Wine Advisor
M. Chapoutier, Cote Rotie La Mordoree 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Saturated ruby. Displays intensely perfumed red and blue fruit preserves, baking spices, candied violet and licorice scents; a smoky mineral quality builds in the glass. Plush, sweet and broad on the palate, offering deeply concentrated, smoke-laced cherry-vanilla, boysenberry and fruitcake flavors that spread out and pick up a spicy nuance with aeration. Manages to be powerful but elegant as well, showing impressive balance and velvety, even tannins that shape a very long, floral- and dark fruit-driven finish. One-third new oak.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Deeply perfumed aromas of ripe black/blue fruits, licorice, exotic spices and olive on the intensely perfumed nose. Stains the palate with sappy black currant, boysenberry and candied violet flavors, and steadily picks up spiciness and a hint of minerality with aeration. Rich and weighty but energetic as well, finishing with excellent clarity, mounting tannins and strong, blue-fruit-driven tenacity.
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
Always a blend of the Côte Blonde and Côte Brune lieux-dits, the 2018 Cote Rotie la Mordorée features scents of pencil shavings, raspberries and some tea-like florals. It's medium to full-bodied and silky-textured, but it's concentrated at the same time, with a long, crisp finish that hints at violets.
About the Producer
Founded in 1808, M. Chapoutier owns 175 hectares of vines in five appellations in the Rhone Valley and is now run by the energetic and brilliant Michel Chapoutier. Since Michel started running the estate, the quality of the winemaking has improved very quickly and the philosophy of winemaking has changed considerably. Michel Chapoutier's achievements caused an instant sensation in the winemaking world and he completely changed the way Chapoutier wines were made and the winemaking process, eventually making wines to rival those made by Marcel Guigal, one of the best winemakers in the Rhone Valley. The vineyards of Château Sapoutier range from the Rhone Valley to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with a number of quality vineyards planted with Syrah, Grenache, Marsanne, Roussanne and other major grape varieties. The winery is "mono-varietal" (i.e. making wines from a single variety), for example, all Syrah for the Châteauneuf-du-Rotie wines, all Marsanne for the Hermitage whites and all Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines. The wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape are all Grenache. Château Sapoutier has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of its wines, even though each single vineyard produces far more than the 500 cases of fine wine. Since 1989, Château Sapoutier has been using biodynamic farming and winemaking methods with the aim of producing wines that are the purest and closest to the natural terroir. Every decision, every step of the viticultural and winemaking process is designed to add to the terroir, varietal character and vintage identity of the wines. Only wild yeasts are used for fermentation and the wines are made in small oak barrels. The best red and white wines are not clarified or filtered before bottling.
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