Parpette Cedric, Cote Rotie, Montmain

Une confirmation : 2016 est une très belle année en rhône nord, ce vin est équilibré, savoureux, très expressif, tout en gardant une colonne vertébrale très "classique". Une découverte : première pour moi avec un vin de ce vigneron, qui a vraiment réussi cette cuvée. A l'ouverture, il était très ouvert et agréable, mais un peu court/léger, façon très joli crozes. Après deux heures d'épaulage, il a pris du coffre, tout en gardant sa belle buvabilité, une très bonne expérience …

Deep ruby in color, heavy tears with light staining. Nose is clean, expressing baked black and red fruits, smoke, violet, mushrooms, and wet stone. On the palate, the fruits are more tart - cranberry, blackberry, with the addition of dried fruit, thyme and oregano. tannins are soft, medium+ intensity, moderate acid, moderate+ alcohol. Texture is round, well-balanced. Long finish of dried, oxidative fruit.

Nice bottle. Well made, drinking nice. Can go much longer 10 to 20 years. Cork showed seepage. No noticeable acidity or tannins. Seemed balanced now. Just needs more age to be something greater. Tea, toast and fruit. Still young. *5th night. Really opened up and tamed the youth that this bottle had exhibited on previous nights.

From memory, deep garnet, modest sediment, unlike a 2008 previously sound and dark-fruited, still seemingly young with a significant tannic finish which made it slightly tiring. Excellent accompaniment to out sous vide rib eye.

Smoky, dirty nose with blueberry, leather and plenty of acid in the palate. I guess I’d drink any time. Mama thought this might have a touch of TCA but I didn’t get that, just the leather and earth. Cork was dirty on top (maybe some leakage) but smelled clean. Drink 1-2 years, don’t think this is ascending.

Popped and poured. Elegant, lighter weight. Light spice on nose. At times I thought I tasted very light caramel. With air, some fine tannin emerges. The word pretty comes to mind. I poured this blind for Ann and she guessed Burgundy. Day two, more purple and blue fruit. Purple flowers, light olive and spice. Not overly complex but elegant and very easy to drink. Sneaky concentration, though.

This showed very nicely. Paired with a beef wellington and truffle risotto evening. Best of my three bottles of this by far. Aromatics were so good. Sauvage, blood, rust on the approach. Then intriguing red fruits on the palate and nice mouthfeel. This was caught in a good spot and enjoyed by a table of serious winos. Great stuff.

A very transparent Cote Rotie. Purple fruit, fine tannins, fragrant. Well cut and precise. Not as soft as I recalled, still lots to give here. A striking example of syrah in how restrained it was. Think this can be longer lived.

Quality fruit driven Rôtie which is becoming too rare in the face of oak and extraction. Lovely Syrah, faint violet floral aromatics and a richness that stays on the old-fashioned fat-cap descriptor (vs the boring bacon cliche.)

Dark maroon. Upon opening, this was a nose full of reductive funk which gratefully blew off in short order to reveal a cool mix of savory/gamey aromatics along with florals and some brooding black fruit. The first day shows some medium to full bodied Syrah with plummy stone fruit out front mixed with some citrus and savory Asian spicy flavors. I suspect a good dose of Viognier is in here as well. High acidity, to the point that I would …

Decanted at the table. A surprisingly feminine wine. Color is dark purple, but the palate has sweetness and some qualities like rose/lavender in the nose. I expected more power, but this was drinking nicely. Outclassed by some of the aged CdP we had in the previous flight ('95 Clos des Papes and '99 Mordoree). I like the complexity and power of Cote Rotie, this Parpette is well made but was a lighter profile than expected. Drank along side a duck …

Purchased from Garagiste knowing nothing about the producer. This is a medium-bodied, very restrained, somewhat austere expression of Cote Rotie. The nose is a little shy, showing some game, dusty earth, and just a hint of fruit. The palate is much of the same. This is not a wine of fruit, even though plums and other dark fruits lurk. Rather, the palate is peppery, herbal, gamey, and meaty. The whole thing is pretty austere and the tannins remain quite strong. …

Dark red violet color; tart plum, dried plum, pepper nose; nice tart plum, pepper, herbal palate; medium-plus finish