Domaine René Rostaing La Landonne, Côte-Rôtie, 2009

If 2010 produced a La Landonne of austere magnificence, 2009 delivered something more opulent, more immediately seductive. The growing season was warm, with an early spring and rapid progression to harvest, the wines emerging with a lushness unusual for this most mineral and brooding of Côte-Rôtie lieux-dits. Dark ruby garnet in colour with purple reflections, the nose offers forest berries of rare ripeness alongside nougat and finely wrought earthy, savoury notes. The palate shows ripe blackberry and dark cherry at the fore, the tannins taut but giving, the minerality of the Côte Brune keeping everything honest through the long, precise finish. There is genuine generosity in the 2009, a warmth and immediacy that invite drinking sooner than the austerity of the 2010, while the site's inherent structure ensures it will reward patience as well.