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It took just a few days…few days to oscillate a vintage between a « Great Vintage » and a « Complex vintage ».
However, the winter, finally « classic », rocked by a fairly rigorous cold, pushed back any risk of spring frost.
The vegetative cycle was regularly watered by abundant rains. The diseases were putting pressure on the vinegrowers !
Nonetheless, the experience of the 2018, year with high mildew, still engraved in the vinegrowers’memory, made it possible for them to carefully control this pressure.
The vinegrowers serenly entered the summer season, with good water reserves and a beautiful harvest in perspective.
Moreover, rare fact, the summer granted us a few days of mild rain.
On August 15th, the rhodanien vineyards were healthy and green. The vinegrowers were rejoicing as everything was a hallmark to a “Great Vintage”.
Unfortunately, as is often the case over the last few years, Mother Nature decided otherwise. For a couple of days, the French vineyards, and most particularly the Rhône’s suffered a wave of extreme heat.
Leaving little chance to the grapes of the young vines and early ripening terroirs.
Only old vines, and not even all, of low yield, on protected terroirs and late ripening, found resilience in getting their berries to optimal ripeness.
The catastrophe was avoided. However, the qualities were very heterogeneous, even amongst the most experienced cellars….
Once again, our meticulous work of selection will have found all its meaning this year!
Paradoxally, the whites are very digest and balanced. On the palate, they are bright and harmonious.
The quality of the reds however, are more varied from one grape variety to the next. Against all expectations, the Syrah played its card right, with fruits without any excess. The wine issued from Old vines Grenache are racy and precise!
Landonne, Lancement, Chavaroche
Ageing12 months in new and one old barrels.
Then 12 months in foudre.
Tronçais – Allier
100% not destemmed
13
CépagesSerine, Syrah : 100 %
Darkly coloured. Lovely herbal effect on the nose, very powerful, with potent black fruits. The tannins are quite leathery and slightly drying. Very ripe, with a long finish. Will be good in time, in a ripe, succulent style.
Decanter
, 94/100
, 2024-10-29
A textural, driven and well-composed red with aromas of dark cherries, roasted meat, warm spices, smoke and black earth. Medium-bodied with fine tannins. Refined texture, with a lively blue fruit character and a spicy, vibrant finish.
James Suckling
, 93/100
, 2026-01-20
Dense and brooding, offering a chewy, compact core of black currant, mulberry and grilled anise. This is saline, with earth tones of tobacco leaf and forest floor alternating with violet and ganache. Firm and dry on the finish, where there’s an intense, iron-edged mineral layer and an old-school note of iodine.
Wine Spectator
, 93/100
, 2026-01-31
Absolutely brilliant aromatics of smoky red and black fruits, spring flowers, black olive, and graphite emerge from the 2023 Côte Rôtie Vieilles Vignes, and with air, more classic smoke, meats, and chocolaty goodness come through. Based on 100% Syrah from the Serine clone sourced from the La Landonne, Chavaroche, Lancement, and Rochains lieux-dits, it was not destemmed and spent two years in new barrels. It's full-bodied and has a beautifully concentrated, layered mouthfeel, perfectly integrated oak, ripe tannins, good acidity, and a great finish. I was able to follow this bottle for multiple days, and it held up beautifully. Hide bottles for 5-8 years and enjoy over the following two decades.
Jeb Dunnuck
, 97/100
, 2026-02-26