"Terroir won against the sun" - Lowest Price
2011 Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde
Burgundy in the Northern Rhône
This is one of my great scores of 2014.
I'm thrilled to offer a substantial parcel of René Rostaing's top bottling, 2011 Côte Blonde, at the jaw-dropping price of $155.95 a bottle and $142.95 in 4-packs, the lowest price around.
Côte Rôtie, this is an appellation that I love. It's the most elegant of the regions in the Northern Rhone, almost Burgundian in its agile refinement. With that said, there are very few Côte Rôties that really move me.
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Rostaing captures the Burgundian side with a startling acuity, especially the Côte Blonde. Rostaing himself has dubbed the Côte Blonde, the noblest of his bottlings, "the Chambertin of Côte Rôtie." Côte Blonde is one of the region's premier terroirs, defined by the steep slopes of pale granite, delivering power in elegance.
Rostaing's parcels are choice. Rostaing is the nephew of Marius Gentaz, the Old Master of Syrah, and the vines he works are inherited from Gentaz. Rostaing's wines are entirely his own. He is not a dogmatic traditionalist, and if for a while he seemed swayed by the dominant international style, in the past few years, he's taken back up decidedly more traditional tendencies.
The shift is a welcome one. Rhône scholar Jonathon Livingstone-Learmonth placed Rostaing among the few producers of what he calls "genuine Northern Rhône."
In 2011, this is especially true. I love 2011 in the Northern Rhône. The wines are lithe but concentrated, with detail captured in pinpoint focus. As Rostaing puts it, "2011 was a year of the soil," where "terroir won against the sun." These are not wines of overpowering ripeness, but serious studies in complexity.
Rostaing is hard to come by across the board, and his top bottling is particularly elusive, especially in any quantity. When you factor in the pricing, the parcel on offer today is my luckiest find in a long time. You just won't find pricing this sharp anywhere else.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine and Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
2011 Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde
Special Email Bottle Price: $155.95
John Livingstone-Learmonth: "The aroma is led by ripe, curvy dark berry fruit with notes of tea, salt, inkiness and a low-key floral statement. This will become a prominent, full bouquet, one that bears mystery in its trail. There is carbonic gas on the tip of the tongue on the start of the palate, where there is a mix of blackberry and damson fruit. It moves freely, is buzzy, then clad in rather thick coating on the finish...2011 has a proper Burgundian extension, and this has a Pinot side to it, along the lines of a Chambolle Musigny. Interesting wine."
Special Email 4-Pack Price: $571.80 ($142.95/btl)