Pierre Jean Villa, Cote Rotie, Carmina

Decanted 30-45 minutes and that helped a lot. Superb with the braised lamb entree. Enjoyed at The Dabney

Deep ruby red in the glass Nose of black cherries and mocha Medium body Nice creamy mouth feel....but a short finish

Rhone Roots : Like a grown up Côtes du Rhône rather than a Cote Rotie. Young vines from a single plot. Savoury, dry black cherry, olive, roasted herbs. Coherent but slightly dilute and flat.

The 2012 Cote Rotie showcased a mix of minerals, earth and spice before it’s black fruit even made an appearance. On the palate, I found soft and silky textures, with polished dark fruit and pepper. Tart blackberry dominated the finish.

The nose was rich and layered, yet wonderfully floral all the same, showing black fruit with ginger-spice, violet floral tones, dark earth and black pepper. On the palate, waves of mineral-drenched black fruit washed across the senses with herbal tones, showing remarkable balance and poise. The long saturating finish was floral with berry tones and spice. The 2012 Pierre Jean Villa Côte-Rôtie Carmina is incredibly youthful today with serious upside potential, yet so hard to resist now.