose of new saddle leather, roasted meats, dried herbs, black fruits, and minerals. It is extremely full-bodied, super-concentrated, ferociously backward and tannic, and possesses sufficient extract, fruit, and depth to balance out the wine's structure. This classic, gorgeously proportioned Cote Rotie will last for a generation. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025. Wine Advocate.February, 2001