96 point

The 2016 Côte Rôtie La Landonne is another brilliant wine that has textbook La Landonne notes of powerful, ripe black fruits, smoked meats, peppery herbs, tobacco, and beef blood. Full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, layered, and structured, it has the elegant, finesse style of the vintage front and center, yet is still a powerful, masculine, structured wine (which is this site). Give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age and it will cruise for two decades.

97/99

I was blown away by the completeness of the 2016 Cote Rotie la Landonne from barrel. Incredible floral aromas bring both violets and roses to mind, plus layers of raspberry fruit and complex spice notes. It's medium to full-bodied with a terrific, silky mouthfeel and a long, long finish.

94/96

Made from vines that are over 100 years old) Lurid ruby. Heady aromas of ripe blueberry, black raspberry, incense, olive and candied flowers are sharpened by cracked pepper and mineral flourishes. Sweet and energetic on the palate, offering intense dark fruit liqueur and spicecake flavors and suggestions of licorice and cola that build with air. Lush but surprisingly structured thanks to a core of juicy acidity, as is typical of the best wines of the vintage. Building tannins shape the sappy dark fruit on the impressively long, juicy finish, which leaves a sexy floral note behind.

95 point

Well-built, with lots of juicy plum, blackberry and black currant compote flavors at the core infused with anise, roasted apple wood, licorice and black tea notes. The finish is scored with a cast-iron note, keeping everything grounded. Best from 2023 through 2038. From France.-J.M.