Robert Parker (98)
The 2014 Cote Rotie La Landonne offers complex aromas of smoke, pressed flowers, cured meats, black olives and asphalt. Full-bodied, rich and quite firm, it doesn’t show the early appeal of the other 2014s, yet it should ultimately be the pick of the three and the most long-lived. Impressive.
Winespectator (97)
Intense, with charcoal and warm cast iron notes running through the dense core of dark fig and plum paste flavors. The edges show a singed apple wood note, with bittersweet cocoa powder details. Muscular, dense and driven, with the charcoal element giving this a slightly wild edge.
James Suckling (96)
Super-intense, dark-stone and mineral aromas here. Coal smoke, graphite and some distinctive, sappy, herbal accents. Blackberries are swathed in black and green pepper, mocha and coffee. Cloves and other woody spices are all in the mix, too. The palate is muscular with firm tannins encompassing the punchy, black-fruit flavors. This is under lockdown for now and will need a while to settle.
Jancis Robinson (18.5)
100% Syrah. 100% whole bunch with constant, automatic remontage in tank.
Stemmy, sappy notes on the palate giving dried herbs and iodine. Instantly more complex than the La Mouline and La Turque but this won't please those who don't like stemmy wines. Yet the complexity and purity is very impressive. Lovely juniper and lavender notes to finish. The best of the three La Las, for me.
Vinous (95)
Dark purple. Expansive cassis, blueberry liqueur, olive paste, vanilla and candied licorice aromas are lifted by a sexy floral note and a spicy suggestion of cracked pepper. Rich and broad but surprisingly energetic as well, showing powerful thrust to the concentrated black and blue fruit, spicecake, olive and cola flavors. Very smooth and round, revealing no rough edges that I can detect. Finishes very long and sweet, with a whiplash of blue fruit and slow-building, well-knit tannins that add framework.
Jeb Dunnuck (97)
Last of the single vineyard Côte Rôties, the La Landonne comes from a lieu-dit on the Côte Brune side of the appellation (as does the La Turque) and is 100% Syrah. It too spends four years in new French oak. The 2014 Côte Rôtie La Landonne gets my nod for the wine of the vintage and has rock star notes of black fruits, smoked meat, underbrush, and black olives. It’s medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, rich, and layered, and has more depth and length than just about every wine in the vintage. Hats off to the Guigal family for making such a stunning wine in a difficult vintage.
BOW (9)
