Domaine Rostaing is one of greatest names in Cote-Rotie. Their Cote Blonde is priced accordingly, a bottle will cost you almost 150€. I cannot afford such expensive wines to drink myself, but sharing a bottle with wine lover friends helps, so now I have an idea what it’s like. 

Top notch syrah. Part of its charm is the traditional style: finessed, not oaky, not forced. So Old-World. Textbook Northern-Rhone, spicy, medium plus-bodied and tight. Dried black cherries, black currents, black pepper on the nose, and some green peppercorn – a suggestion of fermentation with whole bunches. Sinewy and a bit unforgiving at this stage, it has masses of chewy tannins. Decanting is recommended, it gets more approachable with airing, and actually it’s quite enjoyable already for its sheer power and depth – but not for smoothness. A long term wine for sure, built to age for decades. Hold for at least a few more years. 95 points. Stockist: Wengler, price: 138,04 €.