| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Rhône > Northern Rhône > Côte Rotie |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Leading off the Côte Rôties, the 2019 Côte Rôtie Chateau D'Ampuis is always a brilliant wine, and in recent years, it's come close to rivaling the single vineyard releases. Don't believe me? Put it in a blind lineup and let me know the results. The 2019 is absolutely brilliant, and I'd put this up with the finest vintages of this cuvée to date, including the 2009, 2010, 2017, and 2018. Awesome aromatics of ripe red and black fruits, tapenade, iron, and gamey, meaty, floral notes all emerge on the nose, and this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, beautiful yet substantial tannins, and a great finish. Hide bottles for 4-6 years if you can and enjoy over the following 15-20 years. As always, the Chateau D'Ampuis comes from a mix of seven lieux-dits spread across the appellation and sees the same four years in new barrels as the single vineyards.
The 2019 Cote Rotie Chateau d'Ampuis is a super example of this cuvée, which blends fruit from seven different lieux-dits (three on the Cote Blonde and four on the Cote Brune). Smoky, herbal and complex, with a solid foundation of blueberry and raspberry fruit, it's full-bodied and concentrated yet silky, elegant and long on the finish.
Scheduled to be botted at the end of this October, the 2019 Côte Rôtie Chateau D'Ampuis is another beautiful, layered, incredibly impressive wine. Ripe darker fruits, smoked meats, tapenade, and ground pepper all define the bouquet, and it's full-bodied, with a wealth of baby fat, lots of tannins, and a great, great finish. It's certainly in line with past vintages and perhaps shows a touch more tannic structure than the 2018.
The 2019 Côte Rôtie Château D'Ampuis is more structured and has a regal, noble feel in its tannins and overall balance. Some cassis, black raspberry, violets, and smoked game notes open up nicely with time in the glass, and this medium to full-bodied, seamless effort reminds me of the 2010. It’s going to need 4-6 years of bottle age.
