Rene Rostaing, Condrieu La Bonnette 2022

robert_parker 2018

Having just come out of barrel into tank, the 2018 Condrieu la Bonnette was in a cloudy, leesy state that made it impossible for me to properly evaluate. It showed ample weight, a sense of balance and plenty of length, so I have no doubt it will ultimately emerge as a solid effort; I just happened to encounter it at an inopportune time.

robert_parker 2010

Rating: 93 –93

Rene Rostaing produces around 5,000 bottles of gorgeous Condrieu La Bonnette. The 2010, which is just being released, is completely tank-fermented and aged and does not go through malolactic fermentation. Bottled about six weeks before my visit, it exhibits plenty of apricot marmalade, white peach and honeysuckle notes. Full-bodied and unctuously textured with good minerality and precision, it should drink well for 2-4 years. P.S. Readers should not forget Rostaing’s brilliant 2009 Coteaux de Languedoc Puech Noble, which received a score of 90 last year. I retasted it this year and rated it identically. It is a sleeper selection from Rostaing, and if you can not find or afford his Cote Roties, this wine (70% Syrah and the rest equal parts Mourvedre and Grenache aged in a combination of tank and older wood) is a brilliant 30,000-bottle cuvee that represents great value. Rene Rostaing believes the finest vintages in Cote Rotie have been 1971, 1991 and 2010. I would add 2009 as Rostaing made spectacular wines in that vintage, although I understand that for his personal taste they are at the limit of extreme ripeness. A perfectionist, Rostaing has made exceptionally strong wines in both 2011 and 2010. Importer: Manny Berk, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484

robert_parker 2009

Rating: 95 –95

A spectacular offering, the 2009 Condrieu La Bonnette comes from a fabulous site, but, sadly, production is less than 3,000 bottles. Opulent, with abundant notes of lychee nuts, white peaches and honeysuckle, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and great minerality as well as acidity, this is a sensational white wine. Rene Rostaing’s elegant style is well-displayed in both 2010 and the riper, more fleshy, exuberant 2009 vintage. Always the sexiest wine in Rostaing’s cellar is the Cote Rotie Cote Blonde. It includes 3-4% co-fermented Viognier and is always the most seamless wine resembling haute couture. Importer: Manny Berk, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484

robert_parker 2004

Rating: 92 –94

An impressive Condrieu from Rostaing. A waxy, honeyed nose with good definition, following by a palate bursting with flavors of lanolin, wax and pear. Almonds towards the finish. Great length and style. Classy. Tasted November 2005.

robert_parker 1994

Rating: 90 –90

The 1994 La Bonnette is a massive mouthful of off-dry wine that is oozing with honeysuckle, apricot, and peach-like fruit. Extremely full-bodied, with an unctuous texture as well as exceptional purity and richness, this wine is remarkably well-focused for its large size. Made from only 26 hectoliters per hectare from a vineyard just behind Georges Vernay's Coteaux du Vernon, Rostaing's 1994 Condrieu should be drunk over the next 1-2 years. This wine was tasted in September, 1995, from bottle, unless otherwise noted. Prices quoted are based on the current exchange rate of five francs per dollar. Rostaing owns 2.5 acres of vines in a lieux-dit on the hills of Condrieu called La Bonnette. He ferments 25% in barrel and the balance in cuve, and then blends them together. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 524-1524

vinous 2016

Rating: 93 –93

(raised in stainless steel tanks and made with no malo) Limpid straw-yellow. Assertive, mineral-accented orchard fruit, melon and fennel aromas are sharpened by hints of ginger and lemon zest. Intense pear skin, Meyer lemon and violet pastille flavors show a suave blend of richness and delicacy thanks to a spine of juicy acidity. Closes minerally, taut and impressively long, leaving a powerful floral note behind.

robert_parker 2016

Rating: 92 –92

Since the last time I visited the domaine a few years ago, I'm happy to say the whites at Rostaing have improved in clarity and focus. The 2016 Condrieu la Bonnette is medium-bodied, offering attractive floral, apricot and spice aromas. It's not overly rich but is fresh instead, with a clean, refreshing, peppery/gingery finish. It should drink well for a few years.

robert_parker 2017

Rating: 92 –92

The 2017 Condrieu la Bonnette is low in acidity and positively demands near-term drinking, but it's a gorgeous wine nonetheless, with floral and apricot aromas and flavors that broaden out into a mouth-filling palate and lengthy finish. It's a rich, decadent wine to knock back over the next couple of years.

robert_parker 2018

Having just come out of barrel into tank, the 2018 Condrieu la Bonnette was in a cloudy, leesy state that made it impossible for me to properly evaluate. It showed ample weight, a sense of balance and plenty of length, so I have no doubt it will ultimately emerge as a solid effort; I just happened to encounter it at an inopportune time.

