Chapoutier La Mordoree Cote Rotie Tinto 1995

The Michel Chapoutier winery is a jewel of the Rhône Valley. It was founded in 1808 and is part of the history of the Côtes-du-Rhône. With the arrival of Michel Chapoutier in 1990, his leadership transformed the philosophy of winemaking in the Rhône. This philosophy is based on two basic principles: first, to seek out terroirs and get as close to them as possible, so much so that the plot becomes more important than the work of the winemaker. M. Chapoutier's viticulture is to reveal the terroir in the wine and this gives an incredible richness to the wines. Most of the wines from the Rhône are made from Syrah, and also Grenache, but M. Chapoutier's Syrah is different, it feels different. They work rigorously under the principles of biodynamics. M. Chapoutier has a very extensive line of wines and they all follow the same principle, the vintage year is left as is: no chaptalization, no addition of yeasts or acidifiers. It is composed of chloritic and ferruginous mica schists, mixed in the loess depressions and veins of earth. The parcel that produces this wine is on the edge of the Côte Blonde. Chapoutier makes no secret of the fact that he prefers his 1996 Côté Roties to his 1995s. Well-heeled readers with access to Chapoutier's wines will have a field day determining whether the 1995 or 1996 Côté Rôtie La Mordoré is the superior wine. Both are excellent examples of Côte Rotie with 20-25 years of evolution. Chapoutier prefers the 1996. The 1995 is an excellent wine, but I'm not sure the 1996 isn't a notch or two better. Both wines have intensely saturated black/purple colors, and noses of smoke, black raspberry, coffee, and chocolate with black olives for complexity. The 1996 may have more length, but that's splitting hairs at this level of quality. Both are medium-to-full-bodied, rich, extraordinary examples of Côte Rotie, possessing power and finesse. Both will require a cellar to reveal their personalities. (Robert Parker SIC) RP 95