2023 Cote Rotie Barbarine

More expressive and approachable at this stage, the 2023 La Barbarine unfurls from the glass with aromas of violet, flowers, dark cherries, rose petals and spices. Medium- to full-bodied, structured and concentrated, it’s firmer at this stage than its counterpart, built around a dense core of fruit and an abundant chassis of tannins that will benefit from some time in the cellar to fully integrate. It nonetheless remains very distinctive, marked by a more rustic profile and slightly more structuring tannins. While Elsa Gangloff was not available when I visited the Northern Rhône, I was able to acquire a bottle to taste for this report.