Rostaing, Rene - Cote Rotie La Landonne 1998

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Sadly, there are only 7,700 bottles of the 1998 Cote Rotie La Landonne. This spectacular offering boasts a deep purple color in addition to a dense nose that the French would call a confiture of black fruits, particularly plums, blackberries, and black currants. Superb aromatics jump from the glass of this young, unevolved 1998. On the palate, it is deep and dense, with a multi-layered texture, and terrific purity and concentration. It possesses a sweet, concentrated mid-palate, well-integrated tannin, and a long finish. This wine needs a few years of cellaring, but it is thrilling to taste at present. It will drink well young, but will last for 15-20 years."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Wonderful, opulent, showboating – the full pomp and pageantry. Smoky, perhaps even reductive nose, but there's fresh black fruit and stemmy funk here too. Long finish which has a rubbery note that becomes more prominent, but stays in balance with the rest of the flavours."