Very classically Côte-Rôtie in aroma, there's juniper and forest berries, and a touch of balsamic. Rounded, generous, but not overly ripe or full-bodied. Fine tannins and good acidity make this very well balanced. The oak is well integrated and well applied. There’s great finesse here, it’s one of their best vintages yet. Showing a mineral, graphite finish. Blend of lieu-dit Côte-Blonde and lieu-dit Côte Brune.

The 2021 Côte Rôtie La Mordorée, which comes from the Côte Blonde and Côte Brune lieu-dits, is straight-up brilliant and is a resounding success in the vintage. Spring flowers, hints of game, leather, black raspberries, and toasted spices all define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, has a pure, layered, rounded texture, soft tannins, and a great finish. It reminds me of a softer expression of the 2013.

Production of the 2021 Cote Rotie la Mordorée was down 60% to 70% because of frost, said Chapoutier. What vines managed to produce fruit did well, if this wine is any indication. Crushed stone and violets accent blueberries and raspberries on the nose, while the wine is medium to full-bodied, concentrated and ripe in the mouth. While intense, it's not as rich as some years, but it's packed with fruit and acidity on the long, silky finish. No matter how much time one spends with Michel Chapoutier, he always manages to say something surprising. As an owner of biodynamically farmed properties in the Rhône, a participant in several joint ventures, a proprietor in numerous wine regions, owner of a large négociant business and a former president of Inter Rhône (the region's trade body), he has a global perspective that's probably unmatched in the Rhône.(JC)