This is a wine that we love and never thought that we would be able to offer.
Finding traditional Côte-Rôtie is very, very difficult. There are two or maybe three producers that we focus on. Bénetière is one of them, but with 2.5ha our allocation doesn't amount to much more than a couple cases.
 |
And those sell out to insiders before the wine can even hit the shelves.
Basically, those who know about the wines hunt them down and click buy without thinking twice. That's pretty much what we did, too. The only reason that the wines haven't blown up is that the tiny quantities put a major cap on how much exposure they can get.
This also brings us to another important point - finding wines of this caliber at this price range in general is very rare.
Of course, in the end, all of this is beside the point. What's more important is that these are beautiful wines. Bénetière's Cordeloux lays bare the beating heart of Côte-Rôtie, especially in 2010.
In the Rhône, the 2010 vintage is a magical vintage - it's that simple. The vintage combines almost a dream brew of concentration, structure and sparklingly pristine expression.
There may very well be no Côte-Rôtie being made today that can match Bénetière in terms of focus, balance and streamlined mineral elegance. This is Syrah (with 5% Viognier) at its most nimble, piercing and riveting. There's a density here, but also lithe frame of jet-black minerals, floral notes and dark fruits.
Needless to say, Bénetière works within a traditionalist idiom. The grapes aren't de-stemmed, indigenous yeasts are used, etc. The alcohol levels always hover in the 12.5 range.
If you're a Northern Rhône fan or are just fascinated by wines that thrive on soil-inflected elegance, this is something that you need to check-out. The combination of the pricing, the 2010 vintage and just having enough of the wine available will be very hard to replicate any time soon.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits