2016 Cote Rotie Neve

Named after the lieu-dit, which is located next to Viallière, the 2016 Côte Rôtie Nève sports a deep purple/ruby-tinged color as well as an exotic bouquet of cassis, blueberries, crushed rocks, graphite, and violets. Very young, vibrant, and unevolved, yet with terrific density and purity, it's a fabulously textured, balanced wine that's going to benefit from 4-6 years of bottle age and cruise for 15+ years. The estate of firebrand Michel Chapoutier continues to operate on all cylinders, and these latest 2016 and 2017 releases are world class for this address. The 2017 whites show the gradual change toward a more reductive style of winemaking, and the wines at times have an almost Burgundian feel in their minerality, acidity, and texture. Nevertheless, they’re fabulously concentrated and rich and will need 2-4 years of cellaring. The 2016 whites showed beautifully, and I prefer those to the 2017s. The majority of the 2017 reds were tasted as barrel samples. This is a ripe, sexy, expressive vintage for the Northern Rhône, and this shows in the wines. The 2017s don’t appear to have the density of the more blockbuster styled 2015s, yet they have expressive, sunny characters that will deliver loads of charm. The 2016s having slightly more density and cooler-climate styled aromatics, yet are nevertheless some of the richest, sexiest wines in the vintage. In addition to the frightfully expensive top-tier cuvées, don’t miss the value releases from this estate. These wines max out the QPR scale and are great introductions into the wines of Chapoutier as well as the Rhône Valley.

Crisp and focused, the 2016 Cote Rotie Neve still needs some additional bottle age before it will be ready for prime time. Pencil shavings and smoke frame tart red berry flavors in this medium to full-bodied wine that offers plenty of intensity, culminating in a long, cranberry-ish finish.

Bright purple. Heady, mineral- and spice-accented aromas of cherry, black currant and olive are accompanied by a sexy floral quality that builds as the wine opens up. Juicy, appealingly sweet black and blue fruit flavors show excellent depth, focus and spicy thrust. Delivers a compelling blend of power and elegance and finishes with persistent sweetness and velvety, building tannins.