M. Chapoutier Cote-Rotie La Mordoree 2020.
Much like the 2019, the 2020 Cote Rotie la Mordorée is one of the best Chapoutier Cote Roties I can recall tasting. Scents of menthol, cedar, wild blueberries, vanilla and violets all show up on the nose, while the palate is medium to full-bodied, smooth, silky and elegant. Really long on the finish, it's a beauty that should drink well for close to two decades.
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.
Interestingly, on my latest visit, Chapoutier mentioned that he believes "Clairette is the real white grape of the south," despite not currently selling any wines that are majority Clairette. Unless those were empty words—not something I normally associate with him—I'd guess that may change going forward.
These reviews are based on several visits with him and his winemaking team over the past couple of years, so they encompass some previously released wines tasted as tank samples as well as current and forthcoming releases.
Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate, Published: May 16, 2024.
Much like the 2019, the 2020 Cote Rotie la Mordorée is one of the best Chapoutier Cote Roties I can recall tasting. Scents of menthol, cedar, wild blueberries, vanilla and violets all show up on the nose, while the palate is medium to full-bodied, smooth, silky and elegant. Really long on the finish, it's a beauty that should drink well for close to two decades.
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.
Interestingly, on my latest visit, Chapoutier mentioned that he believes "Clairette is the real white grape of the south," despite not currently selling any wines that are majority Clairette. Unless those were empty words—not something I normally associate with him—I'd guess that may change going forward.
These reviews are based on several visits with him and his winemaking team over the past couple of years, so they encompass some previously released wines tasted as tank samples as well as current and forthcoming releases.
Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate, Published: May 16, 2024.