E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne 2014

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. Best from 2023 through 2042. 90 cases imported.

While the 2014 Cote Rotie La Landonne looked like the pick of the litter from barrel, now that it's in bottle, it's closed down a bit and is showing more of its stemmy, whole-bunch character. Medium to full-bodied, it's the most potent and concentrated of the La Las but considerably less charming at this point in time, with brooding, dark fruit, hints of espresso and black olive on the palate and a chewy, tannic finish. Give it at least 5 years in the cellar before checking in on it.