robert_parker 2004

Rating: 95 –95

One of Rostaing’s offerings that tends to be overlooked is his Condrieu la Bonnette. Fashioned from grapes grown in decomposed granite soils, the 2004 exhibits a liqueur of stone-like character along with notes of litchi nuts and tropical fruits in a full-bodied, well-delineated, mineral and floral style. It is best consumed over the next two years. Importer: Manny Berk, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484

robert_parker 2005

Rating: 93 –93

The 2005s are intense, rich, structured, tannic, and backward. Like so many Northern Rhones, they possess considerable structure and tannin which gives the sense that the wines are going to age for a long time. Yet in the eternal struggle in a wine’s evolution between the fruit and the tannin, the tannins win out 90% or more of the time.A limited production wine (only around 3,000 bottles), but superb, is the 2005 Condrieu La Bonnette, which exhibits plenty of peach, apricot, and honeysuckle notes in a medium to full-bodied, opulent style, but in 2005 the good acidity of the vintage has given the wine more definition and freshness than usual. P.S. The least expensive wine Rostaing makes, which comes from the Coteaux du Languedoc, is the 2004 Puech Chaude. A blend of 80% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, and 10% Grenache, aged 50% in tank and 50% and barrel, it is a beauty and ideal for drinking in its first 3-4 years of life. 2004 is a classic vintage for Rostaing, who succeeded in a tough year in the Northern Rhone by performing severe crop-thinning measures during the growing season. Nevertheless, these wines are dwarfed by his freakishly rich 2003s and his beautiful 2005s, which he claims are “the best vintage I’ve made.” Importer: Manny Berk, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484

robert_parker 2006

Rating: 89 –89

Rostaing has one of the renowned sites for making Condrieu, and his 2006 Condrieu La Bonnette is a much sweeter version than previous vintages. With 19% residual sugar, this is essentially a dessert style of Condrieu, but with admirable purity, loads of exotic fruits, honeysuckle, and honeyed pear. Rostaing is totally right when he says this is the perfect match for food such as asparagus. I am not sure how to judge it, since it is really a sweet wine rather than a dry one, but this is what it is. Importer: Manny Berk, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484

robert_parker 2007

Rating: 91 –91

Rostaing has a spectacular terroir for Condrieu from which he fashioned the 2007 Condrieu La Bonnette. Flowery, apricot jam, white peach, honeysuckle, and caramelized tropical fruit notes are present in this deep, full-bodied, supple white wine. It should drink well for 1-2 years. One of the benchmark producers of Cote Rotie, Rene Rostaing’s wines are made in a classic, traditional style, and are aged in either demi-muids or small barrels, a tiny percentage of which is new. Rostaing’s 25 acres spread throughout heritage sites on the two hillsides of the Cote Blonde and Cote Brune include some of the finest vineyards of the appellation. Importer: Manny Berk, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484

robert_parker 1999

Rating: 91 –91

Rostaing produced a whopping (for him) 4,200 bottles of the 1999 Condrieu La Bonnette. From a vineyard situated near the finest parcels of Chateau de Rozay, planted on decomposed granite overlaying red soils, this wine reveals abundant quantities of concentrated mineral notes along with honeysuckle, floral, and peach/apricot fruit. One of the finest 1999 Condrieus I tasted (a variable year for the appellation), this medium to full-bodied effort has seen no wood aging, and is all the better for it. Drink it over the next 2-3 years. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel (510) 524-1524

robert_parker 2000

Rating: 90 –90

The 2000 Condrieu La Bonnette offers aromas of orange peel, apricots, and flowers. Medium to full-bodied and well-defined, it is ideal for drinking now and over the next two years. One of the most intelligent winemakers in Cote Rotie, Rene Rostaing continues to exhibit maturity as well as wisdom with the conditions he confronts in each vintage. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524

robert_parker 2001

Rating: 91 –91

Readers should not miss Rostaing’s superb 2001 Condrieu La Bonette. Put through a 100% malolactic fermentation, it boasts aromas of white flowers and apricot liqueur offered in a heady, intoxicating, unctuous style with loads of concentration, glycerin, and definition. Enjoy this gorgeous Condrieu during its first several years of life. Rene Rostaing is one of the most masterful growers and bottlers of Cote Rotie. Sadly, there is not much produced. P.S. Pierre Rovani has raved about this wine in the past, and readers should not miss the Domaine du Puech-Chaud from the Coteaux du Languedoc. A Syrah-dominated red, it is a rich, character-filled effort made from Rostaing’s Languedoc-Roussillon vineyards. The 2000 was roaring from the glass when I tasted it in the estate’s Cote Rotie cellars. Importer: At the time of writing, Rostaing was in the process of changing importers after leaving Kermit Lynch.

robert_parker 2003

Rating: 93 –93

The fat, unctuously-textured, tropical fruit-scented 2003 Condrieu La Bonnette is a bit fragile given its low acidity, but it possesses loads of fruit. Purchasers who consume it within the next 12-18 months are in for a treat. Rostaing told me that in 2003 he only produced 40% of his normal crop, and even more bizarre, he began the harvest on August 21st. Virtually everything in his cellar is over 14% alcohol. One of France’s top sources of Cote Rotie, Rostaing’s intelligent policy about upbringing in both barrels and demi-muids as well as his flexibility about racking and filtration reflect his meticulousness at all stages of winemaking. He did refuse to acidify in 2003 despite extremely low levels of acidity and high pH’s, but he said that actual acidities seemed to go up at the end of fermentation since there seemed to be more acid trapped in the interior of the grapes than in the skins. This is a great vintage for Rostaing, even more exotic and richer than his 1999s. P.S. By the way, if you cannot afford or find Rostaing’s Cote Roties, he owns 30 acres of vineyards in the Coteaux du Languedoc and his soft, fleshy 2003 Pech-Chaud (a blend of 95% Syrah and 5% Grenache) is very Cote Rotie-like. It is ideal for drinking during its first 3-4 years of life. Rostaing’s importer status is not yet settled.

robert_parker 1994

Rating: 93 –93

The 1994 La Bonnette is a massive mouthful of off-dry wine that is oozing with honeysuckle, apricot, and peachlike fruit. Extremely full-bodied, with an unctuous texture as well as exceptional purity and richness, this wine is remarkably well focused for its large size. Made from only 26 hectoliters per hectare, Rostaing's 1994 Condrieu should be drunk over the next 1-2 years. Last tasted 9/95.