MCF Rare Wine
Benoît Roseau: Northern Rhône Real
I had dinner with Benoît Roseau, and his wife Juliette, the other week, and we tasted these latest releases from his small estate in Pélussin...
...an estate he basically created from scratch.
Seriously. He converted an old sheep barn into his cellar, and planted all the vineyards (in Côte Rôtie and around Pélussin) himself.
These wines have been favorites of mine since Mike started importing them back at the beginning, and the real treat of the night was ripping through a few older bottles, something I've actually done a few times lately with Benoit's wines.
Benoit's 2022s are kinda the best of both worlds, at least in terms of what I love from the Nothern Rhône - the dark, mineral, intensely savory character of classic Syrah, and a more delicate, transparent and linear style, something a cooler vintage like 2022 accentuates even more.
The Syrah de Rosette 2022, an IGP of 100% Syrah from a .63ha sandy/granitic vineyard in Bogy might be, in all honesty, the most riveting glass of proper Syrah that you'll encounter for less than $30. This is bright, transparent and insanely perfumed, but it also has plenty of the classic savory/smoky minerality that you want. Serious, yet playful.
The two Saint Joseph were equally compelling, but with different feels.
The Saint Joseph La Ribaude 2022, from granitic soils, is beautifully structured, with a slightly riper, redder fruit to it.
The Saint Joseph Patagone 2022, on the other hand, hails from a schist-heavy site and is darker, more aromatically lofty and more firmly mineral.
Then we have the two flagship wines, one being the racy, linear, flowery and chiseled/mineral Condrieu La Riollment 2023, which is one of my absolute favorite expressions of Viognier on the market.
The other one is the Côte Rôtie Coteaux de Tupin 2022, a dark, electric, stony and fantastically savory expression of Côte Rôtie, and one that is, despite being flavor-packed, has a sigh-inducing sense of balance and finesse to it.
Of course, all of the older bottles showed that, despite their more linear/delicate profiles, Benoit's wines are still built to age, and take on all manner of extra detail as they do.
I'm perfectly comfortable saying that these wines might very well be the best pound-for-pound values from this beloved region...
...and there's, ya know...some serious competition there...
BENOÎT ROSEAU
Syrah de Rosette 2022
Saint Joseph La Ribaude 2022
Saint Joseph Patagone 2022
Côte Rôtie Coteau de Tupin 2022
Condrieu La Riollment 2023
PLEASE order by replying to this message or calling 212.255.8870.
Matt Franco
MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street NYC 10011
212.255.8870
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