2011 Cote Rotie Les Grandes Places

Another knockout effort by this producer, the 2011 Cote Rotie Les Grandes Places is a long, rich and medium to full-bodied effort that possesses fantastic notes of smoked bacon, raspberry, kirsch, licorice and assorted spiced meat-like qualities on the nose. It too has some sweet oak to integrate, so hide it in the cellar for a handful of years. It will have two decades or more of longevity. Other than a lackluster, slightly odd Condrieu, this was a brilliant lineup of wines by proprietor Jean-Michel Gerin. Farming 17 acres (organically) in Cote Rotie (mostly in the northern part of the appellation) and Condrieu, Gerin-s first vintage was in 1987. The winemaking style here is quite modern, with lots of destemming and plenty of small barrels, some of which are new. The wines show fantastic purity and also age gracefully Importer: Esprit Du Vin, Port Washington, NY; Tel. (516) 802-4758

Inky ruby. Intense black raspberry, cherry and violet aromas are complicated by notes of cracked pepper and anise. Juicy, sweet and elegant, showing very good depth and an array of dark fruit and floral qualities. Silky and focused on the gently tannic finish, which leaves sexy floral pastille and spice notes behind.