Domaine René Rostaing Côte Blonde, Côte-Rôtie, 2013

In a year that demanded patience and precision, the Côte Blonde from Rostaing produced a wine of classic, composed character. The 2013 in the Northern Rhône favoured producers who were unhurried: those who waited for full phenolic ripeness found fruit of quality and finesse rather than concentration. This wine exemplifies that restraint. It is not a showy vintage but an honest one, and the Côte Blonde's natural elegance is fully expressed: violet and cinnamon on the nose, a lithe and precisely drawn palate with the fine tannins characteristic of this lieu-dit, and that finish where spice and minerality linger in equal measure. It is a wine for those who understand that Côte-Rôtie's greatness lies as much in finesse as in power.