M. Chapoutier, Cote Rotie La Mordoree 2006

vinous92

Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds

Deep red. Highly perfumed aromas of smoky red berries, minerals, Asian spices and black pepper. The abundant red fruit flavors are pinot-like but the wine's smokiness and pepper drag me straight back to the Rhone. Silky and sweet, with assertive raspberry and cherry flavors, gentle tannins and mounting notes of olive and peppery spices. Finishes with impressive energy, clarity and persistence.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds

Dark red. Extremely sexy bouquet offers a wild array of red fruits, minerals and flowers. Balances extract against elegance with a deft hand, allowing the deep, sweet raspberry flavors to come to the fore. This shows superb clarity and depth, and finishes with impressively persistent and very suave red berry preserve flavor.

robert_parker98

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

I might be crawling out on a limb, but I think the 2006 Cote Rotie La Mordoree is the finest example of Chapoutier’s 100% Syrah Cote Rotie since his 1991. Inky purple to the rim without a touch of aggressiveness, the wine flows over the palate in a seamless way, with layers of black fruits, cherries, licorice, graphite, and some roasted meat and tapenade notes. This is a sensational, multi-dimensional Cote Rotie that I suspect will be drinkable in 3-4 years, and evolve beautifully for two decades.. With twenty vintages under his belt, Michel Chapoutier and his impressive winemaking staff go from strength to strength. These are among the world’s greatest wines, especially the single vineyard wines, many of which will last 50 or more years.The 2006 reds from Chapoutier display good acidity and freshness. If they lack the powerful tannic structures of the 2005s, and perhaps some of that vintage’s density, they are certainly not light wines. It is a vintage of finesse and concentration, but with considerable up-front charm. Again, 1991 is a useful historic reference. They are the perfect foil for those buying 2005s, which will require deferred gratification. The single-vineyard, or as Chapoutier calls them, the “Selections Parcellaires” wines, are all aged in small barrels, often 100% new oak, and bottled with neither fining nor filtration. Production is relatively small, with the tiniest cuvee, the Crozes-Hermitage Les Varonnieres usually 200-325 cases, and the rest of the single-vineyard wines averaging around 480-625 cases. The largest is usually the St.-Joseph Les Granits or the Ermitage Le Pavillon, which can be as high as 1,000 or so cases in an abundant vintage. Again, the 2005s all exhibit the vintage’s density, tannic structure, and long-term aging potential. At the same time, the 2006s at Chapoutier remind me of 1991, initially an underrated vintage of wines with ideal balance. If they lack the pure power and structure of 2005, they are well-served by their purity and equilibrium. There are four single-vineyard cuvees of Ermitage. Production is small, running from about 275-300 cases of Les Greffieux, 480-500 of Le Meal, 800-1,100 for Le Pavillon, and 200-600 for L’Ermite Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck

The 100% Syrah 2006 Cote Rotie la Mordoree was backward and tight, yet had beautiful concentration, full-bodied richness and classy notes of white pepper, mint and darker fruits. It opens up with time in the glass and is a big, powerful Cote Rotie that's loaded with potential. Give bottles another 2-4 years of cellaring and enjoy over the following decade or more.

robert_parker92

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Black olive/tapenade, black raspberry, camphor, and tar notes intermixed with a scent reminiscent of a Nori seaweed wrapper jump from the glass of the dark ruby/purple-tinged 2006 Cote Rotie La Mordoree. Made from 100% Syrah, this is a muscular, dense, luscious effort displaying good acidity, moderately sweet, noble tannin, and a rich, complete finish. It can be drunk now or cellared for 15+ years. While Michel Chapoutier produces some of the world’s greatest wines from single parcels of old vines spread throughout the northern and southern Rhone (see my ecstatic reviews of his 2007 and 2006 Chateauneuf du Papes in issue #179), he also has an impressive portfolio of value-priced wines that are often over-looked when this impressive producer is discussed. Following are some top-notch picks that all sell for exceptionally fair prices. Chapoutier has not achieved as great as success in Cornas as he has in the other northern Rhone appellations, although his Cornas wines get better with each vintage. There are four extraordinary single vineyard white wines, all of which are among the greatest dry white wines of the world. While all of them can be drunk young, they are meant for extended cellaring. Made from very small yields, they represent the essence of a varietal as well as a vineyard site. As the following notes demonstrate, 2006 was one of the greatest vintages for white wines at Chapoutier. The single vineyard selection parcellaire red wines range in production from 500 to nearly 1,000 cases. 2007 is a very good vintage for these selections, but 2006 has an edge. It is reminiscent of 1996 because of the wines’ freshness and acid levels, but Chapoutier’s 2006s are even more concentrated than his 1996s. Chapoutier’s four 2006 cuvees of single vineyard Hermitage are exquisite. Most of the yields were between 10 and 20 hectoliters per hectare, and the wines are extravagantly rich. The 2006 and 2007 luxury cuvees of Chateauneuf du Pape Croix des Bois and Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac were reviewed in issue #179. They are all astounding wines, especially in 2007 Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900