Domaine René Rostaing Côte Blonde, Côte-Rôtie, 2011

The 2011 vintage arrived in the wake of two exceptional years for Côte-Rôtie, and while the conditions were less dramatic, the quality at Rostaing's Côte Blonde remained high. A fine if not extraordinary growing season allowed the site's natural character to express itself without the theatrics of great years, resulting in a wine of honest elegance and drinking pleasure. The nose delivers the Côte Blonde's signature profile: perfumed and lifted, with violet and a trace of white flower alongside darker notes of tobacco and cinnamon. The palate is smooth and approachable, the tannins fine-grained, the fruit just ripe enough to show warmth without heaviness. A wine where the terroir speaks clearly, if a little more quietly than usual.